“My Creative Child”
These three words are the ones my mother has spoken to me for most of my life. As her only child, I often dismissed her statements as parental “puffing.” Puffing is what parents do when they want to say positive things to their children, in my opinion.
As such is the case, I dismissed my creativity as common for the majority of my life. I thought that everyone thought this way…but they don’t. Now I know that it’s both a gift and skill that I should embrace and honor.
So, to answer questions, such as “when am I most creative?” is an interesting excursion. I am always creative, as I am always creating. From what I choose to wear, my jewelry, how I style my hair (or what hair I choose to wear), it is my goal to express myself creatively.
As it relates to environments, I am not impacted by much. As a creative I adapt to whatever environment to get my end goal. On campus, while I may sit in a room without windows or open space, I always have the opportunity to chance my setting and environment. For me, this means walking through West Loop (Bonus: Step count met.), see students, seeing artwork, and having the ability to turn inward, if that is what I need.
What is the worst imaginable environment for one–may be the best environment for another. I feel that creativity is being structured in such a limited context, without taking into consideration that some people are just that–creative. While others may have to hone or harness this ability–for others it’s a gift, and as such is the case, it is rarely stymied or stagnated by pesky little things such as location, lighting, ect.
Ultimately, to be creative is to have the ability, and sometimes, the druthers, to look at at situation or an opportunity and create something in alignment or out of alignment with the status quo. (Again, my opinion.) For some, this is just how they function…and that doesn’t seem to be a consideration in the questions that are being posed in this prompt.
I’ve often said, “give me 30 minutes, and I will give you 30 ideas.” It’s still true…and I hope it always will be.
In terms of a “creative process for this week,” again, I am stumped. I don’t turn creativity on and off like a light switch. That’s not to say that there are not people who do that, I am just not one of them. In the construct of academia, I am at a desk, thinking about whether I like what I have prescribed as the activity for my students; in class, I decided that a discussion would make for a great extra credit opportunity, so I CREATED one. With the Innovation Fellows, I am constantly re-assessing my posture on our required project, and expanding the breadth of what I hope to achieve. ABC–always be creating. (Yes, I know it’s Always Be Closing.) However, I am writing my truth, in hopes of finding others with a similar viewpoint.
Are you out there?