Most Important Ideas in the Course
Assuming that you are in my creativity course–what do you think are the most important ideas we have covered so far? How and why? (If you become inspired and write a long post about one idea, that will be enough.)
You and others may be able to use this post as part of your midterm review.
We have learned a lot of things in this course such as meditation, force, the key, and so on. I think that these stuff are just steps to be creative. I believe that the most imprtant thing is to let yourself freely. If you are thinking too much to be creative, it’s not being creative but too logocal. That’s why we did meditaions many times in a class. This idea is not good idea for midterm review, but I think this is the most important thing. But, those steps we have learned so far are also important to be creative because we can’t do anything without tools as when you are using tools for studying, driving, eating, and living. I think the key and the force are important in those steps. These ideas are used when you get started anything in a class. If you can’t get started anything, nothing will happen.
So far in this semister we have gone through a lot of different ideas in this course on creativity. Things like the five stages of creativity and the different ways to develop creativity, like meditating and using objects for visual stimulation. I think that these types of things that we have done help you to focus more which helps your creativity. The visual stimulation like when we used objects in class and tried to use them to help make our projects better, i think that that is real important. To look at things outside of the box and get a different perspective on what you are trying to do. It can give you different and even better ideas. And meditating also helps you to clear your mind so that you are not thinking so seriously about you project or what it is you are creating. These techniques are what i think are some of the most important things we have gone over this semister, because they help you be creative the most.
In my opinion, the most important topic we have covered so far in class has been the difference between getting creative inspiration through the “wind theory,” versus working hard to create a product through the “sweat theory.” I really like the idea of these two concepts and I strongly believe that if you look at any famous artist or inventor or scientist, or any other type of creator, then you will find they were moved by one or the other to get the creation done.
The fascinating thing about the two concepts is that in cases involving each theory, the results can be just as stunning and spectacular. I love to hear about an artist, for example, who puts all of his or her effort into a project and despite their personal turmoil and what ever else that project caused, it inspires awe when complete. Then you hear about an artist who just keeps on creating as if their inspiration was a chain reaction inside them that they don’t control, and they can come up with some really obscure things and some great things that are equally as awe inspiring. I particularly like the wind theory, because you can take most creative people and look at their work and plan out a time line of what they’ve created, and each person has a different pattern of creativity. Just like the wind, inspiration comes and goes, and this applies to everybody, some people are just able to “sweat out” a project as opposed to getting some sort of divine inspiration.
I find personally that when I am feeling creative, I will spend a lot of time doing something like drawing or making something, and sometimes it will last months whereas sometimes it will last only a day or less. To me this is clear evidence that the “wind theory” holds its wind. I often end up working hard to get a project done which initially starts as a wind project, but turns into more work than I had expected.
A very judicious reply, Atsuto! Robert Sternberg says the most important factor is “the decision to be creative.” Yogananda speaks of will as “the cosmic energizer” and says, “The greater the will, the greater the flow of energy.”
Personally, I think that meditation is quite an important idea to consider for the midterm. There is, after all, at least one question on it!
I had to interrupt this post to consult with a young lady whose writing is awkward and stilted, and I told her about meditation and visualization, getting into what Jason calls the “zen moment.” I also told her about dialoguing with the Inner Critic since she focuses on the grade and can’t feel or experience the flow of writing.
The most important and interesting concepts covered in class in my opinion are the concept of synchronicity and the role of ego in creativity. I found it interesting that ego can both hinder and help creativity. The dark side can come up and take over our creative ability by placing blocks like fear, anxiety, one-sided/tunnel vision, etc. The hypnosis of social conditioning is an example of how people do not see things completely as they are. They see what they have been trained or conditioned to normally see. Ego can also breed creativity. We build a sense a of identity, we find our passions in life, we define our lives by what we love and what we feel are our gifts. This sense of self adds a certain flavor to the world we live in and in that, we express how unique we are.
The concept of synchronicity is very interesting to me as well. I have come to believe that all coincidences are meaningful. Coincidence, which is the base of synchronicity means that things are happening at the same time. Synchronicity is when people view everything happening at the same time.
Good overview, AJ!
Charles, you’ve provided an excellent discussion of the 2 theories–a good practice run for the short essay question today!
Sandro, you have a deep spiritual and psychological understanding.
What are the most important concepts we have covered? Well that’s hard this class has really been a great experience for me. I have learned a ton about being more open minded and strengthening some of the steps I’m no good on in the 5 steps of the creative process.
