The Creative "i" - Defining Creativity

PART 1: Synopsis of the Interview (300 words max)

I interviewed my friend, Eileen, who is an actress currently working at the Sierra Repertory Theatre in California.  Through this interview, I realized that her relationship with creativity is largely emotional: “My creative process is very empathetic. I create because of what I feel. Whether it's a drawing, sculpture, or musical, I create because of how I am moved emotionally. If I don't feel it, I'm not being true to myself.”  I was fascinated by this honesty to herself sought in the emotions that emerge from her creativity.  Creativity, in her eyes, was also about joy: “I think creativity is the ability and joy in creating something.”  We talked about how joy does not necessarily mean happiness.  Instead, it is a freedom that the artist needs to find. 

She states that creativity is a form of expression. If it were not a part of our society, our freedom of speech would be limited. Creativity is a way to connect to others we would otherwise not have the chance to share our ideas with.  As expected, I asked her what fueled her creativity and she talked about the importance of other people molding her creative repertoire: “Wonderful people fuel me. Caring people fuel me. And emotionally connected stories fuel me.”  These wonderful people are not afraid to be wrong. People are creative because they feel the need.

To evaluate creativity, her “grade” would be given based on if a person’s enthusiasm for their material: “If they believe in it. If they have a clear message or a definitive point. And how pleasing the material is to them when finished.”  She realized, as we all do, that this was a murky answer to the question but stressed the importance of connectedness.

Finally, I want to end with her stunning words on the power of creativity: “Creativity is an escape. It can save people. It is a way to process the bad and make more good.”

PART 2: Summarize, in 200 words or less, how what you learned from the reading and interview relates to your own personal or professional life. What would you do to become more creative?

Eileen’s fuel for creativity was largely derived from empathy, which I know we will look at in a few weeks. Her creativity and those of others revolves around emotion and the importance of what we feel. It seems that she is in support of the “gut feeling” idea that we read about.  I appreciated that she recognized creativity as a release (which she labeled as “joy”), whether this be an inner peace, an emotional deep breath, or any other type of understanding that it can bring.

She was quick to note that though creativity is largely internal, it contributes to society around us.  We must be willing to boldly stand about what we feel and accept ourselves fully.  A truly creative person has the confidence to support their work under the eye of any critic. This is not to be confused with the arrogance that their art cannot be made even better.  We must use the world to learn of creativity and share our own in order to grow further and further down into the roots of it.

Sometimes we are under pressure or parameters to be creative, and cannot find the motivation to be creative.  I feel that from talking with Eileen she would simply respond, “look harder.”  If an artist is waiting for creativity to knock at their door, then they are ignoring countless other artists around them: “all knowledge begins in observation” (30).  In a crazy ever-changing world, let’s follow Eileen’s advice and together we can make more good.

Module 3 - Patterning

Patterning:

This activity is divided into 2 parts: identifying patterns and creating new patterns.

1.              First, after completing the reading, think about your selected topic. What are some existing patterns that exist? How do these patterns help you or learners access your topic? Do they help? Do they hinder? How can you capture and represent these patterns and share with us on your webspace.

• Standard arc of a children’s musical – exposition, conflict/villain introduced (goals of the protagonist/villain), rising action, climax (battle between villain and protagonist), falling action (decline of the villain), resolution (a happy and hopeful ending of the protagonist)
• Expectations of adult audience for the performance – uptempo songs, energetic music, happy ending, bad guy, transformation/lesson learned from the protagonist
• Simple dialogue and word use
• Bad guy is evil but usually doused with a bit of humor (Ursula, Hades, etc.)
• Pattern of music – can be a sing-a-long type feel
• Great article about the power of music to assist with mathematics instruction http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201201/Geist_Patterns_of_Music_Jan012.pdf
• Children need to relate to protagonist or side with him/her.
• Protagonist will wear bright colors.
• What is hindered by these patterns?
• Stories can be predictable
• Students are not challenged enough.
• Don’t learn that much from simple characters – need complexity to further the growth of complex, analytic thought
• "kids love musicals that get their toes tappin'" (CommonSenseMedia). This is a quote from a large corporation that sells the rights to children's musicals. What a broad, unimpressive selling point. Why do kids really love musicals?

