Friday, January 21, 2011

Victoria Kombouras- Cultivating Creativity

In the first part of the article “Cultivating Creativity” , it talks about different types of characteristics or attributions a person could inherit. Each characteristic is broken down and is elaborated with detail. For example, the article pin points 7 characteristics of creative thinking, such as receptivity curiosity, complexity etc. According to the article receptivity occurs when“creative people are open to new ideas and welcome new experiences. Never complacent, they question the status quo and embrace alternative solutions to existing problems”. A person with complexity must take notes, memorize facts, and collect and analyze data. They are encouraged to think rationally, write clearly, and present ideas in a linear progression. Other parts of the article are ways to improve oneself in a positive manner such as solving problems easily, being more productive, not procrastinating and so on. The last part of the article focuses on how one could improve themselves by building things, keeping a journal, sketchbook or brainstorming ideas.

I had a negative reaction to the first part of the article, because all it was talking about was being creative and what kinds of characteristics contribute to creativity. I am not the type of person who likes to study art, draw or sit down and create a masterpiece. I don’t have the patience to dedicate myself to art. I also lack creativity; therefore the beginning of the article didn’t interest me. As the article started to switch topics, I became more interested, because I hate being a procrastinator. I love being on time, because it makes me feel better. when I am late or put things off to the last minute, I become very stressed. The other main points in the article don’t relate to me at all, such as having an open mind. I am a very close minded person when it comes to the majority of subjects.

6 comments:

  1. This reading basically shows and describes to you how to be a better artist. The many ways to go about achieving your personal goals in the artistic world. This reading also acts as a guideline showing strategies in which you can take to get projects done and on time, and also explains they different ways you go about finishing a project that you can either be a safe-keeper(avoid surprises) or a risk-taker(like surprises). It also described ways in which famous artist went about completing their projects and the things to carefully take into consideration. This reading relates to me because it shows that in art you can take risks or look to avoid them and when doing art I tend not to do at times and is afraid of the outcome so I avoid taking risks and at other times I am ready to take risks and the reading relates to me as saying that it is best to both a safe-keeper and a risk-taker. Therefore I think this reading gives me a better outlook on how to go about projects; whether to avoid risks or take them.

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  2. I agree with Jovan about how the reading describes how to become a better artist. There were certainly many strategies given to aid an artist when preparing to create a piece or conceptualizing something. I was personally surprised at how the article made my thought process appear to be somewhat unorganized. I am very spur of the moment whe it comes to my artwork, meaning that my inspiration can just come at any given moment. I don't sit and think about the steps I will take. It made me second guess whether my methods are working or not. All in all, the reading taught me a lot because I never had an art class that actually told us how to approach our ideas and turn them into tangible pieces.

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  3. In the article “Cultivating Creativity” in Launching the Imagination by Mary Stewart, it discussed all that goes into a creative mind. The article claims that there are essentially no rules nor is there a “how to instruction” for art. It discussed the importance of being able to think creatively and how being original are extremely important. In the beginning of the article, the author claims that creativity is unpredictable, but creativity can be encouraged. Next, the author stated that there are seven characteristics of creativity, which are, receptivity, curiosity, wide range of interest, attentiveness, connection seeking, conviction, and complexity. Receptivity is being open to new ideas; listening more and talking less. The characteristic of attentiveness is when one pays attention to those minor details by observing small events and relates them to a bigger picture. Conviction happens when one is continuously considering new possibilities and challenges “status quo”. The article also discussed the importance of setting goals, and the characteristics behind good goals. It is important to set challenging but attainable goals, not too easy, but at the same time, not impossible. The article also discusses the sources of ideas, and how they often come from ones surroundings. It also stresses the importance of research for problem solving, and the importance of brainstorming, using different recourses, writing down your ideas, and having an open mind.

    The article helps you to understand how to think outside of the box, and understand what characteristics help makes a creative person, creative. Retaliative creativity is not just important in the arts, it is also a very important characteristic for any career, that I am sure most people would agree that they wish they were more creative. For me personally, being a business major, creativity is helpful for solving problems in the business world as well. Wether it is a small daily problem, or a large problem, like how do we turn our company around so we don’t fail and go bankrupt. Creativity also is important with defining a company’s competitive edge in the market, and to differentiate yourself from competitors. The article can be related to any course you take, because you can often substitute the subject of art from a different class and relate it with the ideas generated.

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  4. If i were to describe the article "cultivating creativity" to a friend i would tell them that it describes ways to become a better artist. It starts with creative thinking and ways to get your mind working on small ideas and making them bigger. It informs about time management and prioritizing by noteing what tasks are important and what tasks are urgent. It suggests working with others on projects and help solve problems together. My favorite idea was the concept of keeping a journal or sketch book, so that when you have an idea you can get it out of your head right away and maybe use that idea later on to help complete a main project. The article forces you to think in other ways that you have thought before, and to use skills you have but never used before to expose a more creative side that one thought they never had.

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  5. If I were to explain the article, "Cultivating Creativity" to a friend, I would let them know that it talks about making you into a better, more creative artist. This article gives the reader tips on how to think more creatively, and to ask yourself questions such as, "How does this work," and "How can it work better?" It tells you to be curious about what the problem is, and also gives you pointers on how to set goals for yourself and to think with an open mind. It also talks about using old ideas to create newer, better ideas. This article seems useful and could help me in different ways. One thing I really liked about it was the part about goal setting, and the example that was given. I think that by writing positive attributes about yourself on pieces of post its and then stepping back and looking at them is a positive way to gain confidence in your work and refresh your mind on things that you are good at. It is good to ask yourself questions and push yourself in order to be successful in your work. I thought this article helped because it gives the reader fresh ideas on how to be a better artist.

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  6. This article talks about how to be a better artist. It talks about the seven characteristics of creative thinking. They are all very useful. Then it talks about goal setting and how to have good goals. Time management was also mentioned in the article. I sometimes have a problem with time management but after reading that part in the article it helped me for ideas on how to organize my time better. I also like the idea of a journal because if I see something in a magazine or online i can cut it out or print it out for later use. It may come in handy for a project later on.

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