Suggested Reading: 7 Ways to be Creative by Bengt Järrehult

I like how the author Bengt Järrehult defines these seven different ways of being creative. I feel that many people link the word creativity and the idea of being creative with just the arts, but it encompasses so much more. According to Järrehult's one can be/use

1.) Quantitatively Creative 

2.) Creative Combinations Finder

3.) Creatively Find New Gains and Delights

4.) Creative Exploitation

5.) Creative Refinement

6.) Creative Focus Finding

7.) Creatively Swapping Perspectives

These 7 ways to be creative are perspective that any person can focus on to help see the world, problems, and opportunities in a more creative light. 

Suggested Reading: Heavy Rain, Beyond chief David Cage declares: "sequels kill creativity and innovation"

It makes total sense that the video game creator David Cage feels that sequels kill creativity and innovation. Many game sequels follow the same design, objectives and characters as the first game. Because of this programmers have to rely less on creativity and innovation. 

Swimming in a World of Blue

Week#2- January 23rd, 2014: Attended 

As a creative studies minor, I have learned a few different thinking processes before attending this course. My prior knowledge helped to make this weeks’ lessons easily understandable and more like a review than anything. The two processes focused on, the Divergent, Convergent, Provocative, and Lateral Thinking process and the Think/Share/Discuss/Agree/Select/Present Process, look to be useful tools that when applied correctly, will help make group and individual creations possible. Some of the responses to this weeks’ in class activities were interesting, including my groups' idea of a contact lens that scans the pages of book and transmits all of the information to the brain so books can be read faster. I began working on the first individual assignment this week, it has been challenging answering some of the questions posed. I am still trying to decide how I would like to present all of this information, and hopefully and idea with hit me soon.

It All Started With A Big Bang!

First Day of Class- January 16th, 2014: Attended

After searching for the correct Architecture building and only finding it with the help of a few helpful Aggies, I arrived to the first Thursday ENDS 101 lecture about 15 minutes late. I missed the section over the syllabus, but the parts of the lecture I did view were not only very informative but also engaging, due to the class participation exercises and the videos integrated into the lesson. When Dr. Vanegas selected a few creative members of the class to display their talents, it was not only entertaining, but showed the freedom and range of creative power that we, as students, will be in control over in this course. Being a creative studies minor, I feel that I will be able to allow my ideas to flourish and not feel constrained by non-clarified standards when working on the assignments later. I also reviewed the online education module for the week, which confirmed my mindset to approaching this course, that it will require work in order to earn an A and that we will be taught by a highly established professor.  I will take some time to get used to the duality of learning in the course but I am looking forward to what the rest of the semester has to offer. I haven't started working on the first individual assignment just yet, but I look forward to beginning it this upcoming week. Sidebar: The Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite shows!