Everything is Alive

Everything is Alive

Like so many other people, I‘ve needed to get out of the house throughout the pandemic. And, again, like so many others, I’ve been walking. I walk around my neighborhood, with occasional excursions to local parks to meet friends or have a change of scenery. But mostly, I walk the same routes, and I need … Continue reading

The Museum of [Creative] Failure

The Museum of [Creative] Failure

All of us fail. A lot. Failures come in all shapes and sizes, some serious, some not-so-much. Most recently, I’ve been failing repeatedly at trying to get a determined mother mouse to relocate her nest in the lovely brush behind our fence rather than on our deck (or in our grill!). I’ve failed at inventing … Continue reading

What’s Good Teaching?

What’s Good Teaching?

What’s good teaching? How do we recognize it? Are good teachers the ones whose students score highest on standardized tests? Or might they be the ones whose students learn to love learning? What about those whose students learn to be amazing problem solvers? No simple answers here. It reminded me of a response I used … Continue reading

Create a Festival

Create a Festival

The Beer Festival is back in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In most ways, this doesn’t matter to me at all. I’m not a beer drinker and my tolerance for crowds is greatly diminished after more than two years of pandemic. But still, the notion of any kind of festival is a joyous jolt of normalcy. Our county … Continue reading

Why Imaginary Worlds?

Why Imaginary Worlds?

Ever since I was young, I have loved inventing new worlds. I have quite vivid memories of sailing into space in a rocket constructed among the clothes in my closet, visiting planets unlike those anyone else had seen. As I grew older and learned to write stories, I wrote about characters with magical powers (always … Continue reading

AAPI Youth Rising: Creative Problem Solvers

AAPI Youth Rising: Creative Problem Solvers

At its best, creativity allows individuals to pursue new ideas, express themselves, and explore problems that are important to them. This month I read about a group of middle school students who did exactly that.  AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Youth Rising describes itself as follows. AAPI Youth Rising is an organization started by … Continue reading

There are no words.

There are no words.

I’ve written before about the role of emotion in creativity. I’ve thought about the social and emotional learning necessary to develop a creative environment, and about the challenges of dealing with the inevitable failures along the creative path. What I haven’t considered, at least not here, are the times when emotions overwhelm the possibilities for … Continue reading

Rapping Creativity

Rapping Creativity

Recently I was heading to my back yard with a 5-year-old friend, and she dropped a ball, which then bounced down the steps to the lawn. She looked at me and without missing a beat, she said, in perfect rhythm: What’s that bouncing down the deck? A ball, a ball! Oh, what the heck. It … Continue reading

Creativity: Facts or Myths?

Creativity: Facts or Myths?

“Creativity comes from the right side of the brain.” “Children are more creativity than adults.” “Creativity happens primarily in art.” “Only a few rare geniuses are really creative.” Not true. None of it. Creativity myths are found across the globe. In fact, Benedek et al. (2021) examined beliefs about creativity across six countries: the United … Continue reading

Supporting Autonomy: For Creativity and More

Supporting Autonomy: For Creativity and More

Years ago, one of my friends, who had a houseful of teenagers, cried out in mock despair, “All these years I’ve worked to teach my children to be independent, and now they ARE!” Somehow the goal of self-directed children seemed easier before the children actually began choosing their own directions. Of course, her despair truly … Continue reading