Reading Portfolio
What is Creativity?
Topic: What Creativity is And is Not
August 31st, 2017
This was our first blog post. Our assignment was to define creativity in our own words, answer the following questions, then create a concept map.
QUESTIONS:
Yes, I would say I'm very creative. I love to write, and create things. I am an advertising major, so I have created campaigns and designs for companies.
How can creativity be learned?
Creativity can be learned through watching others, and exploring. The best ideas come when you're relaxed and being yourself.
Creativity now is a personality trait that people can be natural at. It is the ability to believe in something other than reality.
Why do you think creativity is especially important now?
I think the world has many dark environments, so with being creative, it allows for people to find joy, and goodness in film, art, writing, design, etc.
We have so many programs now that involve digital elements. We (as society) have become very dependent on technology. All advertisements, and design are now drawn my hands, then usually imported into the digital world. Students, and others can learn in creative ways by using these programs such as Adobe, and iMovie.
Creativity: What Are We Talking About?
By: Melody Milbrant and Lanny Milbrandt
Summary One
August 31st, 2107
[Introduction]
This article explored the ideas behind creativity. The
Milbrandts’ ideas were quite clear in this article as to what creativity really
was. They explored multiple ways to interpret and perceive the term, “creativity.”
In this article it was evident that the authors wanted the audience to
understand what, and how creativity came to be. Additionally, in the article, the authors
chose to investigate the techniques that art educators have when teaching
creativity to students, and other creative people. They found that the art
educators are looking for way to evoke creativity in every students, and
inspire the students to seek out other creative means through expression. was
to explore the many definitions of creativity and also the raise concern for
how
[Main Points]
(#1) The Milbrandts’ mentioned that the term of creativity
is defined very ambiguous and vague. Basically, the idea is that the larger our
world grows, and advances the more that creativity will hold a different
meaning to its maker. Creativity is very subjective to the person.
(#2) There are 3 categories for Creativity Theory:
Domain-Altering: domain altering is
an act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain into a new one.
Experts of the particular field that a domain will decide if the work is
considered successful. This limits a student’s perspective to be creative, as
most students have not changed a domain “successfully.” To quote the article, “…any
act, idea or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an
existing domain into a new one.”
Self-Expression and Meaning Making:
creativity allows us to advance and find joy in our lives. In the article it states that humans as a
species to express themselves and find meaning. This self-expression is also
used for human connection, which can often cause the creator to lose their own
connection to their art in order to appease others. To quote the article, “…creativity
and art are biological necessities for homo sapiens” and “…all humans have some
creative capacity and that creativity is a valuable attribute, because it helps
us to adapt to change and celebrate life.”
Creative Problem Solving: creative problem
solving means that there are many ways to find a solution, think outside the
box in terms of the solution because there probably isn’t just one. However,
most students are taught only one way to think because there is a lack of
variety when students are learning. For example, questions being asked. Milbrandts’
idea is that without the encouragement to think creatively from art educators,
it’s virtually impossible for students to have a coherent understanding of
creativity and how to find a creative solution.
(#3) There is such a lack of understanding of creativity,
and no common meaning, the idea of creativity is being dismissed and changed
completely. There is a lack of understanding of creative fundamentals in art
and in the society as a whole.
(#4) The education system is failing students’ ability to become
creative and learn what creativity is because of the collectivism and not individualism.
[Concept Map]
[Analysis]
The Milbrandts’ have excellent points of references in this article.
There are holes in the education system. Students should be encouraged to
understand creativity, and their ideas. We should teach students about the expressions
of themselves, and be encouraged to think outside the box for a creative solution.
Csikszentmihalyi’s Domain Altering Theory seemed to be the leading cause of
issue for creativity in students. The Milbrandt’s explained the theory, along
with the three categories that specifically highlighted what it means to be
creative in the education system.
[Personal Statement]
I think this article was really eye opening. Throughout my
time in school, I’ve noticed that students (including myself) are limited by
the education system, and the thinking that there is only one solution. Creativity
at least allows a student to think in a different way, and try something new. I
think that takes a lot of intelligence. I hope that art educators continue to
provide creative projects, and lessons for students so that they can craft
their own creative thinking.
[Questions]
How can we implement the creative theories of understanding
into the current education system? Should the education system be re-worked in
terms of teaching creativity? What can art educators do to inspire their
students to be expressive, and learn what creativity is? Can someone be taught
creativity or is it a part of someone’s nature?
Understanding Digital-Synthesized Photographs Through Theories of Knowledge:
A Case Study of Tom Bamberger’s Cultured Landscapes
By: Yi-Hui Huang
Summary Two
September 7th, 2017
[Introduction]
This article was written to prove that truth
and reality are not the same. In fact, reality is what we interpret around us
in the environment, but truth is that we could be interpreting it incorrectly.
