One of my favorite books about creativity is titled Beautiful Oops. It makes sense because creativity, by definition, means thinking in new ways—sometimes incremental changes, but sometimes a complete change of course, a different perspective. Sometimes that means recognizing that ways we’ve thought before don’t work any more. Sometimes we have to say “Oops, I … Continue reading
How do your students think about you? How would they describe you? In the case of younger students, the ways they think about their teachers can be a bit of a mystery, and often amusement. I remember young students being dumbfounded at seeing me in the grocery store (“What are you doing here?” “Uh, buying … Continue reading
When I think about creativity and problem solving, military service is not the first thing I envision. For many good reasons, following orders efficiently is an essential part of military training. And yet, there are also few places where good problem solving is more important. So today, as we think about veterans, I’m thinking about … Continue reading
Recently I had a lovely lunch with a relative who shall remain nameless (but he knows who he is!). We talked about many things, including the stunning wildlife photography he has been doing since his retirement. He is becoming particularly adept at photographing birds in flight, with amazing images ranging from dueling goldfinches to bald … Continue reading
It is a big mistake to think picture books are for young children. Certainly that is the case with Samantha Berger’s What If. . . . Illustrated in glorious variety by Mike Curato, What If… is a celebration of imagination that can inspire young and old. The story is a simple one, told by a … Continue reading
What happens to a little girl who wants to build things if her initial efforts are met with laughter? If the girl is Rosie, in Andrea Beaty’s delightful Rosie Revere Engineer, she sits quietly in school, never saying a word, then late a night, where no one can see, she sets to work. Alone in … Continue reading
As I said last post, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is hosting an amazing exhibit of Star Wars costumes. I went to the exhibit to see costumes, but I found myself enjoying lessons in creativity as well. Lesson 3: Ideas seldom emerge full blown. They grow and develop. Or, as I often say … Continue reading
When I listed to 10-year-0ld author Oummu Kabba talk about her work, the sentence that struck me was near the end of the interview. Oummu described why she loved writing, saying, “When I write I feel like I’m in control of the whole world. . . I like having that power over my characters. . … Continue reading
As a girl, I was both amused and inspired by Abigail Adams’ 1776 letter to her husband John, in which she urged him and other members of the Continental Congress to “remember the ladies” when considering the laws for the newly formed country. Today I admire her even more, and find it fitting that in … Continue reading
Every significant creative project comes with struggles—at least mine certainly do. I’m in the midst of a large mosaic project, or, to be more accurate, I’m stalled. I only have one evening a week in the mosaic studio, and those have been rare lately. Other life circumstances have made even one day a week difficult … Continue reading
