However, the wonders of technology will keep us connected so do stay in touch. Pros – don’t be afraid to share the odd post/article you’d like to get off your chest and Students – don’t be shy to send me blog posts to practice your writing skills, share your insights and market yourself to a global audience!

Here’s to sharing a bit of inspiration here and there… ;0)

Take an old Thrift Store hard back book for a couple of $ and transform it into a whole new book. It’s simple and most importantly fun and rewarding. Come and see how it’s done so you can have a go yourself.

Call it street-scrap-booking, it utilises existing materials and bits and pieces you collect on a day to day basis. Best bit… no Martha Stewart in sight.

The Thrift Store Sketchbook Event is a perfect opportunity for you to also gain a sneak look into the creative minds and worlds of the Concept Design and Conceptual Thinking students and their thinking process.

See you Thursday 20th January 2011, The Cafe Gallery at MIU Art Institute 15th & Biscayne Blvd, 5.30pm-7.30pm. A wee beverage and a few nibbles will be served.

Please RSVP to thesketchbookproject@gmail.com ASAP or via the Facebook page.

Occasionally, nature has the ability to confine the mind to a practical space, and no matter how hard one may try, it can be an awfully hard task to think outside of it. Anyone who has ever been met with a roadblock after hours of brainstorming — or even at the beginning of it – can agree that it is the ‘trying’ part that enhances the problem. Luckily, there are tons of resources in Apple’s App Store to liberate the mind from the Chinese finger trap that creative thinking can become. From challenging brute-think exercises to programs that manipulate one’s brain frequencies, if you suddenly find yourself unable to conceive of another creative idea, there is almost certainly an app for that.

Inspiro is a random phrase generator that aims to end writer’s block. At the click of a button, three unrelated sets of words appear, and it is up to the user to craft a scene using the given information. If you’re stuck on a plot surrounding a man and a woman sitting together on a park bench, goad the action along by adding “a karate master” “giving a massage” “to a giant tiger.” Or click the Muse or Daydream Machine button to jolt oneself out of monotony and into relaxed creativity.

iBrainstorm is the first multi-device collaboration too for both iPhones and the iPad. The user can make fully-customizable notes and free-form drawings on the iPad and connect up to four iPhones to the device for instant collaboration sessions. After a brainstorming session is completed, the users can email the notes, drawings, and files created to colleagues who were not present (or the unfortunate of them who use Blackberries) and upload them to Flickr for even broader sharing.

The next app is not strictly for writers or designers. It’s not even intended for adults. Elmo’s Monster Maker is useful for clearing one’s mind of the clutter that can hinder lucid, creative thinking. The user simply chooses any combination of body, eyes, nose, hats, and other features to bring a customized Sesame Street monster to life. The next step is to add a backdrop and music to which both Elmo and the new monster dance and interact. It has long been believed that creative practitioners can benefit greatly from playing with children’s toys and games to stimulate creativity. With 24 combinations for each of the four body styles to choose from, top-rated Elmo’s Monster Maker provides a worthwhile, energizing distraction.

If creative fog still looms and brainstorming, random generation, and monster making has not helped, it may be time to employ a bit of science. BrainFreqz, the least interactive of the aforementioned apps, uses the science of sound waves to stimulate creative ability. Various audio techniques including “isochronic tones” and “binaural beats” entrain brain waves to mimic reactions to certain stimuli. Neurology notes that one is at their peak creative capacity when the gamma range of their brain waves is around 45 hertz. The “Euphoria” version of BrainFreqz aims to maintain a level close to that range. Other versions include meditation, motivation, even procrastination, so no matter what the psychological bind, BrainFreqz is the app of choice.

So it is always good to know that if you are stuck for ideas an app will at the very least allow you some good old fashioned time away from the feeling that the weight of the world is on your shoulders and that blank page staring back at you is yet to be filled with the next best idea. Just remember that for your creative solutions to stand the test of time once the app is switched off, your ideas need to remain switched on.

by Aazia Mickens-Dessaso

There is a must-attend-event happening this Friday. It would mean the world if you could also twitter, facebook and email the details on to all your contacts. Would love to see you there…

The concept design and conceptual thinking students at Miami International University of Art & Design are sharing their inspiration and showcasing sketchbooks that have an interesting twist to them – they started out life as a second-hand book bought from a thrift store.

Art Basel whisked Miami on a whirlwind, romantic adventure, a long weekend and jam-packed program of art and culture which has since come to an end. The city is now returned to locals and Art Basel leaves the streets littered with a bit of street-art here and the odd empty pop-up shop there.