I grew up in an extremely logical and rational household and community and it is good to break down some of those barriers and experience first hand how useful creativity can be. Thru this classes meditations and visualizations I solved a couple of business problems that had really been bothering me and I have been able to express myself creatively and still achieve good grades. Which brings us to the first prompt you put up about how this class really provides a nice contrast to all of the other classes that we take at this extremely technical and mechanical school.
hmmm. i must say that the most important thing to me that we have covered would be meditation. since i was a kid i have always been fascinated with the idea of meditation and always wanted to know what it was about and how it could affect me in my daily life. but since i have never known anyone that meditates it was hard for me to find means of doing this my self. when i came to this class and you said we would be doing meditation i was excited cus i thought it could really calm me and center me when i needed it. it did exactly that, when i meditated in your class i felt surprisingly calm and relaxed and as if anything i needed to do could be managed as long as i put my mind to it and persisted on achieving my goal. i like to use it when im frustrated or worried about everyday life and i need to set my mind to a goal.
Phil, please continue with meditation in your everyday life. I know that you are a dedicated Christian, and I can supply you with Christian forms of meditation if you like. When I don’t meditate, my life goes haywire, and I don’t feel the love and peace and connection to others that I should.
I am tempted to include more in-class meditations, except that this class is eclectic and I am trying to make time to include all sorts of techniques.
Much like what Phil said, meditation has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. I get the idea, but when I meditate I’ll feel relaxed for the time of the meditation but right after, life and all the stresses associated with it are back hitting my face. I would always attempt to relax myself as much as possible before any type of sporting events. That may be a form of meditation. However I feel as though meditation could be anything which allows the person to be at piece. For me, I am most calm, relaxed, collective, and self aware when I am sitting on my board waiting to catch a wave. That is my form of meditation. I am very open to all forms however and would love to get a better knowledge on the subject. I believe that meditation should be a major part of this course.
For meditation to have a major impact, we need to meditate regularly and sit for longer and longer periods of time. That said, even a little meditation will greatly help with anxiety, creativity, decision making, and all the little crises and stressors of life. If you feel “calm” and “self-aware” on your surfboard, then you probably are doing a meditation of sorts.
Thanks for endorsing my belief that meditation should be a part of the course.
egg winner redo for log 8
What are the most important ideas we’ve covered in class? Honeatly that is a hard thing to decide on there are so many things that are important, from the 5 stages of creativity, the ego, to meditation. I don’t think theres just one thing that stands out to me to make it the most important idea in creativity. If i had to choose one idea that i feel is really important it would have to be the ego, the ego can effect your creativity in so many ways. It can make you feel that your work is horrible and you should start over or the ego could be to strong and it would block your creativity. No one would try to tell you how to make it better cause you wouldn’t listen to any one. This what i feel id the most important idea.
The most important topics that we have covered in class have been the five stages of creativity and learing how to overcome a creative block. i think that the five stages is important because when your are creating somting or think of ideas these steps help you see where you are at and help you better understand your onw creativity. When we had to turn a negative block or a negitive idea that we had about our creativity in to something positive was a great experiencee for me. I had a hard time coming up with a positive spin to my negative idea. I help me realize that i am some times way to hard on my own creativity and that that keeps me for exploring my creative side. This class has helped me alot with my own creativity and how to make it thrive.
the most important part of creativity that we have covered so far, i htink is the unifield. I have always realized that there was a mysteriuos invisible world that could be accessed only through supreme and well practiced concentration. I never knew there was an actual name and study behind, thats what was so interesting. it has been especially on my mind because, as of late with all of this schooling, i have not been able to concetrate deeply and eneter the realm as easily as i used to when i was younger. It inspired me to try and do it on a daily basis.
Very interesting! I’m glad to get this feedback. When I taught this course the first time, I was in deep trepidation that I was introducing ideas that were too “far out.” But both semesters, students have reacted positively, so now I’m no longer fearful of moving outside the box (which is, of course, what creativity is about).
The most important ideas we have covered so far in my opinion is the meditation. I really enjoyed that and wish we would do more! I also liked the activity we did where are senses were heightened taking those steps outside. I think it is really key to be in touch with yourself as much as possible to be as creative as possible. That, and I feel like one must be really relaxed and at ease with their surroundings. There are some people in class that do not take the meditation seriously, and for them I feel bad. They are missing a great opportunity to clear their minds, see things more clearly, and have a better sense of self. Their loss I suppose. Just wish they wouldnot break my concentration though. Anyways, enough on that rant.
