Comments for THE CREATIVE BLOCK http://babayard.com/blog obstacles to creativity / strategies to prevail Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:02:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 Comment on Schools damage creativity by babayard http://babayard.com/blog/2010/02/schools-damage-creativity/comment-page-1/#comment-248 babayard Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:02:18 +0000 http://babayard.com/blog/?p=82#comment-248 It's really hard to hear about teachers that contribute in such a direct way to the suppression of a child's creativity. Fortunately for your children, they may have a chance if you offer them the safety of complete freedom without judgment of what they are doing. I was extremely moved watching the acceptance speech by Michael Giacchino who won Best Original Score. He told the kids watching "If you want to be creative, get out there and do it. It's not a waste of time to be creative." Watch it here: <embed wmode="opaque" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/video/flvplayer/flvplayer.swf?v=201003091300" FlashVars="config=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundtrackfans.ning.com%2Fvideo%2Fvideo%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fid%3D2350108%253AVideo%253A19715%26ck%3D-&video_smoothing=on&autoplay=off&isEmbedCode=1" width="456" height="259" bgColor="#000000" scale="noscale" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"> </embed> <br /><small><a href="http://soundtrackfans.ning.com/video/video" rel="nofollow">Find more videos like this on <em>Soundtrack Fans</em></a></small><br /> It’s really hard to hear about teachers that contribute in such a direct way to the suppression of a child’s creativity. Fortunately for your children, they may have a chance if you offer them the safety of complete freedom without judgment of what they are doing. I was extremely moved watching the acceptance speech by Michael Giacchino who won Best Original Score. He told the kids watching “If you want to be creative, get out there and do it. It’s not a waste of time to be creative.” Watch it here:

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]]> Comment on Schools damage creativity by Julie VandenBerg http://babayard.com/blog/2010/02/schools-damage-creativity/comment-page-1/#comment-247 Julie VandenBerg Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:48:08 +0000 http://babayard.com/blog/?p=82#comment-247 I agree on your statement about school killing creativity, Bruce. Fortunately my sons have access to art at home and studio, but they are bored with AMS and AHS art classes. It's not only about the art classes, but also creativity in learning altogether. For instance, my younger son has always loved math. He got the highest score in the school last year on the state exams, but he hates his math class and doesn't enjoy it. He dreads going to the class. It would seem there could be a more creative way to present information to children that doesn't cause them to lose their passion. I am sad that he doesn't enjoy the learning process in the context information is presented to him at school. In his art classes, his teachers have told him that abstract art is not real art, and that he should make a proper two point perspective drawing that looks correct and like everyone else's. It feels so daunting to take on a system such as public schools. I do wish children could be taught in a manner that preserves their creativity and joy. I agree on your statement about school killing creativity, Bruce. Fortunately my sons have access to art at home and studio, but they are bored with AMS and AHS art classes. It’s not only about the art classes, but also creativity in learning altogether. For instance, my younger son has always loved math. He got the highest score in the school last year on the state exams, but he hates his math class and doesn’t enjoy it. He dreads going to the class. It would seem there could be a more creative way to present information to children that doesn’t cause them to lose their passion. I am sad that he doesn’t enjoy the learning process in the context information is presented to him at school. In his art classes, his teachers have told him that abstract art is not real art, and that he should make a proper two point perspective drawing that looks correct and like everyone else’s. It feels so daunting to take on a system such as public schools. I do wish children could be taught in a manner that preserves their creativity and joy.