2.              Now, how can you come up with new patterns that can be applied to the same content? This may mean breaking down or breaking apart your content area and existing patterns. Then explain how this would help your students to better understand and handle your topic? Again, capture these new patterns that you have generated and represent them on your webspace.

• Adjusting the standard arc - adding an unexpected plot twist.
• Villain is actually good. Maybe the villain is framed?
• Protagonist/villain the same person - that would be an adventure!
• Betrayal of the family unit or group of friends. These things happen in real life too - how can we include them in these shows without making the material depressing or vicious?
• A critic referred to the Lion King as "powerful, scary." Is that why it is one of the most effective Disney movies? It creates a darker villain, introduces death, and discusses running away from your fears.  I want to research more into this idea of "scary."

Once you have re-patterned your topic in a new way post it to your workspace and write about 500 words discussing: a) briefly your understanding of the cognitive tool of patterning (approximately 1 sentence), b) your original pattern, c) your new patterns, and d) how this understanding impacts your topic.  

A) Patterning is the cognitive organization of stimuli into the most understandable logical sequence to that individual; new discoveries can only be made with new patterns.

B) Children’s theater musicals are filled with stereotypes and patterns: over-the-top acting, up-tempo songs, energetic dancing, simple dialogue, a happy ending, a lovable, adventurous protagonist, and an evil yet not-too-terrifying villain.  They typically follow this simple, literary pattern: in the musical, we first meet the protagonist and his/her friends and family in the exposition, the rising action is when the conflict/villain is introduced (as well as the goals of the protagonist/villain), the climax is the battle between the villain and our heroic protagonist, the falling action is the decline/riddance of the villain, and our resolution is a happy and hopeful ending of the protagonist and his/her family and friends. In grade school, we have all been taught the phrase “show, don’t tell” during an English course.  Children’s theater often falls into this category, which I label as “fluff.” I feel that many of these theatrical elements are effortless and straightforward for our newest, easily unimpressed young audience surrounded by the power of video games, fast-paced cartoons, and advanced technology.  It’s time to teach this audience what can’t be learned from a television screen and give them a break from the repetitive patterns of technology.

C) For my new pattern, I challenge a work of children’s theater to let the kids “fill in the blanks” with their imagination and intellect.  Add complexities to the plot, take away naïve protagonists and write bolder, realistic ones, and compose a score with less bouncy piano and more emotional violins.  I’m not entirely sure it would work, but I don’t think that’s the point.  Children are accustomed to this stereotypical, Disney-fied pattern of stories from reading in school and seeing blockbusters on screen.  Theater is a heightened opportunity to help children realize that their imagination is the most powerful tool they will ever have.  Here are some examples to challenge the imagination of children: what if the Cat in the Hat lived his entire afternoon in Sally’s house without physical props? What if the protagonist was also the villain? What if the kids could become characters in the show?  Kids wouldn’t know what hit them.  A change in this pattern of children’s musicals could become the strongest memories of their grade school years.  Why? Because new patterns are the only way we can make new discoveries.

D) As I re-visit this topic a few days later, I thought about it from an actor’s point of view.  They are cast in the same role in the same play with the same lines, costumes, and props for months or years at a time.  If actors did not strive to adjust their characters daily, make new experiments, and take the stage with a fresh perspective for each performance, then the show would become a lackluster, lifeless pattern.  The same goes for the creation of the shows.  What is going to make a kid sit up, lean in, and think, “What the heck was that?”  Silly, over-the-top theater may be entertaining to watch, but add a dose of heart, imagination, and honesty into the piece and kids won’t be able to look anywhere else.  The power of a pattern can help us master a new concept, but as the Root-Bernsteins suggest, “discovery occurs when, willy-nilly, something about our observations and experiences forces us to make another pattern” (94).  Teach our children to discover new patterns, and they will never want to stop. 

Reveal of my Veja Du! A Korean stove!