However, bubbling away under the surface of this quieter city is a pocket of creative energy that can still be found, a select group of creative students shaping their future are on a journey of exploration and discovery – The Thrift Store Sketchbook Project 2010.

Miami International University of Art & Design invite members of the creative communications community to come and see The Thrift Store Sketchbook Project 2010 on Friday December 10th, 5.30pm-7.30pm at the Café Gallery, Ai campus, 15th & Biscayne Blvd, Downtown Miami.

We hope to inspire creative artists and creative communication practitioners to see the benefits of documenting evidence of the creative process. It gives clients a different perspective and key insight into the world of creative thinking, which is highly valuable to both client and supplier.

There will be complimentary refreshments and you will be able to see pages of the books accompanied by quotes from each student explaining what this creative journey has meant to them.

Please RSVP thesketchbookproject@gmail.com

We, left-handed individuals, are born with more ability in our left-hand, but does that make us more creative than right-handers? I believe it makes us equal, but it is not exactly what history has reflected.

Aristotle once said: “The good things are in the right side and the bad in the left.” It would surprise us that the word “sinister” (that comes from the Latin word for ‘left’) refers to evil, bad and unfortunate things. In other languages, the translation of left-handed is derogatory including “mancino” which in Italian means “false” and “vasenkatinen” which in Finnish refers to “something that should be changed”. Another fact that I consider exceptionally offensive comes from the various meanings of the words “Left” and “Lefty”; it does not only refer to left-handed people, but it is also used to refer to “what is left” or “leftovers” almost referring to the unnecessary, things that no one wants or needs.

For centuries, defining what “being left-handed” means has been a dilemma with many controversies. It has gone through various stages – from ignorance, where people did not even picture being left-handed as a viable option to rejection, which was inevitable given the pre-conceived ideas embedded in the minds of society throughout the years.

From Descartes with the Cartesian plane describing the left side as negative values, to Aristotle proclaiming that the left is bad, we live surrounded by a culture that has encouraged nothing but negative connotations to the word “left”. For example, to be a left-handed has from a social point of view been considered a disadvantage. History shows how in the medieval times the Inquisition considered left-handed people as “Servants of Satan” they were persecuted and burned alive. Maybe those persecutions were just legends? However, for years to come the rejection of left-handed people remained. Another example was that of children who attended school until the mid-twentieth century, when they were forced to write with their right hand. They had to learn how to write with the right hand or if not were beaten and punished by their teachers.

Left-handed people were subjected and sentenced to develop their left hemisphere, even if they were forced to write with their right hand. Time has passed and today we live in a world where both right and left handed people share equal rights. However, finding left-handed products can still be a struggle.

10% of the world’s population, those of us who function in a counterclockwise manner continue to find challenges on a daily basis. In schools desks are generally made for right-handed students and left-handed students have to write as if drawing freehand. There are also problems for children; there is nothing more frustrating than a right-handed scissors in the hands of a left-handed person. I remember that I crumpled the paper and it was never cut the way I wanted it. What about musical instruments? Almost impossible to find and not to even mention can openers.

In some countries we can find stores especially for left-handed people; these stores are obviously not profitable. Left-handed people are always the ones who adapt to right-handed products for necessity. An example is the mouse on the computer: to avoid the trouble of changing the settings every time a different computer is used, left-handed users learn how to use the mouse with the right hand.

In the United States one can find a variety of stores for left-handers; in fact, the U.S. is the country that has the most number of stores in the world. Moreover, there is a small town in West Virginia called “Left Hand” where all its inhabitants (450 people) are left-handed. I wonder, what about the children who are born with right-handed tendencies? Have you ever thought about a world created for and by left-handed people, where the left is “the good” and the right “the bad”?

The hemispheres of the brain have different characteristics and function. The left hemisphere (more controlled by the right-handed) processes information in a linear fashion: it is responsible for arithmetic operations, it does logic and analytical thinking, and it specializes in recognizing words and numbers. On the other hand, the right hemisphere processes and diffuses information simultaneously, it operates intuitive and holistic thinking, and it specializes in recognizing places, faces, objects, music, etc.



In conclusion the world has ceased to punish or brand left-handed people as failures or misfits. Furthermore, it has to be mentioned there are a significant number of left-handed celebrities: former Beatle Paul McCartney, Painter Pablo Picasso, the former President of the U.S.A Bill Clinton and Physicist Albert Einstein, among others. It has also been known that many of the British monarchy have a tendency to be left-handed, including Prince Charles and his son William, and Queen Elizabeth I and II. Perhaps it is hereditary? Kings Louis XVI and George VI were also said to be left-handed, Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, composer Beethoven, and even Napoleon Bonaparte. What is most ironic of all is that Aristotle was also left-handed.

