Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 11 (2019) 757–759

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Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cptl

Commentary

Lifelong learning inspires the creative art of academic writing

T
⁎
Ashley Castleberrya, , Wendy Wardb, Susan Steinc
a
University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, 2409 University Avenue, Austin, TX 78712, United States
b
UAMS College of Medicine, 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, United States
c
Susan M. Stein Consulting, LLC, PO Box 417, Astoria, OR 97103, United States

A R T IC LE I N F O ABS TRA CT

Keywords: Introduction: This commentary explores the link between lifelong learning and the creative “art”
Lifelong learning of academic writing. Can lifelong learning have benefits in academic writing? And (corre-
Creativity spondingly), can writing help us in our lifelong learning journey?
Innovation Commentary: An individual with a lifelong learning habit naturally fuels the fire of repeated
Academic writing
moments of creativity and innovation and wants to share these moments with others through a
variety of outlets, including writing. As we share our creativity, i.e. our new ideas and innovative
solutions, through writing, others read, learn, analyze, synthesize, and innovate further. As we
share our creative thoughts and ideas together through writing back and forth, we build a per-
petually creating and innovating society. This is the creative “art” of academic writing.
Implications: Building a lifelong-learning habit provides fertile soil within which creative ideas
and innovative solutions grow. However, the true beauty of these creations comes from sharing
them with others.

Introduction

Lifelong learning is good for us as studies indicate financial, health, and social benefits.1 But can lifelong learning have benefits in
academic writing? And (correspondingly), can writing help us in our lifelong learning journey? As devoted health professionals, we
should want to continue to develop ourselves, share new ideas and approaches, and together achieve our goals. Creative, innovative
ideas and concepts are needed to move both science and practice forward. Dissemination of these innovative ideas through writing
stimulates creativity and contributes to a culture of continuous improvement in others. Yet translating our innovative thoughts into
the written word is notoriously challenging. Why is writing well so difficult?
Embracing artisanal writing habits can provide an effective model of writing that overflows from the pursuit of lifelong learning.
Artisanal writing habits are one of four premises illuminated by Dr. Helen Sword's2 research regarding writing successfully. The other
premises include behavioral, emotional, and social writing habits which together create The Writing BASE, an online self-evaluation
tool designed to improve productive writing.3 For example, behavioral habits describe everyday writing habits whereas emotional
habits reflect how you feel about writing, and social habits indicate the level of productive collective discussions. By evaluating your
writing habits, the tool provides guidance on areas of improvement. If adopted, these habits, found to be common among productive
academic writers, are inspired by lifelong learning.2,3 This commentary will address effective lifelong learning principles, developing
our lifelong learning as a catalyst for creativity and innovation, and extending our ideas toward others through the medium of
writing. We propose that lifelong learning is the fertile soil within which creative ideas and innovations grow, producing a beautiful
creation shared with others through academic writing.

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: ashley.castleberry@austin.utexas.edu (A. Castleberry), wward@uams.edu (W. Ward), sue@suesteinconsulting.com (S. Stein).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2019.04.002

1877-1297/ Published by Elsevier Inc.

A. Castleberry, et al. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 11 (2019) 757–759

Commentary

Embracing lifelong learning

Lifelong learning, as a personal value, must start inside us before we can pass the ideas onto others through writing, so let's first
explore some concepts of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is most effective when it becomes a habit. For some, this habit may be
ingrained in their development; for others this may take more focused effort. According to a recent publication by Brown et al.4 in
order to truly develop the lifelong learning habit (or “growth mindset”), you first must believe in your own ability to create and
innovate. Then, in order to learn and retain new concepts, learning must shift new information from working memory, where it's
newly experienced, into long-term memory, where it's associated, anchored, and retrievable. Learning becomes a habit and, in turn, a
lifelong journey when the pattern of association and retrieval is practiced again and again until it becomes habit. Some other
fascinating tidbits from this work include:4
(a) Depth: The more complex thinking needed to learn the concept, the more difficult it is to learn, yet the more likely it is
retained. Once learned, the deeper, more complicated concepts are more likely to shift into long-term memory; (b) Spacing: By
spacing out the time in which information is retrieved, such as reviewing an article to find one particular statement that was of
interest, the more likely one is to learn and retain; and (c) Capacity: Our capacity for learning material that translates into long-term
memory is enormous; yet the utility of long-term memory is based on the ability to retrieve that information.
All of these premises support the practice of lifelong learning and, if incorporated, make the practice more effective. For example,
when reading books, blogs and articles that interest us, if we: (1) seek new complex concepts or findings we struggle a bit to
understand, such as the psychology behind learning, we are more likely to remember the information [depth]; (2) incorporate these
ideas into our current knowledge and retrieve the ideas periodically, such as discussion with others, rereading passages, or applying
to new environments, we are more likely to retain the information [spacing]; and (3) add more new concepts to link to items we have
already retained and repeatedly retrieve them, we can retain more and more [capacity]. But how do we move from lifelong learning
to creative innovation to writing?

