For your first blog entry:
- Read the 1st reading, in WEEK 1, on Moodle called Cultivating Creativity, from the book Launching the Imagination, by Mary Stewart.
- Then, leave a comment HERE in the comments section. It should be at least one paragraph, answering the following questions. Feel free to build off what other students say. Think of this as a discussion.
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- What stands out for you in this reading? Main points?
- Share a specific example of how a topic (or topics) in this reading relate to your life.
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*If you have questions for me, email me directly. Do not ask questions that you need me to answer in the comments.
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ReplyDeletenrownrnln
ReplyDeleteThe main points that stood out most to me in this reading were the seven characteristics of creative thinking and goal setting. What I took from the seven characteristics of creative thinking is that one must be open to all options and explore as much as possible in order to get the best outcome. As for goal setting, I believe even more from this reading that we must set goals in an organizing manner with steps in order to achieve our desires.
ReplyDeleteThese two main points relate to my life currently, as I am a senior at Lasell and I need to figure out what sets me apart from others when applying for jobs, and get my personal best outcome. I also believe that exercising creativity is healthy for the brain and can turn into great things in other aspects of our lives.
For the most part I find it rather interesting that the reading seems to put so-called "creative" people in one catagory telling them exactly how they are. ("As noted in Chapter Five, most creative people have a wide range of interests." then noncreative people don't?) See, some people actually flurish while being what they seem to describe as "not creative". Some people are more creative when they are extroverted. Some people can be creative in a linear way. Although it is funny that the reading seperates the "linear" aspects while speaking of "problem solving" in such a "linear" way half the suggestions would just make me more stressed.
ReplyDeleteBut I do keep a sketchbook/journally thing so I get that part.
I found the reading to be extremely interesting in that I never analized the "creative process." Usually when I come up with a concept I just go for it without planning or scheduling of time. Also, I had never truly thought about the goals that I am attempting to achieve when creative art. It is definitely a new way to look at the steps and conceptualizing pieces. If anything, this reading has inspired me to be a bit more organized with my thoughts and ideas pertaining to my work.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to what Ashley J and Megan said, what stood out most to me in the Cultivating Creativity reading was the section on goal setting. I feel like a lot of people either don't set goals for themselves or incorrectly set them. Meaning, they say they want to be able to do something, take a few steps to attain their goal, but eventually do not keep following through. After reading this, I realized that at times in my life I have certainly taken that route before. Another part of the reading that really had me thinking was the section on connection seeking. When reading, I was so interested with how the author created and insisted on a balance between two extremities. Overall, though the reading was lengthy, I enjoyed the piece because it allowed me to evaluate my creative process and it gave me ideas on how to improve it.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading, the one part that stood out to me was the working together. The example introduced was very creative to get 20 people together to form one piece of art. Each person had to discuss with the person behind and in fornt of them about how each of their images will gradually come together. Team work is very important in any working enviornment. If two people forced to work together can't get alone, there project will either not be completed or come out unsuccessfully. So, I think it is important to get alone and particapate in the team work and learn form them. The reading related to my life when it comes to starting early on work. I feel that when I am given a project or homework due in two days or two weeks, I always look over what I need to do as soon as I get the work.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Cultivating Creativity, I found what the author was saying to be very helpful. The author brought up a lot of good points through out the reading, like bettering yourself as an artist in aspects like being more creative and time management. When the author talks about creativity, she told the reader how to use your creativity to the fullest, and how to see things differently. I also enjoyed how the author gave good tips on how to mange your time wisely so you can finish on time and do a good job. I found that I related to things like curiosity, setting goals, seeing the big picture, and wide range of interest. This reading has given me some good guidelines to follow on creating artwork and staying on top of your time.