By Maria A Rodriguez

Children have the most amazing creative abilities; using their imagination they can take any object and make it come to life. However, what happens when we grow old? Why do some people stop using imagination?

As we get older our priorities change and we slowly lose our ability to apply our imagination. We begin to learn rules and regulations and gain skills in social behaviour, fashion sense and education. We begin to lose a sense of self-discovery and exploration.

A study by George Land reveals that we are naturally creative and as we grow we learn to be uncreative. Luckily for us, creativity is a skill that can be developed and a process that can be managed. Learning to be creative is akin to learning a sport. It requires practice to develop the right muscles, and a supportive environment in which to flourish.

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” Edward De Bono

Generally people tend to see only the obvious way of looking at a problem without looking deeper for more exciting or interesting solutions. The truth is that creativity requires a whole-brain thinking; right-brain imagination, artistry and intuition, plus left-brain logic and planning.

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein

The best exercise to work out your creativity is by doing short term brainstorming techniques to find at least 10-15 reasons for each statement or problem. You will begin to see that you have no logical justification for not being creative and be surprised with the results.

I believe we should enforce our creative progression by spending at least 15 minutes or more a day generating or recognizing ideas, alternatives or possibilities that can be useful in solving problems.

Mind-mapping is a great tool for stimulating all the senses. It’s a method of storing, organizing, prioritizing, learning, reviewing, and memorizing information. It effectively presents an overview and summary of a body of knowledge that fuses words and pictures helping simulate logic and creativity for proficient and effective thinking practices involving the five senses. Mind-mapping and brainstorming with colleagues during the design process has been successful for many designers, agency IDEO uses many methods for creating solutions to problems.

Generative research shows that everyone has creative abilities. The more training you have and the more diverse the training is, the greater potential for creative output. It has been proven that the average adult thinks of three to six alternatives for any given situation. The average child thinks of 60.

Research has shown that in creativity quantity equals quality. The longer the list of ideas, the higher chances you have of getting an eminent final solution. The highest quality ideas appear at the end of the list.

Everybody is creative. Without creativity, we could not adapt to new situations or change the way we view the world. When people identify someone as ‘creative’ they are making an observational comment about the degree of creativity displayed. This degree of creativity depends upon the extent to which the ideas or results of the process are novel, valuable, differ from previous ideas or approaches, can be applied in other situations, and go beyond the commonplace.

As a student in the creative communication industry I can benefit from utilizing these tools when solving a given problem. Mind-mapping and other brainstorming techniques are great tool for stimulating all the senses. I have applied the quote: “The longer the list of ideas, the higher chances you have of getting an eminent final solution.” and I have found it to have a profound affect on my idea generation.

My advice to all students in the creative communication industry is to be spontaneous and be open to any bizarre ideas. Remember that most great solutions come out of random thoughts.

By Kyara Castillo

I Recommend:

How to Be More Creative – A Handbook for Alchemists Your Guide to Leading a More Creative Life. By Merelisa Fábrega
How to stimulate your creativity – Youtube video:

As a student it is common to dive into each assignment and project with good intentions and go straight to attempting and establishing the ideas and concept, but working on our projects with this hurried approach makes the creative process harder and often the best concepts are impossible to achieve.

Our perspective by which I mean the way we perceive the world and our surroundings, can severely affect our creativity. It can prevent us from absorbing inspiration essential when generating original, creative thinking, and fresh ideas, which in turn can assist in our projects and our life.

Similarly to a finger print inspiration is different for each one of us and most may agree that being inspired can be defined as a rush of creative adrenalin that affects our mind, allowing us to come up with many different and daring ideas that push boundaries and leave negativity at the door. When we achieve this state of the mind it shapes and molds our perspective allowing us to play with the way we perceive the world and our surroundings, experience emotions or events and even challenge our habitual day-to-day routines.

We must perceive inspiration as necessary in order to generate exceptional ideas. “Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.” Sir James Dewar, British chemist and physicist.

Some people get inspired by listening to music, others by admiring great pieces of art, or simply by going for a long walk. Each person achieves this state in a different way. When we appreciate an amazing painting, or when we listen to a great piece of music our mind travels as we try to comprehend the artist’s intention, his thoughts and materials. What we have to ask ourselves is how can we refresh our perspective constantly, so that we become more prone to get inspired?

Here are some ways to do so:

Traveling

Traveling is one of the best ways to renew and rejuvenate our perspective. When we go to a new place and surround ourselves with different people and a varied landscape and encounter different cultures, it can be easier for us to remind ourselves who we really are, what we do, and help re-establish what is really important to us. Our senses become exposed to a huge variety of things; tastes, smells, touch and behaviors and all these lead our minds on a journey of possibility.