This article provides insights about how artists are digitally synthesizing photographical
pieces that veer between reality and truth. The author further explores that
idea that photographers—who use digital elements—can communicate deeper
meanings through technology and their perception of the photo far exceeds the skills
necessary to work in Photoshop. There has been a rapid advancement in technology
for photographers and thus, they need to adapt in the digital storytelling age.
[Main Points]
(#1) Artist have move important message to communicate through
their art than the impressive effects and shock value conveniently created by
the digital look. If we understand how the photographer sees the world, we can
have a better idea about the principles guiding his or her artmaking.
(#2) Artists alike begin their processes by what they know,
it’s important for an artist to understand their experiences, and have a firm grasp
on their foundation so they may build upon it. By investigating their
worldviews and questioning what they perceive as reality, we as the audience have
the ability to understand their work and them as artists.
(#3) The ideas of truth and reality are firmly based in
Bamberger’s perception of art. In Bamberger;s view, art is the meaning making
to help other artists better understand the truth of their world. Basically,
truth is created by us and the representation of the world that we all reflect
on together. For Bamberger, art is a verb, because it is a process. Bamberger
argues that just because someone tells you it’s the truth doesn’t necessarily
mean that it is, in fact, the truth. Additionally, he states that even looking
at something with your own eyes do not guarantee that what you are looking at
is the truth but merely a perception based on emotion, and experience. Truth
and reality are the same thing in Bamberger’s viewpoint. But, Bamberger
believes beauty is the way to truth in art, the more beauty it is, the truer the
art or photograph is. Bamberger does this by changing the original photo through
experimenting with different artistic styles and digital effects. In contrast,
Bamberger states that reality is reality, and reality is what you make of it. He
believes there are two layers of reality, there are the experiences and his own
perception of those experiences. He uses a combination of knowledge, and senses
to abstract reality into a new reality using digital tools, so that truth will
be the goal.
(#4) Formalism- Bamberger describes beauty as, “a form that
humans find pleasure in.” Form and formal arrangements, abstract and non-representational
forms, are where beauty lies.
[Concept Map]
[Analysis]
Bamberger says that “human beings are a species, just like
bees are a species; bees make the little hives, and humans make places like New
York City. They are the same.” I find this really interesting because he is
playing off the idea that reality and truth are not one in the same. He also
uses the examples like people agreeing that two plus two equals four which is
reality, which is solid. Reality is what you make of it, how you perceive it,
not what the truth is. A bee hive could be the greatest “city” in the world,
but it’s not New York City.
[Personal Statement]
I have certain disagreements with Bamberger, I believe that
there is a truth in the world and not everything is perception. If I say, “I
want an apple,” and someone else says, “Here’s an apple,” then they clearly
understood what I said as truth, I didn’t say I want an orange. However, I do
agree that we interpret truth different based on knowledge and experiences. I think
reality isn’t truth though, reality is exactly what Bamberger said, what you
make of it.
[Questions]
How will we know what is true, and what we think is true? If,
one person believes something is truer than the other, who is right? Can there be
truth at all if what we hear, view, and say are perceptions? Does a photograph
become more beautiful if we digitally enhance it? If we digitally synthesize a
photo, then it must not be true because it came from creativity?
Thinking Outside and On the Box:
Creativity and Inquiry in Art Practice
By: Julia Marshall
Summary Three
September 14th, 2017
[Introduction]
This reading was about art educators
believing that creativity is a fundamental artistic practice. Art educators are
taking strides into developing the art classroom as one of the best places for
creativity cultivation. The purpose of the essay was to demonstrate how
art making and teaching are illuminated and enhanced when guided by
understanding that art theory insinuates. Creative thinking is a key factor in
a student’s ability to learn, and function through school by solving problems,
inventing new things/ideas, and demonstrating their ability to “think outside
the box.” Gary and Malin believe that creativity processes are technically a
form of learning. Artists, and students alike are finding—through
art making—that learning involves the action of constructing knowledge through
hands-on, exploration, and experimentation. In regard to Wallas, he believes
there are stages, and phases that creativity must go through in order to become
a process in which a student possesses.
[Main
Points]
(#1) Creativity Theory; Wallas’ believes in
four stages of the creative process:
·
First Stage: the
preparation; information gathered
·
Second Stage: the
incubation; prepared material elaborated.
·
Third Stage:
illumination; an idea emerges
·
Fourth Stage:
verification; an idea is evaluated and further elaborated into a complete form.
