Creativity
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Don’t stop with awesome, keep going.
I learned a lot at FEEcon this past weekend, and although I won’t be able to repeat all of it, here are some more thoughts. One of my favorite speakers was Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic photographer who did his first film project at 23 and has traveled the globe grabbing wonderful shots and learning about his skills along the way. See his website here: https://dewittjones.com/ (all quotes in this post are from Jones’) I want to share some of what he shared during his keynote presentation and add some of my own analysis. “Don’t be competitive with anyone else, you have your own set of skills.” (paraphrased). Understand that…
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High Heels Are Like…
Some are classier than others some are taller than others, but even since getting taller I realized I kind of enjoy wearing high heels sometimes. I like dressing up for certain events and church, and its a fun way to literally and figuratively elevate a look. Today I realized how high heels relate to a Christian faith. Hear me out. The heels I own I’d like to think are pretty but after a few hours, they do tend to hurt my feet. I like how I can see more because they make me taller than others, but sometimes I let that get to my head, and I tend to be…
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Do More Than the Minimum
Recently I’ve been working on a project, and I’ve taken it to the nth degree. No I’m not a try hard, though I may be somewhat of aa perfectionist. You see, when working on something you want to do well at, you should want to do more than the minimum. It’s hard, but man it can feel good to get so much done.
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The Value in the Original
I’ve been looking around Instagram quite a bit lately, it’s partially just for fun, partially research, I’m trying to figure out what makes people like/follow an account. Originality has value across the board. There is a ton of editing that goes into Instagram, there’s almost nothing Instant about it, honestly. Is editing fun, pretty, and eye-catching, yes. Is editing also somewhat misleading, untruthful, and fake, also, yes. I do it myself, It makes a feed look nicer and makes for a better image overall. The thing is, I think we need to find more value in the original, especially when it’s about God’s creation. God called his creation good from…
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CV You Later
While at university I learned a ton about resumes, even after university I would go back to the career center for help…with my resume, a basic piece of paper that mentioned great things, but wasn’t as thought-provoking as I wanted it to be. Because of Praxis, I’ve learned so much about how to pitch my skills to employers and provide true value, beyond just my credentials alone. I’ve learned how to be a better employee once I get a role, how to maximize what I can accomplish and what not. So how do we do it in Praxis? Well, first off, click here if you want to apply. Anyway I’ll…
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Just Imagine
I’ve talked a lot about creativity here on my blog. From what it can look like, to its value and what-not, but I think a good imagination plays a part in creativity. As I sit here in California, I realize just how important imagination is. It has created so many wonderful movies, shows, and entertainment options, buildings. So many people have to have such diverse and thoughtful imaginations to make the work from Hollywood – and Burbank – happen. Imagination is something every kid is encouraged to have, but I think adults need to make it part of their lives as well. It’s not just about thinking up stories or…
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Unlikely Inspiration
Sometimes we can convince ourselves that we need the perfect setting for inspiration to hit. Whether we think we need a perfect library with a nice sitting area, or an art museum with beautiful old paintings. Don’t get me wrong, these are great spots for inspiration but they’re far from the only spot to get inspired. Just the other day I was inspired by one of my coworkers at my temp job with something to write about, I’ve also been inspired by my students at youth group. Not to mention the inspiration I’ve received from friends at swing dances. It’s been more than the blog too. This last month I’ve…
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New Ideas Aren’t Always Glamorous
I was just thinking yesterday afternoon about the ideas I’ve had, or what I’ve thought about, and it made me realize that any of us are probably far more creative than we think it’s just in ways we don’t expect. Ya see, I just had the idea to add a post it to my desk at work, it wasn’t earth shattering but the reminder helps me perform better at work. I solved a simple problem in my room by getting creative about where I stored extra pens, again not earth shattering but more of my stuff has a better place now. So whenever you think you’re not creative look at…
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Review of Everything is a Remix – Episodes 3 and 4
Ideas transform over time. In the last half of the short series Everything is a Remix, we learn about the basic elements of creativity and how things truly come into existence. Ideas are built from one another, and to hold an idea captive and say it’s yours is protected by law, but not always clear or helpful. The basic steps to cultivating creativity start with copying, yes, copying, as you have to learn how to do something before you can create your own, as noted previously many of the most successful people have done this. The next step is to transform that is, make it look unique, the the last…
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Review of Everything is a Remix – Episodes 1 and 2
Everything is a remix – it only starts with music. Now anyone in any field can do. This week for the Praxis philosophy module part of our lesson is watching a series called Everything is a Remix. It’s the fascinating analysis of pop culture and how ideas are far more intertwined than we’re often led to believe. The series starts with the story of the Led Zeppelin band, and it’s music, how much of it is covers or remakes. What’s most interesting is that when others remixed there work they fought back against it. Music is often switched around, speed up, slowed down, or cut and pasted throughout various songs. It’s…