]]> Comment on Schools damage creativity by Diana Hartel http://babayard.com/blog/2010/02/schools-damage-creativity/comment-page-1/#comment-220 Diana Hartel Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:27:39 +0000 http://babayard.com/blog/?p=82#comment-220 Both Fortunately or unfortunately I have long been on the margins in school and work. It allowed space to be creative whether in visual arts, social activism, science, or human services. Eccentric or oddball or some other kind of categorization serves well to evade the punishments of institutions. One is often in the company of some very damaged people also on the margins. Our culture of money excuses all behaviors including the creative but most artists don't have that kind of cover. It is no wonder the class topic was about "making a living" as an artist. This is the question I get most often when people come up to see what I'm painting when working outdoors. They rarely ask how I'm seeing this, why I veer into the borderlands between realism and abstraction. Do they wonder what is a mistake and what is a true paint stroke in the way I work? Those who ask real questions are usually under 10 years old. In one such instance a father and daughter came up to me as I was painting on the Rogue River. The father prizes photo-realism and pulled a near-disgust face as he made critical remarks. At some point I offered up the goal of painting as keeping it alive. When he walked away, his little daughter said "This is really GOOD!" with accompanying energized smile. Good or not, she felt probably felt the lively brush strokes, the play of color and form. She heard and saw the "alive" part of it. Most interesting was that she chose to not agree with Dad. And I wonder how long before she gets shut down in life. I pray it doesn't happen. Authentic artists know the art process itself is what is important and in creative moments there really is truth and beauty, intelligence and compassion. Along with biodiversity loss, we have human creative diversity loss. Since when did creativity become so dangerous we had to throw everything we could into shutting it down before reaching adulthood? We need to restore our schools to truth and beauty as we change our heavy footprint on the planet. The arrogance of human dominance is killing everything including our own true creative natures. Both Fortunately or unfortunately I have long been on the margins in school and work. It allowed space to be creative whether in visual arts, social activism, science, or human services. Eccentric or oddball or some other kind of categorization serves well to evade the punishments of institutions. One is often in the company of some very damaged people also on the margins. Our culture of money excuses all behaviors including the creative but most artists don’t have that kind of cover. It is no wonder the class topic was about “making a living” as an artist. This is the question I get most often when people come up to see what I’m painting when working outdoors. They rarely ask how I’m seeing this, why I veer into the borderlands between realism and abstraction. Do they wonder what is a mistake and what is a true paint stroke in the way I work? Those who ask real questions are usually under 10 years old. In one such instance a father and daughter came up to me as I was painting on the Rogue River. The father prizes photo-realism and pulled a near-disgust face as he made critical remarks. At some point I offered up the goal of painting as keeping it alive. When he walked away, his little daughter said “This is really GOOD!” with accompanying energized smile. Good or not, she felt probably felt the lively brush strokes, the play of color and form. She heard and saw the “alive” part of it. Most interesting was that she chose to not agree with Dad. And I wonder how long before she gets shut down in life. I pray it doesn’t happen. Authentic artists know the art process itself is what is important and in creative moments there really is truth and beauty, intelligence and compassion. Along with biodiversity loss, we have human creative diversity loss. Since when did creativity become so dangerous we had to throw everything we could into shutting it down before reaching adulthood? We need to restore our schools to truth and beauty as we change our heavy footprint on the planet. The arrogance of human dominance is killing everything including our own true creative natures.

]]> Comment on Expanding the context by babayard http://babayard.com/blog/2009/10/a-different-context/comment-page-1/#comment-71 babayard Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:18:56 +0000 http://babayard.com/blog/?p=69#comment-71 Thanks for the link, Denissia. I look forward to delving in a bit more. At first glance, it looks like there's a huge amount of information. Thanks for the link, Denissia. I look forward to delving in a bit more. At first glance, it looks like there’s a huge amount of information.

]]> Comment on Expanding the context by denissia http://babayard.com/blog/2009/10/a-different-context/comment-page-1/#comment-70 denissia Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:06:28 +0000 http://babayard.com/blog/?p=69#comment-70 I like that "doing art is growing things." We are learning about patterns in nature and design - and the synergy of all things and relatedness/connectedness and it's remarkable how the study of permaculture translates to many other activities and practices. Here is a link to some reading we did. We focused on Chapter 4 - which is about restoring prairie lands - interesting. Kevin Kelly is pretty out there, but the reading got me thinking about evolution and relatedness. http://www.kk.org/outofcontrol/contents.php Denissia I like that “doing art is growing things.” We are learning about patterns in nature and design – and the synergy of all things and relatedness/connectedness and it’s remarkable how the study of permaculture translates to many other activities and practices.

Here is a link to some reading we did. We focused on Chapter 4 – which is about restoring prairie lands – interesting. Kevin Kelly is pretty out there, but the reading got me thinking about evolution and relatedness.

http://www.kk.org/outofcontrol/contents.php

Denissia

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