(#2) Conceptual Strategy in Creativity; theorists alike identified that there are specific kinds of
creative thinking. Much like Wallas, it is believed and theorized that there
are more than one way, these are the modes of thinking to begin the process:
first, analytical thinking—examination; second, connective thinking—forming
associates between things; third, transformative thinking—elaborating on
something and/or revising it into another style, medium, or form.
(#3) The Creative Invention and Packaging Art
Project; created art project that mapped out
according to the Wallas format of creative process which was elaborated and
modified to utilize the types of the creative thinking processes.
(#4) The Project; students
were to invent and construct tools that were able to solve real life problems
in imaginary ware. Students then needed to create packaging for those inventions
as well.
(#5) Phases: Preparation,
give the students freedom within the parameters of the assignment to follow
their own ideas creativity. Distill; focus on the problem and grasp the
meaning of it. Then analyze. The problems the students came up with varied from
social to environmental issues. Probing for a solution is the next step in
distillation. Hunt, Gather, and Collect; personal feelings, memoires, thoughts
and fantasies are equally legitimate “knowledge,” this is the brainstorm phase.
Mine and Extract; last preparation phase. Collect ideas and concepts that are
investigated and analyzed to understand the idea or potential for the art
itself. Connect, Synthesize, and or Juxtapose; is playful and exploratory, this
correlates to Wallas’ incubation stage. Cast or Frame, this is another play for
and exploratory step that is associated with Wallas’ incubation stage. In this
phase, students will play with their ideas and repurpose them. Project,
and Extend; this falls in the Wallas’ incubation stage as well. This phase is
connected to the idea of “play.” Try to take the recasting process and extend
the idea into a new application. Construct, this is when the students built
their ideas into a physical form. Reflect; this is Wallas’ verification step.
We critique the artwork and/or tool to improve it and analyze the work. “What
did you learn?” Elaborate and Extend; revisit the work and lessons for the
students and elaborate on them. This is where the students thought about their
packaging ideas.
[Concept Map]
[Analysis]
It’s
important to recognize that each individual, especially students, have the
capacity to be creative. As art educators, teachers and professors alike should
keep in mind that through creativity theories, they can insure that students
are learning the skills to be creative and navigate their own processes. All
artists take steps in creating their artwork, manifesting those steps into
practical phases is vital for student success. Different pieces of art already have
significant meanings, however when re-contextualizing the format of how a
student learns to be creative. Students are able to understand the concept,
idea, and social context more so than before. Wallas’ steps of creative process
allow for students and educators to have a guide for artwork and learning.
[Personal
Statement]
I really
liked this article because it reflected the important on making learning better
for students. I think if instructors have a basic understanding of how each
student learns and processes differently, then the students will be more
successful. Everyone learns in different ways, like some people learn by doing “hands-on
tasks,” some learn by listening, and some learn by memorization, etc. Art
educators should have projects that cater to all these different ways, and make
lesson plans that all students can feel creative in. I think Wallas had
excellent ideas of the process of creativity, which can be implemented well
into the school system.
[Questions]
We as people learn, and perceive
things differently. Therefore, it’s vitally important to have different ways of
connecting with an art based curriculum. I think it is important for art
educators to follow these steps to facilitate an engaging classroom for all
students. Questions: What kind of projects would you ask students to do? What
are the constraints and freedoms for the projects based on the phases listed
above? How would an art educator be able to gage a student’s creative ability
based on Wallas’ steps?
Art Education Technology:
Digital Storytelling
By: Sheng Kuan Chung
Summary Five
October 5th, 2017
[Introduction]
For this article, the
purpose of it was to communicate that advances in computer technology have dramatically
transformed modern society into an arena where digital devices are virtually
indispensable. We have become so dependent on technology such as phones, laptops,
internet, tablets, computer software, etc. The article goes on to further explain
that teachers will have to adjust and learn how to use computer technology in
order to prepare their students to function this type of technology based society.
Furthermore, the article reiterates multiple times about the importance of
digital storytelling, and how it has changed art education within society. Sheng
Chung explains and defines what digital storytelling means, how society incorporates
it into every day life, and how it was created.
[Main Points]
(#1) The application of digital
storytelling allows art educators tremendous potential for teaching contemporary
art culture, history, and context to the millennial or digital generation. The
idea of digital storytelling, defining it as, “…the practice of incorporating
digital text, imagery, video, and audio into the presentation of a computer-mediated,
multimedia story.”
(#2) Art Education’s
Digital Storytelling learning goals: digital storytelling is a tool for art
inquiry, production, and instruction and to create an instructional multimedia
story related to art or art education. Classes should participate in discussions
and inquiries into digital storytelling as it related to art education so
further expand their knowledge. Digital stories created by both class
participants and others should be evaluate for content.