Creativity and innovation: outcomes of lifelong learning

Sahlberg5 writes of creativity as an outcome of lifelong learning. In fact, creativity can be learned and developed into a habit
interwoven with lifelong learning. Specifically, the continuous process of learning new information and synthesizing it with current
information is dynamic and exciting, leading to unique perspectives, revolutionary ideas, newly intermingled concepts, and in-
novative solutions. A lifelong learning habit makes individuals more sensitive and open to new ideas, more willing to incorporate
alternative approaches into problem-solving, and more interested and engaged in innovation. Creativity is a product of lifelong
learning that helps us innovate as educators, researchers, and writers. An individual with a lifelong learning habit naturally fuels the
fire of repeated moments of creativity and innovation and wants to share these moments with others through a variety of outlets,
including writing. “Innovation is the extraction of economic and social value from knowledge.”5 It involves putting ideas, knowledge,
and technology to work in new and unique ways, resulting in new insights and improved performance. This process of innovation can
be described as dynamic, complex, non-linear, even chaotic. Further, Sahlberg5 comments that innovation is most often a collective
process. This is why we write. As we share our creativity, i.e. our new ideas and innovative solutions, through writing, others read,
learn, analyze, synthesize, and innovate further. As we share our creative thoughts and together through writing back and forth, we
build a perpetually creating and innovating society. This is the creative “art” of academic writing.

Creativity and innovation shared by writing

Academics can take these effective learning techniques, build a habit of lifelong learning, and synthesize information through
creativity and innovation, potentially igniting passion for writing. As a lifelong learning habit extends into innovative thinking and a
passion for sharing new ideas, individuals are called to writing. This process of communicating new ideas can also become a powerful
and self-reinforcing habit. The science of lifelong learning highlighted above can be applied to the art of writing.

Depth
You have to know something very well before you can explain it simply. Until you experience and learn something complicated at
a deeper level, you will not be able to explain or write about it for others to learn from. Try spending time analyzing, synthesizing,
and engaging emotively with new ideas.

Spacing
Rather than pressuring yourself to write for extended periods of time, smaller, regular writing sessions allow time to reflect and
for ideas to percolate. Engaging in creative, artistic, or other learning activities outside of your writing topic may help you re-engage
with your writing. Embrace the non-linear and dynamic writing process. Interspacing writing time with time for artistic expression or
reading outside of your writing topic can provide fresh, innovative approaches to the writing process or new ways of thinking that
impact the content of writing and drives the self-editing process. In the context of our day, our experiences can enlighten and engage
our thinking, positively affecting our writing. For example, if your day consists of writing for an hour or two, brief walk break, writing
time, lunch and drawing break, writing time, etc., you may find that the written product is impacted by thoughts on the walk,

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A. Castleberry, et al. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning 11 (2019) 757–759

observations of others or of natural phenomenon, or just from a break with a return and fresh perspective. Furthermore, the dynamic
process of writing is often not linear. You may be inspired to write your conclusion before writing earlier portions, or start with
results of data analysis and build the discussion and introduction from there. The editing process is also impacted by the writing, such
as going back to revise the introductory paragraph after other elements are written so that they flow more harmoniously.

Capacity
As we continue to learn, our knowledge base grows and our ability to synthesize knowledge across diverse topics expands. This
increasing capacity provides a rich foundation upon which creative, innovative writing can develop. Seek new, related and unrelated
topics to expand your capacity and stretch your retrieval capabilities.
All of these premises support the practice of writing stemming from lifelong learning and innovation and, if incorporated, make
the practice more effective.

Implications

So how can we direct our passion for lifelong learning, while harnessing our creativity and innovation, to result in more pro-
ductive writing outcomes? Some tips mentioned by author, poet, and academic Helen Sword6 wisely capture the passion and
creativity that ignite the writing process. Sword6 highlights key structural elements to captivating writing: a title that highlights
innovation in a way that is of interest to a broad audience, early sentences that hook the attention of readers; a story that unfolds
describing and defining the creative additions to shared knowledge; and additionally, a writing style that is conversational in nature,
as if you were hanging out with a colleague in the union, a coffee shop, or the hallway. Writing style embraces the premise of a story
that resonates with readers rather than just providing dusty details and dull descriptions. For example, when were you last gripped by
an intoxicating flower or delicious-smelling food cart? What happened? You stopped, turned around to find the source, and pursued it
to experience more. This innate curiosity energizes and supports the journey of lifelong learning. Get the reader to stop, take a closer
look, and dive in. As an author, creating work that stimulates curiosity, the satisfaction of learning within oneself, and the joy of
catalyzing learning in others perpetuates the desire to create. Citations are necessary to support research, building on previous proven
or interpreted results. But the art of academic writing lies in the sharing of creative new ideas, peaking others' curiosity, and
instigating learning in our peers. What are the exciting ideas you would share if you only had a few minutes to describe it? How
would you hook your colleague, anxious to share more and hear how your ideas instigate the creativity in them?
This commentary explores the link between lifelong learning and the creative and innovative “art” of academic writing. Building a
lifelong learning habit provides fertile soil within which creative ideas and innovative solutions grow. However, the true beauty of
these creations comes from the sharing of them with others.

Conflict of interest

None.

Disclosure(s)

None.

References

1. Coleman J. Lifelong learning is good for your health, your wallet, and your social life. Harvard Business Review; 2017 https://hbr.org/2017/02/lifelong-learning-is-
good-for-your-health-your-wallet-and-your-social-life Published February. Accessed 13 April 2019.
2. Sword H. Air & light & time & space: how successful academics write. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2017.
3. The writing BASE. The writer's diet. http://writersdiet.com/base.php. Accessed 13 April 2019.
4. Brown PC, Roediger HL, McDaniel MA. Make it stick. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press; 2014.
5. Sahlberg P. Creativity and innovation in lifelong learning. lifelong learning in Europe. https://pasisahlberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Creativity-and-
innovation-in-LLL-2009.pdf. Published 2019. Accessed 13 April 2019.
6. Sword H. Stylish academic writing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2012.

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