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Hello! My name is Sarah Almeda. I am a sophomore in the Academies at New Milford High School
and this is my marking period 3 project on creativity. And uh, we had a choice of whatever
format we wanted, so I'd do something creative and something I really enjoy doing. So you
all get to watch a video of me doodling and talking about it for the next five minutes.
Wow! Yay! So, question one. what is my creative medium?
A lot of people if you know me might think that I'd say art? But I don't actually think
that's the case I'd say thought is my creative medium. And I guess that's a little abstract,
and weird, so I'm gonna have to explain that... So, let me explain! When I say art I don't
mean "The Arts', I mean visual art, like, the Mona Lisa, by Da Vinci. And when I say
design I don't mean moving furniture inside your house, I mean, uh, flying machine sketches
by Da Vinci. Some people are really into making really pretty pictures of fruit bowls or landscapes
and snowy mountaintops; I know my sister really likes illustration, but that's not really
me. I'm more about saying, "What if there was a dog?" And he was made out of fruit,
and he had fruit based superpowers? This is an idea from deep inside my head and I draw
it on a piece of paper, and I show it to you, and you say, "Whoa! Fruit dog! That's so cool!"
And suddenly this idea from inside my head it traveled using paper as a form of communication
to your head! So, then, you say, "Oh my gosh! What if Fruit Dog had a friend named Veggie
Cat, and you draw it on a piece of paper and I say, "Whoa! That's so cool! That's exactly
what a vegetable cat would look like! Let's make a thing." And this is killing two birds
with one stone because this is the answer to the next question, "When do I feel the
most inspired?" When I collaborate with someone like this. And then this idea from deep inside
my head travels through a piece of paper or a drawing or, just, words, to somebody else's
head. And then suddenly, we're trading back and forth and there's this whole brainstorm
of ideas that creates this huge mess of... awesome. And, that just makes me so happy
and I think creation like that is a big part of being human.
Question 3: what stifles my creativity? When I make the mistake of believing in limits
or that I need to impress or please other people. Like the video states, society tends
to tell us that there's one right answer to a question, and it's at the back of the book
and looking at it is cheating. I'm stifling my own creativity when I start to believe
that something I create needs to fit other people's standards. When it has to be that
correct answer at the back of the book and anything else is wrong. Even if it's a little
harsh and very Pink Floyd of him to say, I think Ken Robinson is correct in saying that
school systems tend to resemble industrial age factory systems? It's like a creativity
stifling machine that takes in these confident children capable of divergent thinking and,
(although education works for some people!) it leaves others feeling... like they have
much lower self-esteem and less capacity for imagination and... they should really be doing
the exact opposite. But, I'll get on that later. What I have to constantly remind myself
to say is, "It doesn't have to." It doesn't have to make sense, it doesn't have to be
realistic, it doesn't have to obey the laws of physics, be socially acceptable, fit inside
the lines! Here's a relevant quote. You have your way.
I have my way. As for the right way, the "correct" way, the only way... it doesn't exist. That's
by... Fred-rick Nyetzshishishie? Speaking of relevant quotes, let's move the
next question. Someone whose creativity I admire, how they inspire me, and why. Here
are some quotes taken from a speech by Neil Gaiman; you might know him as the author of
Coraline. "Life is sometimes hard. And when things get tough, this is what you should
do.
Make good art.
I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician?... Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good
art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid
or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow,
but that doesn't matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Make it on the good days too. ...We're in a transitional world right now,
if you're in any kind of artistic field... nobody knows what the landscape will look
like two years from now, let alone a decade away.
Which is, on the one hand, intimidating, and on the other, immensely liberating. ...You
can be as creative as you need to be to get your work seen.
...make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes.
Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art."
And that folks is why I love Neil Gaiman. I mean, I went through a phase where I was
obsessed with Coraline, but this speech, those words, "Make Good Art"? They're my life's
motto, my mantra! Three words I couldn't live without. If you have time please look up Neil
Gaiman's Keynote Address 2012 to see the whole speech; a lot of the ideas remind me of The
Element and Out of Our Minds, and if you're like me maybe it'll even change your life.
Okay, final question, explain what you believe schools need to do better for students to
promote and enhance their creativity. Well, here's something: I think we need to do away
with ranking systems.
I hate grades, I hate rankings, I hate the honor roll- which is a little snooty to say,
but it's the principle I dislike. To go back to the factory metaphor, it's like getting
quality checked and stamped, Grade A student, Grade B student, Grade C student. When you're
told that from a young age, you believe it! I know so many people who still cry over their
grades as if a C on a biology test actually decides that they'll never get into a college
or get a job or support a family. Why do students cram or cheat on tests? Because we're made
to be more concerned about grades than we are about actually learning.
Instead, schools should make us more excited to learn about new things and about ourselves,
and to discover what we're really capable of doing. Because that's what the world needs
right now. "If you plan on being anything less than what
you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life." -Abraham
Maslow Don't know that guy. But smart words.
To conclude, I've discovered that I really want to do game design, because I feel like
video games are the platform where my ideas can really be limitless. Thank you so much
for your attention and for putting up with my voice for so long! For this project I used
my graphics tablet, Bamboo Pad by Wacom, which is a software that came with my tablet, iMovie,
and the song "Dawn Metropolis" by Anamanaguchi. Love that band! OK! Get out there, make some
good art, and... Thanks! Bye!