ReplyDeleteIn the article 'Cultivating Creativity' I enjoyed learning about the 7 characteristics of creative thinking. For conviction, it says “Since new ideas are often derived from old ideas, it is foolish to ignore or dismiss the past”. I agree with this statement because as easy as it is for people to believe that they are unique and creative, I think that everyone works their creative energy off of each other’s. Because “Creative people also love change” I think that a lot of people will take ideas from others’ and combine them to make a ‘new’ way of doing things. Not to say that people are not naturally creative, but I believe it is human nature to follow onto other’s ideas and ways of doing things. Creating a routine or pattern of doing things comes easily to us, and creators like to challenge this ‘status quo’. I also agree with what Courtney said about time management. I think it was interesting how the author added this to the piece, because I think many times people may use others’ ideas because they are rushed for time, and can’t create ideas completely on their own in the time they have allowed themselves. With the tools given in this article; setting goals, managing time wisely, curiosity, and seeing the big picture, as Courtney explained, I also agree that it can help me to stay creative if I use these tools to manage my time.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the points about how artists with more background can make more connections, and how perfectionism can ruin brainstorming by not allowing free thinking were two really good points. I think the goal part; with the sticky notes, is also a pretty good idea as to how to get to know yourself as both an artist and a person in general. It could also help you figure out what you should do to be who you want. the suggestions on Time Management also stood out to me, I especially agree where it said 'the first ten minutes of class set the mood for the whole period.' that also relates to my life because if I wake up and have had a bad dream, or receive bad news in the first part of my day, I’m in a bad mood for the rest of the day. The last few hours before I go to sleep are also what I remember when I wake up the next day and think about whether the day before was good or not. If the first few hours of my day are bad then I generally assume it’s going to be a bad day and try to survive it instead of try to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteWhat stands out for me in this article, is the in-depth look at a creative mids's thought processes and ways of going about life. "Creativity and design both require new combinations of old ideas", this describes how the article made old views on time management, and curiosity into new ways at looking at how to approach making art and producing something one can be proud of. I believe how "curiosity" was defined in the article, relates to my life. I go about life looking for what new or what more i can get out of experiences. Learning new things and exploring my creativity while doing it, is my overall goal.
ReplyDeleteThe part of the reading that stood out most to me was how the author stressed the combination of rational and intuitive thought to get the most of ones creativity. When I think of creativity I usually think of it as being an intuitive skill or quality. The author explained that it takes both rational or quantitative thought as well as the spontaneity and the "thinking outside the box" quality that I often associate with being creative. This immediately made me think of the first exercise we did in this class with the vocabulary words and paper plates. Although my partner and I had great ideas, we had to use logical thinking and planning to actually execute our plan. When we were first assigned the task we both knew what we wanted the end product to look like however we struggled with the actual process, which is where logical thought came in.
ReplyDeleteMolly Clarke
I found the reading to be useless for myself, it was a lot to take in but, I am not familiar with a lot abut art. I made sure to pay close attention to the Problem Solving section because I seem to always have a problem when constricting an art project. I found the part on convergent and divergent thinking very interesting because I never realized how two types of "thinkers" do art differently, I understand people think different and have different ways to go about their art but I didn't realize the clear differences that are produced between the two. I feel as though I am a convergent thinker, I imagine what I want my end results to be so I would towards making it come as close as I can instead of being open-mided and seeing what comes of the art as a divergent thinker would.
ReplyDeleteMeghan Peters
In the reading there were a few main ideas that stood out to me. The most basic main idea I got from the reading was that every project starts with one idea. From that one idea you can only mold, and develop your idea into the final project. Brainstorming can have a huge affect while creating a piece of art work. Brainstorming allows you to be creative in many ways without anything being set in stone. It is the blueprint for your piece of art. Talking to others, giving criticism, and sharing ideas can be very helpful while brainstorming. I know I work best when I share ideas with others, and get my classmates' opinions. You should always work slowly, and do not stress about the final project. While it is great to have a deadline, and set a goal, you never want to rush your work. When you rush your work it never reaches its full potential.
ReplyDeleteI can realate to this reading in the aspect of brainstorming. When I am first assigned a project I tend to get stuck and not know what to do. I am not too creative so I usually depend on my classmates for adivece, ideas, and feedback. I do not rush my work and I like to take my time. I like to think of myself as a divergent thinker. My best work usually happens when I "go with the flow". Although, I also like when I have step by step instructions as to how to create a piece of art. I enjoyed the reading, learned some new tips, and was able to relate to it as well.
Mariah LeBlanc
This article was very interesting. When i am feeling creative, I just jump into projects and artwork, I plan out what my end product will look like, but I never really think about the steps to get there. I usually get stressed out because the perfectionist comes out when the project isn't what I had originally thought it would be. This is when the goal setting might come in handy. If I started to set goals for myself, going from nothing to a finished product might be a little easier for me. I find myself to be very close-minded, and nervous to try new ideas. I am going to try to be very open-minded in this class and to be fearless. If something goes wrong, I can change what my final destination of the project will end up like.
ReplyDeleteHeather Millian