Genius

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A genius is someone who does something that the world has never seen before. They aren’t afraid to go out on a limb and try something completely new. When I think of the word genius the first thing that person that comes to my mind is J.K Rowling. One of the most famous authors in the world, she’s managed to make her story into something amazing. I think of her as a genius because of the way she can suck readers into a world she’s created with her imagination. People all over the world are familiar with Harry Potter. One of the most popular book series every created, J.K Rowling has managed to grasp the attention of readers everywhere. A story many people immerse themselves in for days at a time, she’s become one of the most famous writers to ever live. When I think of all the truly amazing people through out the world, J.K. Rowling is surely one of them.

Is Education Killing Creativity?

Everyday billons of kids spend majority of their days in school, learning and growing into what society wants them to be. Most of the time the curriculum for schools is the same through out the world. Students are required to take their core classes where they are taught to solve math problems, interpret the periodic table and read maps. Sadly, creativity is not included in that curriculum. Schools are slowly killing creativity in students by not allowing them to take art and dance classes. Classes that stimulate thinking other parts of their minds, the part that controls the creative process. After the levy failed in my high school, the school had to cut classes for funding for other areas. Most of the classes that they got rid of were the art and cooking classes; we had one art class because it was required to graduate. Many schools today see these subjects as useless because they won’t help children in society. In a seminar given by creativity expert Ken Robinson about the problems with the way we educate children, he argues schools teach subjects based on which are most likely to get them a job.  I think schools are hurting students with their decision to focus education primarily on subjects like math and science. Sometimes, teachers have to look for other ways to teach creativity.

Even tough schools may put art classes on the bottom; opportunities for students to be creative are everywhere. Many times teachers will give students many different ways to complete assignments; whether that’s writing a paper, creating a poster, or something much more creative. As a student I always tried to choose the projects that would allow me to think in ways I wouldn’t normally do in school. For example in my history class we had to write letters as if we were writing in the 1800’s and it allowed me to think like I was really old. It allowed me to be truly creative and make the paper look really old by rubbing it with tea bags and I had fun. I think students have many chances to be creative they just have to find them.

Revision

The first step in the creative process is to come up with an idea. Your first idea doesn’t always have to be your best or final idea but you need a building block. Once you’ve come up with an idea, you have to play around with it to make it better. Whether that’s adding something or taking away from the original idea, this process is called revising. It’s making something better or worse by trying new things with your original idea. It allows the writer to make their ideas clearer for the reader. Without revision, writers wouldn’t be able to create their best work.

            The process of revision sparks creativity because it allows writer’s to try things that may not work. When a writer knows they don’t have to submit their first idea, it allows them to take chances. They don’t have don’t have to fear failing because they can always go back and change ideas that don’t work. Revision is like a safety net because even if your first idea is a total flop, you can always go back and make it better. Sometimes, writers become too dependent on the ability to revise their work and it can hinder their creative ability. They may not spend as much time perfecting their first ideas because they know they can always go back and change them. Just because you have the ability to edit things doesn’t mean you should really on that completely. You should still try o produce the best first draft you can. The process of revision can be good and bad for the creative process it all depends on the writer.

Henry Darger

Henry Darger was a man of many secrets. He lived most of his life hidden away in his dark room, creating what many people today would consider marvelous works of art.

Many people today would consider Henry Darger to be crazy because of the uniqueness seen through his artwork. His paintings were something no one had ever seen before, different in a way most society was not ready for. In fact after seeing his work, most people would consider him to be mentally ill. I think that Henry was not sick mentally or physically, he was just different. In society today it’s hard for things that go against the social norm to be accepted and that just how Henry was. Most of his life he spent locked away in his room, writing an autography to his life, creating pictures, and talking to himself. In my opinion, Henry wasn’t mentally ill he just had a mind with more creativity than the world was ready for.

Henry spent most of his life locked up in his room hidden away from the world. The fact that he kept his work secret from everyone even his family showed exactly how he felt about society. Henry wasn’t looking to be accepted by society. He didn’t put the value of his artwork in others opinions, he painted what he wanted and was satisfied with it. Unlike artist today will change their painting style based on what’s popular, Henry painted only what he saw. I think inside he knew his work would be rejected by society so he kept it to himself. The world can be one of the harshest critics on artist today, but to Henry the value of his artwork was seen through his eyes not others.

In my opinion creativity is doing or making something that is unique to the person doing it. I don’t think think creativity is something that should be judged by society, I think its something seen in the eyes of the beholder. Just because people might reject an idea doesn’t mean it’s not creative. I think Henry revealed how creative he was trough his artwork. His paintings were something no one had ever seen before; they were new and unique. In fact they were so different people began calling him mentally ill. Even if Henry was mentally ill, the fact that he created something new made him just as creative as anybody.