Honestly I feel that those are the most important things we have covered. I did like to learn about the 5 stages and how people do use them on a somewhat daily basis. I never put it in those terms before and to have a name for every stage within creativity is a pretty awesome thing.
Thanks,Zoid! When I introduce “out-of-the-box” techniques and ideas, I like to get some feedback that some students appreciate them. A year ago I was quite timorous about introducing the Unified Field and meditation, but now that I’ve received so many positive reactions, I feel more confident.
Yours is not the first comment this semester about appreciating meditation. I think I’ll make time to do some more.
My favorite part of our creativity class is when we have group discussions or debates. When the class as a whole comes together and discusses different ideas or thought processes, I think that we are using our minds in a way that no other learning technique can match. When debating on a topic, the debater must use quick thinking and tie it too relative data to the subject at hand. This forces the student to become involved and to actually gain something out of the course work. I think that if there was anything to be done to improve this class, it would be to have more focal points, or points of common interest, for the students to debate about. Such as an assigned movie or book to read or watch, and then a day or two in class to discuss them.
I also really like the mediation exercises in this class. I find your group mediations to be very helpful in my creative process, and I find myself trying to meditate on my own when I need help sorting out a problem. Another suggestion for the advancement of this class would be to hold more group meditations, perhaps before or after each class because they really put the mind in a great place for creativity to develop and work its magic. Overall I love this class and believe that it has done wonders in advancing my creative spark and honing my creative process.
I really enjoyed this class at the beginning of the semester. I had never really meditated before and I thought it was great. I enjoyed the coloring we did in class. I liked the classes where everyone got to participate. I feel now towards the end of the semester the class has taken a different turn. We think more philosophically about theories, ideas, and pieces of art. I really liked the 5 stages of creativity and I have seen them reflected in different works.
I thought the class was going to be the exploration of our own individual creative sides that are not as often expressed by our school. That’s why I enjoyed the meditating, visualizing, and coloring so much. I felt that these simple tasks do a great job at relaxing our minds for a swell of creative ideas. What I have come to find out is that this class is more on the study of what creativity is. We discuss great creators, works of arts, music, and theories about how creativity is inspired. These subjects are very interesting and I do like learning about them.
The reason why I have begun to not enjoy the class as much is because when I show up I don’t know if I should be ready for a meditation session, or a lecture. The class has two sides, the relaxing exploration of our own individual creativity, or a lecture on historical creators and their works. It is hard sometimes to bounce between the two. Maybe they should be two different courses.
This course is really a great time though. It makes me think about stuff I wouldn’t normally have thought of. I will recommend this class to everyone.
Yes, you’re right, Sam… these are the two main goals of the course. I think beginning today, we’ll probably be going more to ward the goals you enjoy.
I think the five steps of the creative process were very important. It was interesting to see that process lay out. The unified field was an important concept, but I don’t think we went into as depth as I would have liked. The idea of a web of ideas floating around that people can tap into is really fascinating. The class meditations were helpful when we were trying focus on our creative process. However I wish we could have done a bit more of it. I have trouble clearing my head, and being able to fully meditate. It would have been cool to learn about the different types of meditations. Overall the class is a lot of fun, and I have learned a lot.
I think that the most important ideas in the course are the structure and the unified field. Maybe to be more precise, I mean the relationship between the structure and the field. You cannot have one without the other. I think that the Field can be accessed first or second, or during the structured process. For instance, an idea or project can be in the incubation state, and one can meditate or access the field however they do so, and the project can be improved or be moved into the verification stage. Or, if there is a creative block at the beginning of the creative process, the unified field can be sought out to present new ideas or even change the whole project and lead the person to a different path. As I said before, the relationship is a beneficial one, but also a necessity. One without the other will be left incomplete.
i feel that the most important thing we covered in this course wasn’t necessarily a chapter in our book, but how the class worked together as a whole. allot of use during or presentations reveled something about ourselves to our peers that we would have never have done before. i learned more about some people in my school in those short presentations than i would have learned in 4 years of going to school with some of these people. i found it really interesting that some people that i would never have guessed were capable of make music were really talented artists and others who i thought i would have nothing in-common with were actually people who share many of the same ideas and idles as i do. to me getting to know a wider range of people that i would have never really talked to was the most important part of the class. that and i really liked the PlayDo part of the class that was really fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!