(#3) Create a Digital
Story:
Exploring Topics: discuss and explore topic ideas and formats.
Script: conduct research both
online and in the library on the chosen topics and complete a working script.
Storyboard:
plan out a sequence of scenes and the interaction of the incorporated media
components.
Production:
Use multimedia-enabled computers, programs and equipment to create the digital
story.
Image Preparation: obtain images online, in print or produce them on a computer.
Criteria for Evaluation: know the instructor’s expectations and the criteria by which he/she
will evaluate your work.
Critique: bring completed story
to the class to elaborate further on the work.
(#4) Questions for evaluating
creativity: is the story aesthetically or artistically interesting?
(Cohesion) Are
multi-media formats integrated appropriately? (Success) Is the story persuasive
or engaging? (Meaningfulness) Is the story informative or educationally
significant?
[ [Concept Map]
[Analysis]
I think two of the best
ways to complete an original story, and effectively create a digital story is drafting
a script. A script needs to be educational, informative, or significant in some
way. This is where further elaboration on characters, plot, setting, and
function all come into play in more details. Additionally, I think that in
order for it to come to life, a storyboard needs to be done well. After you’ve
explored topics, and made your choice, you can begin to sketch and draw what
you believe will be vital to the story through means of a visual scene. It
takes a long process but can be great for those who want to accomplish having a
good digital story.
[Personal Statement]
For those who aren’t familiar
with the workings of story, this article is extremely beneficial. It lays out
perfectly the steps needs in order to create a compelling story. In order to do
so visually, I think it’s important to have all the research, drawing, ideas on
paper, down first so that it can be planned out. Otherwise, it may be getting overwhelming,
or confusing as to what is happening in the story. For digital storytelling, it’s
important to be organized and creative. Each step is important, and as an
Advertising and Writing major, it’s important to give credit and time to each
step.
[Questions] Do these
steps limit creativity? Which steps are more important to focus on when it
comes to details?
Five Ways to Integrate:
Using Strategies from Contemporary Art
By: Julia Marshall
Summary Six
October 12th, 2017
*Group Project
[Introduction]
This
reading was about how contemporary art strategies can be integrated into all
areas of education to enhance the learning experience. There are very
well-known ways, and easy ways to understand art from preschool-high school. We
can all manipulate ideas and imagery to make new meanings. Art is inherently
connected to all disciplines; it addresses content and ideas from outside of
art. Contemporary integrative art is key to reconciling curricular integration
and the study of art. There are five strategies to manipulate ideas and imagery
to make meaning.
[Main
Points]
(#1) Depiction; Depiction
is essentially rendering a subject from observation. It is a very common and
easy way of integrating art with science or social studies.
(#2) Extension (or projection); Extension/projection entails speculation about possible
outcomes, taking into consideration the impact of a given idea. This is an easy
conceptual strategy for students to grasp.
(#3) Reformatting; Re-contextualizes
a topic by picturing it in a new visual format. This happens in integration
when objects from one discipline are presented in the format of another
discipline.
(#4) Mimicry; Mimicking
is basically a form of ‘play-acting’ performed at different levels of sophistication.
Used through experiments, and research methods. Most radical strategy.
(#5) Metaphor; It
crosses disciplinary boundaries, which is the description of one thing
experienced in terms of another. Visually or verbally, is a complex concept of
two similar differences.
[Concept Map]
[Analysis]
Reformatting
could involve making one’s emotional world as a geographical map, arranging
characters from popular culture like specimens in a natural history exhibit, or
illustrating one’s life through a geographical landform with artifacts of
personal memories buried at different levels. Because of the complex nature of
reformatting it is best suited for upper middle, and high school students.
Re-contextualizing is exceptional when learning the about art because the
subject can be extremely foreign to the artist and/or students. Visual formats
are already significant in meaning, however when re-contextualizing the format
there are little scopes: knowing, understanding, and organizing.
[Personal
Response]
This
article was interesting in many ways. I didn’t really know that there were
distinct ways to learn by being creative. In order to fully understand creative
things, and learn them I think students need to take the time to practice,
explore, and extend. Marshall explained very well the different ways students
can perceive something, then change it in their own way. I thought it was cool,
and true. These are all ways that students can learn, and harness their creative
ability.
[Questions]
I wholeheartedly
believe these five ways would help students integrate their ideas, and concepts
into contemporary art. We as people learn, and perceive things differently.
Therefore, it’s vitally important to have different ways of connecting with an
art based curriculum. Questions: What kind of projects would you ask students
to do? What are the constraints and freedoms for these five ways? How do you
know which way is the best way for a student?
Comments
Post a Comment