Christian Crews: The Joy of Creation

    I am continually amazed by the creativity, both latent and active, that is found everywhere as long as one chooses to see it. For the last couple of weeks, I have been struggling to get my creative gears moving. Working on my thesis has me succumbing to a certain kind of tunnel vision that makes it difficult to give other things outside of it the worthwhile thought. Many days are spent as a series of quick glances and hurried movements. Having this type of mindset gives the illusion of productivity towards a certain direction but as I lie in bed each night, I can't help but feel the need to grieve the lost opportunities for deeper engagement that I had to ignore throughout the day. This mindset is also frustrating because when I have to work on things outside of my thesis, I have this feeling of "let's get this over with so I can get back to work" which is upsetting because this is cool stuff and I shouldn't be so dismissive of it. This "let's get thi...

     The jam session that took place at the back end of class was a very unique and cool thing to be apart of. As I reflect on it, I notice how it fulfilled many of the goals that were outlined in the improvisation portion of the reading.      "Typical goals of improvisation experiences include providing nonverbal communication; promoting    self-expression; exploring relationships; enhancing intimacy; acquiring group skills; encouraging creativity, spontaneity, and playfulness" (Malchoidi, 2006, p.48)     The nonverbal communication one is quite obvious as the medium used for communication was the music. We didn't speak or make a plan on what to do, we just tuned in and picked up on the energy that was being put out. The difficult thing was breaking through that intial barrier in order to contribute. It requires an element of vulnerability that many aren't used to and comfortable with. But once you're in, you realize that its not so bad...

     It continues to fascinate me how I keep discovering the art that is within me. And I say discover because that is how it feels. When doing the feelings wheel activity, it was as if the images I wrote down were already there, waiting to be found. They flashed into my mind like lighting and I felt compelled to portray them after that. Although, I found myself feeling frustrated at the inaccuracy of my depiction to the image that appeared in my head. Taking short glances at my classmates work, I was very impressed with their ability to create aesthetically pleasing work. I understand that we are all on our own path and some of us are "further" along than other but this still brought out something in me that wanted to do better. Not that I had something to prove or anything, but rather that I want to have pride in my artistic ability.       This feeling intensified with the other activity in which we depict our safe space. I had drawn out a sketc...