Week 1: Reflections

This first week of routine blog posts has indeed been challenging.  With so much going on in school right now, I'm always afraid that I'm somehow going to forget to get something up on the board before the deadline.  However, even after this short time, I feel I've fallen into a sort of routine where I go to school and then see Donnie or one of my other creativity classmates, and it triggers this giddy sense of "What's the prompt today?"   I review the prompt and see if there is any instantaneous creative spark.  Usually there isn't, and I think that is because the prompts are broad enough where they don't feel to prescriptive.   Self-portrait was fairly specific, and I immediately thought, "Okay, we'll all be posting selfies.  Where will I take mine?"  But then I saw Donnie's feet, and in true steal like an artist fashion, I thought -- "Oh wait, it doesn't have to be something that obvious as an actual selfie."  (he just posted his feet, not even a face!)  So it's great being inspired by the other fearless four that embarked on this elective with me.  We all bring a different style to the table, and I feel that their exciting and cool ideas are keeping me from doing something obvious, or from just "phoning it in" as they say.  And even our prof is posting, so there's really six of us on there.  Some of us have talked about not looking on the blog before posting, as it might be interesting to see if great minds really do think alike, to see if we all post the same kind of thing.  I don't think it would happen, but I have been checking it out out before I post, and so far the influence has been one that motivated me, made me strive for something worthy of their efforts.  

I've been reading the How to Think Like Da Vinci book and have been enjoying it.  Two of my mates have done the 100 question challenge, so I guess I will have to do that.  Should be interesting to see what turns up.  I have enjoyed the self-assessment checklists at the end of each chapter.  I think the items the author selected are interesting, how they have attempted to find actions or attitudes that reflect certain Da Vinci-esque ways of being.

I'm definitely enjoying the creative side of the course.  I'm also really fascinated about examinations of the creativity and process featured in the texts.  I'm curious about how the prof will incorporate this into management skills and abilities.  The adventure continues.