Final Post for Creativity Class

How have my view changed towards Creativity?

I would have to say that the most significant way in which I’ve changed my views as a result of this class is that I now realize that creativity includes hard work.  I used to view creative people as those who were “naturals” at their special talents. This sort of thinking caused me to shy away from things I didn’t feel that I was very good at.  I was interested to see that in most of the readings on creative people that “hard-working” was a common personality trait.  I find that with myself, I tend to work more diligently at things that I am interested in, causing me to be more talented in my areas of interest.  However, while engaged in the “personal creativity project”, I was out of my comfort zone and was truly stuck. Researching different decorating technique and drawing out my ideas took a lot of time and effort.  Once I did this, however, I experienced the wonderful feeling of “flow” and began working hard at completing my project in a way that would appeal to me.  “Flow” would not have happened to me if I had not been diligently trying to solve the problem of decorating my large wall. What this means to me as a teacher is that nurturing creativity in students will include offering ample opportunities for the students to work hard in a creative manner. I want to see them experiencing “flow” as well.

The other significant way in which this class has changed my views is to be aware of creativity barriers in myself, my children, and my students. I don’t want to hold back on my creative side anymore, and I believe that not wanting to “stand out” has always squelched my creativity. I now feel more inspired to embrace it in every venue of my life. I want my own children to feel free to be creative in their home and I now hear my own voice loud and clear when it starts to squelch them…”Don’t mix pretzels in your yogurt-YUK!” And as a future returning teacher, I want my classroom to be a sort of “creative haven”, where ideas are welcome and open-ended activities are the norm.

Discuss an uncomfortable moment/assignment because I had to expand my Creativity.

I have begun working since the start of this class.  I am now around many different people and personalities and it has been difficult at times. As a result of the many activities in this class that required creative thinking and problem solving, I find myself approaching the uncomfortable situations involving the less friendly personalities differently than I normally would. For instance, I reverse-brainstormed quietly to myself one day when I felt as though a colleague was being rude.  I asked myself, “What can I do to have her continue to treat me this way?” I came to the conclusion that I have no idea why she acts the way she does.  I don’t know her well at all, and time will give me a better idea on how to handle the situation.  In the meantime, I need to not let this have a negative impact on me or my behavior at work.  I would say that this has worked tremendously.  In the past, I would probably be very down about this situation and would be letting my emotions show at work.  However, a little creative thinking has helped me to be a stronger and better person.

Advertisement