Thursday, November 13, 2014

Modeling Creatively


In my Five Faces of Genius course, we are exploring personal creativity, and learning different tools and skills that help unlock more creativity, and how creativity can help us and our community. In our first unit, we developed an appreciation for creative genius, established a range of individuals who demonstrate genius, and discussed the difference between creativity and genius. Along the way our class created a Genius Gallery, showcasing a range of people who demonstrated genius or creativity. For our first Action Project, we were asked to observe and articulate patterns of genius and creativity. The purpose of this action project was to learn the true meaning of genius. I learned a lot about creativity, and am very proud of completing this project on time.

There are several patterns in our Genius Gallery. One of the patterns is that almost all of the geniuses in our gallery are frequently in the media. This pattern does not really produce geniuses, but can someone truly be a genius if no one knows about them? People are drawn to geniuses, and want to know more about them, thus putting them in the spotlight. Some geniuses that are in the public spotlight are: Michael Jackson, J.K. Rowling, and Kanye West. Another pattern I have discovered is that most of the geniuses in our gallery come from a low income family. In my opinion, people that come from a low income family tend to work harder to break the cycle of poverty. Some examples are: J.K. Rowling, Kanye West/Jay Z, and Eminem. The last pattern I noticed was that some of these geniuses went through some type of struggles. Kurt Vonnegut for example was a prisoner of war. Jay Z grew up without a father in a housing in Brooklyn. Eminem also grew up without a father, and worked several jobs to help his mother with the bills.


Kpriss. "Naomi Campbell Endless In NUmero Russia March 2013. "StyleFrizz. N.p., 11 Mar.2013.Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Model Naomi Campbell is another example of a powerful creative genius. No discussion of supermodels would be complete without a mention of Naomi Campbell. She breathed life into the term supermodel. Campbell is not just another pretty girl, she broke ground as the first black woman to ever appear on the cover of Time magazine and French and British Vogue (Naomi Campbell). Being a successful model requires a multitude of skills, such as creativity, perseverance, strong sense of self, self-worth, confidence and determination. Though Campbell was discovered by one of the top modeling agencies, she worked extremely hard to achieve success. She embarked on other ventures, which included an R&B-pop studio album, several acting appearances in film and television and a novel.

Models need a strong sense of self and confidence. The modeling industry is a very competitive field. There is always going to be someone thinner and prettier; therefore, you need to have a strong sense of what you bring to the table. Campbell is extremely confident in herself and exerts self-examination, an examination of one’s own behavior and motivation.

Fashion is a very creative field. Clothing designers and models are visual artists, and clothing and the body are their medium. Although Campbell has many strengths, she faced countless obstacles. She suffered from a cocaine addiction and faced multiple legal issues. Unfortunately, drug addictions come with the fame territory. "I was having fun. I was living this life of traveling the world and having people just give you anything," said Naomi Campbell. This quote just shows her strong sense of self-examination and self-identity. Also, she faced multiple legal issues all about assaults.Though she didn't use any of her strength to overcome this obstacle, she realizes that she was wrong and has apologized for it (self-examination). “I am a human, being and I make mistakes,” Naomi Campbell at a CBS interview. 

Three strengths that I possess are: determination, conscientiousness, and open-mindedness. There is creativity in being open-minded. Open-mindedness is not just the receptiveness of new ideas, it is the acknowledgement and consideration of one's view, which then leads to the evolution of one’s thoughts. And creativity is evolution. Conscientiousness is the personality trait of being careful and organized. You can be creative with the way you organize things. For example, I have used a magazine rack as a pot lid holder in my house. One challenge that I faced was doing action projects as a main mode of evaluation. Through determination, I pushed through and have gotten used to doing them. The way in which someone shows determination is a creative pursuit. A challenge that the world faces is stereotyping. I want to tap into my creative genius to find more ways to encourage people to be more open-minded like myself, as I feel this will lead to more people looking at the world in a new perceptive.
"A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of now advances in a domain of knowledge," (Wikipedia). The widely regarded genius, Albert Einstein said that creativity is intelligence having fun. Then is there creativity without intelligence and vice versa? The truth is, for the human species creativity is an instinct. If you have ever doodled on a piece of paper during a lecture, or if you have ever drawn on a window filled with condensation, then you are creative. "Don't fall into the trap of associating creativity with artistry" said Mark, an IIT student. We image, envision, and daydream, and because of these thought habits humanity/world is always evolving and changing, which is why things are never stagnant.

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