Perceiving Part 2

Prompt: Once you have perceived your topic in a new way write about 500 words: a) discussing briefly your understanding of the cognitive tool of perceiving (approximately 1 sentence), b) your original observation, c) your re-imagination, and finally d) how this new understanding impacts your topic.

Original: “The Circle of Life” Sequence from Disney’s The Lion King
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk

Re-imaged: The Journey Home, a poem

a) To me, the cognitive tool of perceiving is the ability to take in all the stimuli of an environment and respond to it honestly: taking what appealed to our sensory network and analyzing how it was understood, categorized, correlated, and appreciated.

b) The first scene of the movie The Lion King is legendary in film and theater.  “The Circle of Life” effectively sets the tone for a story that teaches us the value of family and our part of the big world we live in.  My initial observation of this scene is colorful and warm.  The animals and scenery grow in variety and number as we move through the number, juxtaposed with beautiful backgrounds of the African savannah with its golden grass and crystal blue skies.  As the female singer begins, the noise of the animals interestingly is still heard, growing and growing as we move closer to Pride Rock.  However, before the expected huge finish, the song dips into the most intimate moment with the arrival of Rafiki.  His travels, as well as those of all the animals, foreshadow the magnitude of such an event.  As Rafiki steps forward to the ledge, the singer returns in a full belt with a full symphony and roars out a final chorus.  The animals explode with energy but then bow sincerely and ceremoniously, as if this ritual has been done before.  We feel their respect for one another and their placement in this African circle of life.

c) For my re-imagination, I created a poem that possesses a similar energy and theme to this film sequence. I recalled the senses that were stimulated, what felt important to me, and what I appreciated most about this sequence and attempted to condense the 4-minute sequence into a succinct poem.  As I created this poem, I wondered why I felt such a pull to these animals in this moment. From my historical and cultural background, I don’t exactly understand Rafiki’s ritual with Simba, or the whole sequence for that matter. Why, as a culture, have we become so attached to this opening number in children’s film? My solution to this inquiry is the power of home in the literal and metaphorical sense.  Home involves our role in the community, our love of our family members, and our respect for the elderly (just to name a few) – this sequence includes and illuminates all of these elements.

d) A new understanding that I have learned from this experience is open-mindedness to stimuli.  I would argue that one of the reasons that I find the Circle of Life sequence so popular is because I was introduced to it when I was a child.  From a cognitive standpoint, I could not filter what was important, make a bias about the music, or relate it with my own experiences because I was still in the realm of concrete thought at that age.  I simply believed in the animals on the screen as if I was standing on Pride Rock next to them.  I understood their journeys, their environments, and their goals.  I feel that perceiving is mastering this ability to purely take in all stimuli without distraction or bias.  We can make assumptions, conclusions, and inquiries later, but it is the initial opportunity to listen, see, feel, hear, and smell as much as we can to attain the best observations possible.

Module 2 - Perceiving

The Journey Home

A poem by Micah Hein

The sun rises

Someone is calling, unheard but known

A warm summer morning chases away

evening dew as  friendly winds chase the

antelope. Prancing in the new light.

They are called home

Birds flock to the sky, filling it with

life. The cheetah hears the call, and

forgets his stalk. Families meet.

They are called home

Water splashes under heavy, wrinkled hooves.

A young baby dips his trunk for

water. A long Journey awaits.

They are called home

The sound grows.

Flapping wings of cranes

Stomping feet of zebras

Hot breath of buffalo

Chatter of monkeys

It all grows and grows

Even the breeze in the trees dances with excitement

Close to home

An elder is respected for he loves

all.  They bow as he climbs and

climbs.  The sun gently smiles from its peak

as the son rises.

We scream

We jump

We know

WE are home.

Veja Du!

Here are three pictures of my item. I decided not to be mean and take pictures of something that strictly accessible in Korea. You will be very familiar with this item. Good luck! :)

-Micah

Introduction

Just a test! Trying out my new blog and attempting to add some fun stuff.

One of my favorite pictures:

Link to my favorite song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfjj8BOebMM

Be of good courage and know that you are loved.