Movies

Movies are like traveling. Whilst physically we don’t go anywhere when we watch a movie, our minds become caught up in the story and the journey of the characters therefore affecting our perception of reality and fantasy. In movies scenes or scenarios that we would generally consider impossible are made to happen, this can expand our mind by eliminating any sense of limitation, empowering our imagination and encouraging great ideas and concepts to flow.

Experiences

Experiences and emotions are very powerful elements when it comes to generating ideas. The more things we experience, the more broad our thinking is going to be about any subject. The same goes for emotions, if we experience many emotions, we can attempt to evoke them when thinking about a project, and it can help us to establish a great concept or an effective idea that really fits and answers the brief.

Sports

Being part of a team in any competitive sport can dramatically improve and renew the way you think and see things. You prepare yourself mentally by planning ahead this is a great exercise for your mind. Being part of a team requires synchronicity and with little time to communicate through words each team member has to anticipate what each other is going to do. Being able to put yourself in another player’s position is critical as this exercises your mind and improves your perspective ultimately training your subconscious to continue to be reactive and proactive on and off the field.

Next time you struggle with a project and think you cannot come up with a clear idea or concept instead of trying to get inspired immediately, consider changing the way you perceive things in the world.  Challenge your imagination; watch a movie, go travel and evoke an experience or emotion and you will allow your mind to expand giving it room to breathe and create.

By Ernesto Lugo

References:

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper

However, when we are tasked to reflect on our own emotions it can be rather more challenging to judge them so clearly and then not knowing how to express our emotions to others can be frustrating and cause many short/long term issues. Through Capacchione’s research it has been proven that any form of artistic expression, whether it is painting, drawing, sculpting, or writing are all natural methods of healthy expression. Art can assist in expressing otherwise suppressed emotions empowering us to think more clearly and feel more positive.

Art therapy is accessible to all and is recommended by many therapists. It enables us to concentrate and let our subconscious take control. The subconscious is where the bottled-up emotions or unexpressed emotions are stored, if we exercise that part of our mind through art it manipulates the negative thoughts into positive expression therefore turning our subconscious  into a powerful tool for change.

Frida Kahlo actually began painting because of art therapy and through that she became one of the world’s famous painters.

Sabah Karimi Featured Beauty Contributor; Featured Travel Contributor for Associated Content from Yahoo explains how; “Art therapy is for everyone. But its application is particularly interesting when applied to work with children who have more difficulty in saying what they are feeling. It is also recommended for the elderly, because it provides their well-being and improves them physically and psychologically.”

Personal experiences led me to indulge in expressing myself through art. I simply grabbed a canvas, and went ahead and painted. I made strong brush strokes and did everything without thinking. In the end, it is hard to explain but the whole experience made me feel much happier and for the first time in a long time I felt proud and accomplished about myself. Whilst the outcome of art therapy is not to be judged or critiqued, I showed the painting to my art teacher back in high school and he fell in love with it. My painting ended up being displayed. I felt an incredible weight lifted from me. My emotional weight now hung on a wall and not on my shoulders.

Emotions may appear to consume our lives at times but artistic expression will always be available to us, I believe art therapy is one of the best ways to channel these emotions and I thoroughly recommend it.

You will never know what your emotions will visually express but you will at least know your emotions have been set free.

By Miguel Marin

References:

http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/

With the recent news of Wyclef Jean running for president of Haiti, Wyclef’s lack of political expertise and affiliation have become a predominant global concern. However, the Haitian’s awareness of Wyclef’s economic contributions and most significantly, his physical presence and substantial assistance during the country’s worst situation, it has lead them to believe that hope is on its way.

Surprisingly, an individual like Wyclef may be exactly what the country of Haiti desperately needs, a leader who is just the opposite of any “qualified” politician. Not only is he one of the most accomplished Haitians, but also, he is the most admired by his community. With a combination of his creative mind, a strong sense of logic, and ambition, Wyclef may be the ideal individual to persuade the people of Haiti to work in collaboration, become educated and then be equipped to follow their dreams and prosper.

In an interview with CNN, Wyclef said, “I am not even trying to be president. I am being drafted by the youth of Haiti.” According to him, since the most recent catastrophe of January 12, over 50% of the population of Haiti is youth. With the prior political instabilities in Haiti for the last 200 years Wyclef is finally coming in neutral, representing “the voice of the youth”.

There is a long journey ahead for Haiti as the landscape currently looks tired and withdrawn. Nevertheless, if an individual like Wyclef, criticized for not possessing the necessary tools to rule a country is able to rescue Haiti from this long-lasting state, then not only will the Haitians begin to dream again, but the political landscape will change forever.

