Class Reflection

The class ‘Develop and Extend Creative and Critical Thinking Skills’ that I studied this term at TAFE has been very interesting and a bit of a challenge for me. To be honest to begin with I was pretty reluctant because I felt really intimidated by everyone. I remember the first lesson the teacher said “this is going to get a LOT more complex” and I just thought to myself “oh great…” as I was already having trouble understanding what had been discussed that day!

However, throughout the course I have developed my understanding and I now have a much better idea of what creativity and critical thinking actually is. I used to think that creativity was just your imagination and how imaginative you were so I was pretty worried about going to class in case I had to be really ‘creative’ and come up with an idea on the spot that was really bad compared to everyone else’s. Although I eventually learned that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to creativity.

During this subject we discussed things like creativity mind blocks and I found that lesson really helpful because I could relate to almost every block that was mentioned and I was able to change my mindset about thinking creatively and learn how to overcome these blocks.

When learning about critical thinking I was actually surprised about how naive I was to believe things without seeing any evidence. The teacher showed us a video of common myths people believed were facts and it brought me to the realisation that I too had just accepted that I was being told the truth without even giving it a second thought! So I now know that it’s good to question everything because that is the only way we will be able to analyse and examine things closely enough for us to determine whether they are real or not.

This was the most theoretical class we had this term but it was actually really beneficial and I can apply most of the things I’ve learnt throughout the subject in my future studies and even everyday life. I now understand the creativity blocks I have and now have a better chance of overcoming them as I am aware of what they are. This class opened my mind, helped me think outside the square and allowed me to gain a new perspective on things. I found that I will actually be taking away a lot of valuable and beneficial things from this course and I’m really happy about that.

Ideas

Great ideas come when you aren’t trying to think of them.

Creativity isn’t a talent. It is a skill that can be learnt, practiced and developed. Firstly, it is good to know where good ideas come from. Watch this VIDEO from Steven Johnson that explains where ideas come from. He talks about how ideas need to ‘incubate’. “Most important ideas take a long time to evolve and they spend a long time dormant in the background”. They don’t come overnight as they need time to develop and grow. You can’t sit at a desk with a blank piece of paper, turn off all distractions and just wait for an idea to come – they come when you least expect and aren’t trying to think of them. 

Although you can’t make a great idea happen, you can set yourself up in an environment that can spark inspiration. As Pablo Picasso said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”. Carry a notebook around with you, start being spontaneous, break out of your normal routine and try something new, listen actively to conversations – people can be very interesting, read a new book or take a walk.

The internet and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can act as distractions from creativity but they can also allow us to connect with people from all over the world where we can share and collaborate ideas. Collaboration is important when it comes to ideas. Sometimes people will have half an idea and need to join with others to exchange and combine their ideas to create something great.

“A good idea is a network. A specific constellation of neurons – thousands of them -fire in sync with each other for the first time in your brain and an idea pops into your consciousness.” – Steven Johnson.

Ideas come when you least expect them to, so don’t sit around waiting for one to come to you – change your environment, try new things, be spontaneous and I’m sure somewhere you will find some inspiration for a great idea.

 

 

Never Stop Questioning

“Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.”

Critical thinking is not something you are born with, it is something that you learn. There are four parts to critical thinking; analysis, inference, interpretation and deductive reasoning. You must find evidence, question the evidence, understand and clarify it, then draw a logical conclusion.

Critical thinking is “the art of analysing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.” – Dr Richard Paul.

In our creative and critical thinking class the other day, we were discussing this topic and why it is so important to question everything. We live in such a technology-based world where the answer to anything can easily pop up on a screen if we just type it into Google – but are these answers even real? We don’t know. Yet most of us, including myself willingly accept that it’s the truth.

Our teacher got us to watch this video in class about misconceptions that most of us believe to be true and after watching it I realised that I too had been believing almost every “fact” in that video – and they were all myths. It made me stop and think about when I had actually questioned whether what I was being told or had seen was the truth – and I can’t actually remember a time when I had. I saw a photo scrolling through my Facebook news feed a few years ago saying that we only use 10% of our brains and until the day I saw this video I actually believed it. I hadn’t been told this by a neurologist or had any evidence to prove it yet I didn’t even stop to check if it was true or not – I just accepted it.

We should question everything because that is the only way we will be able to analyse and examine things closely enough for us to determine whether they are real or not. Even just by asking who, what, where, when, why and how. It will allow us to become more open minded. Only by searching and questioning the truth are we able to learn, develop and grow.

Creative Thinking Blocks – Fear of Failure

As my first official blog post, I thought I’d do something that isn’t about being creative, but about what is stopping one from being creative and this is something I can very much relate to – creativity blocks. We discussed this topic in my creative thinking class at TAFE and I realised that every block that my teacher mentioned has applied to me at least once!

 

My biggest creativity block would have to be my lack of confidence and the fact that I’m a perfectionist. I continually say to myself “I’m not good enough”, “I have to practice more”, “I haven’t been trained”, “I’ll get it wrong” and so on. Even though when thinking creatively, there is no right or wrong answer yet I still don’t even try JUST in case!

 

I know that in order to let my creative juices flow I need to get over my fear of failure because in the end, what is the worst thing that can happen? One of my ideas will get laughed at? People will think it’s weird or too over the top? WHO CARES! Why should I have to worry about what people think of me? I don’t. That’s the thing I need to learn in order to let my creative side come out. If something I do actually IS wrong, instead of feeling like a failure, I can learn from my mistakes and try again – it isn’t called a “mis-take” for nothing!

 

With the right mentality towards creativity and being able to step out of one’s comfort zone to at least give things a try, I know that not only myself but anyone can overcome the fear of failure that is blocking creative thinking! Mistakes are only proof that you are trying and as Stephen Kraggwa once said, “Try and fail, but don’t fail to try”. So what I’m trying to say is face your fears and give it a go because after all, what is the worst that can happen?

Thank you so much for reading this! Stay creative! Jorja. 😀