I know that people research almost anything. Years ago, when I was on a university committee to evaluate applications for sabbaticals and internal research grants, I was surprised and delighted at the variety of things our faculty were studying. Your sabbatical has to coincide with the migration patterns of Central American spiders? Sure, no problem. … Continue reading
Has the pandemic time allowed you the chance to be creative? For some folks, I know, the pressures of children at home, school at home, work at home, every minute at home have left no time for anything but survival. For others of us, at different stages of life, the time at home has left … Continue reading
I love it when I find a website that really makes me think. I did that this week, with the site for the Global Oneness Project. The Global Oneness Project says its goal is to “to plant seeds of empathy, resilience, and a sacred relationship to our planet” through the power of stories. Their stories … Continue reading
If you haven’t yet seen Mark Rober’s wildly viral How to See Germs Spread video, you should. In fact, stop reading and go watch it right now. The clear demonstration of how germs spread from surface to surface is disconcerting, to say the least, but also clear and easy for young people to understand. Wonder … Continue reading
In a New York Times opinion column this fall, Larry Smith, founder and editor of Smith Magazine, suggested that his six-word memoir format is a good one for recording our pandemic times. I agree. Six-word memoirs are exactly what they sound like, an expression of a memory or a moment in time, limited to six … Continue reading
Thanksgiving is going to be different this year. In the midst of a spreading pandemic, many of us will be missing holiday traditions and large family gatherings to stay safely at home. As we do, we’ll be trying to figure out how we can connect virtually and—if we are creative—perhaps invent new and valuable traditions. … Continue reading
I’ve used a lot of brainstorming techniques, but here’s a new one I’m anxious to try. It is called the Locus Blossom Creative Technique and was developed by Yasuo Matsumura. The technique uses a grid design to help problem solvers examine multiple aspects of a problem or challenge in detail. It is most commonly used … Continue reading
Recently, I’ve been thinking about writing. I’ve been reading research about writers and thinking about how it relates to the writing students do in schools—virtual or otherwise. Of course, there are many kinds of writing students need to learn, much of it used to express their ideas in various domains: essays about history, reviews of … Continue reading
It is autumn in Michigan, that beautiful season that fills me with equal amounts of awe and dread. Crisp fall days with glorious leaves and (pre-COVID) cider mill trips are some of the most beautiful of the year. But we all know what’s coming next. Winds come, leaves fall, and November gloom descends before we … Continue reading
Emotions and creativity seem always entwined. Our creativity can be affected by our moods, our confidence, and our ability to deal with frustration. New creative products can feel personal and touch a tender part of our hearts, whether they be a new painting or a new business strategy. I can’t think of an instance in … Continue reading
