Andy Warhol reportedly once said: “It hurts when you go to school too long.” Obviously, if you are a heart surgeon or nuclear engineer, you may want to take Andy’s comment with a grain of salt.

The point stands, however, that too much school becomes counter-productive and can hurt or even crush creativity. Take for example Steve Jobs, a college drop out who, after touring India, started the remarkably creative Apple Computers (think iPod), Pixar (think Toy Story), NeXT Computers (think cool black cubes for people who have way too much money), and who knows what’s next.

Where, you ask, did a college drop out get the money needed to start a computing company? His partner (Steve Wosniak) sold his VW Bus (think hippy) and they used the money to build the first Apple computer (housed in a wooden apple box) in the garage of Jobs.

The current North American educational system (think boring) based on the British model of the omnipotent professor babbling while an overcrowded classroom of peons try to figure out what’s going to be on the final, stunts thinking and creativity.

Granted, this is a huge sweeping generalization, but hey, artists are free to make sweeping brushstroke-like generalizations.

So kids, the point of this little exercise is this: study a little, think a lot, get an iPod and be free. If a couple of hippies could do it, then so can you. Stay original. Be free.