By Samantha Stransky

References & Links:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/aug/06/wyclef-jean-president-haiti-singer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-10880802

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1300794/Wyclef-Jean-officially-joins-race-Haitian-presidency.html#ixzz0vwrwXVlZ

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1300794/Wyclef-Jean-officially-joins-race-Haitian-presidency.html#ixzz0vwsKqMtM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1300794/Wyclef-Jean-officially-joins-race-Haitian-presidency.html#ixzz0vwspj0V7

Dr. Elizabeth M Young Stated: Bachelors Degree with Honors in Sociology: University Of California, Berkeley

“If a child does not have the basics of visual art: visualizing, rendering, color theory, depth and dimensionality, and proportion by the age of 8 to 10 years of age, it is far more difficult for a person to become even an adequate artist later in life, just as it is far more difficult to learn to read or to learn a new language later in life”

Students that are interested in pursuing a career in the arts are provided a career path at high school. Many students are able to develop the skills that enable them to gain acceptance into colleges and universities and in many cases these students are able to earn full or partial scholarships.

Another group of students that are well served by their experience in art are those that are able to use their time in an art class, to take a mental break and refocus to prepare for their academic classes. This group of students may have seen art at this time in their life as a fun thing to do. But many of them retain those skills and interests as they move into adulthood. This approach has made it easier for students to transfer new skills into hobbies and other recreational activities.

The programs I was exposed to during my high school years continue to be the basis for many children in public schools and form the foundation of a career in that chosen field. If we lose art we lose creativity and entrepreneurialism among students, this will have a knock on effect with their careers later in life.

I have to wonder how we have allowed the arts in education, to become a lost art? Even before the FCAT came to Florida many school districts were already in the process of closing or reducing classes in the arts in the name of financial necessities. With the major emphasis on math and reading the FCAT requirements hastened the elimination of art programs across the state. As more and more students failed to reach a level three on the reading and math tests, the more art programs were reduced or closed. This process was accelerated by administrators in an effort to provide space in the classroom and more teachers to accommodate the requirement for additional math and reading.

In 2008, a study from the Center on Education Policy, Instructional Time in Elementary Schools: a Closer Look at Changes for Specific Subjects, found that cuts in instructional time were deeper than first considered:

Among the school districts that reported both increasing time for English language, arts or math and reducing time in other subjects, 72 percent indicated that they reduced time by a total of at least 75 minutes per week for one or more of these other subjects.

Among districts that reported a decrease in instructional time since 2001–2002, 23 percent reported decreasing total instructional time for arts and music by 50 percent or more below pre-NCLB levels—greater than social studies, science, and physical education.

The world of art has for centuries been defined as a vital part of communication and narrating stories through visual communication has assisted eras, movements and communities to record their history and define their culture. There has to be some concern that we may, with this simple move to eliminate art from the lives of our children, turn the culture of this country upside down. The question I would like to ask is how long can we, as a nation without a clear strategy try and uphold the importance of art in education before it becomes an impossible task to reestablish it as a positive influence in the hearts and minds of the people?

Art is a universal language and as cultures merge and co-exist it is one language that assists diverse communities to connect both inside and outside of educational environments. My greatest fear is that this elimination of the arts in education may set the stage for a world with a blind eye for art and therefore a blind eye for one another. I appreciate that great artists have found ways to develop their talent and showcase it without training and I am sure that there will always be great artists to represent art as a consumer facing discipline. However, art has inspired and influenced minds and souls of children who have then chosen a successful career path in a number of different directions.

Art is not simply a subject for the elite or for the occasional ‘unknown’ to find success; it is a subject that empowers everyone and equips us with a diverse range of skills to apply to our everyday lives. Why confiscate such a powerful discipline from a generation that is already at risk of an ongoing, downward spiral – a Catch22 – getting lost amongst the many and also struggling to be found among the few?

By Linda Williams

References:

Project Zero was founded at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1967 by the philosopher Nelson Goodman to study and improve education in and through the arts. Goodman believed that arts learning should be studied as a serious cognitive activity, but that “zero” had been firmly established about the field.

New Harris Poll Reveals that 93 Percent of Americans Believe that the Arts are Vital to Providing a Well-Rounded Education.

What’s the problem? Gary Marks of the American Association of School Superintendents says that one important reason why arts education isn’t more common in public schools is due to the growing emphasis on high-stakes assessment tests. Because these tests focus on core subjects such as math and science, they’ve had the predictable result of pushing arts further to the margins. “When a school’s standing is on the line, where do you think they’re going to focus their attention?” asks Marks.