It’s a blog! On creativity and stuff! Yeah!

At first i thought i was doing ok with the whole blogging thing…I figured that by just writing something as it came to me i’d end up with articles which really show what’s on my mind. I’m not so sure of it anymore though, as i’ve started thinking about whether i can get my point across much better if i really dig deep and think about how to express my thoughts….much like in an essay! I guess it kinda depends on whether i’m writing this to express myself or for the benefit of other people, but the way i see it is that even though if i put a lot of time and planning into it and try and match all this criteria then surely soemthing must be lost on the way? I found last term that when i was writing my Philosopy of education essay that at times i really wanted to just put what came to my head but had to adapt things time and time again to make it more academic and acceptable for the essay.  I’ve read through my other posts and at times it just looks like i’m waffling on…so i’m not sure what to do now! I mean, i’m writing now just as it comes to me and trying not to think about the best way to express my feelings…but as a result of not thinking about it i could probably repeat myself or go off on tangents or anything!

This kinda reminds me of when i was thinking about my girlfriend’s course…she does graphic design – so she’s designing posters, interpreting songs and designing potential cd covers etc. – but what struck me was how strict the mark scheme was for her work! I can’t say i remember the specifics, but i remember being really shocked by the criteria which the work had to check in order to get a certain grade or mark! I’d never really considered it before that, but does it strike anyone else that having mark schemes or even marks in the first place kinda holds back what could truly be said to be creativity? What’s left of a creative exercise if it’s being made to jump thorugh hoops in order to get recognition? Apparently grades are as important in her course as in ours as she says potential job oppurtunities would be largely decided on the employer’s personal opinion of her portfolio, but the idea of a mark scheme for a course like that really struck me as being a big counter-intuitive! Although a certain amount of structure i reckon will be helpful when utilising the skills in the workplace,  it just seems to me as though the whole idea of grades, mark schemes, deadlines etc is an example of the subject really been seen as a means to an end really, instead of it being specifically about the work itself!

I’ve found myself more and more tempted to post links to wider topics in the past week or so. I’ve linked creativity with being really closely tied with self-improvement websites generally. I think it’s because i reckon that if people who aren’t creative really want to develop their skills and make time for it, they might have to change more than just their schedule…….??? I’m certain that the education system as discussed by Ken Robsinson is always going to have an effect on people into their later lives! Surely then if the education system is focused badly regarding creativity, and needs a massive overhaul in its focus then anyone wanting to get themselves creative need to do the same..? Now and again i do draw a picture or do some writing or whatnot, but it’s never been on a regular basis. Maybe only 2-3 times a year really. I think maybe if i want to do something on a regular basis then it’s probably more than a case of simply finding time for it, but rather a big old think about what’s important to me and what really isn’t! I’ve been generally interested in sites like http://www.positivityblog.com/, http://www.lifehack.org/ and http://zenhabits.net/ which are all about personal development and stuff and although a lot of the articles on there aren’t specifically focused on simply developing creativity i think probably the vast majority of what they’re about will help in some way!