Psychological Safety

I was speaking with a group of graduate Art students this evening about the importance of psychological safety for fostering creativity in the classroom.  This got me reflecting on my own experiences in this class, and our upcoming creative skills presentation.  I am admittedly a bit sheepish about showing my products tomorrow.  With that said, I realized it not so much because I feel intimidated or apprehensive about sharing my work with my classmates.  I think we've developed a great climate for creativity and I certainly don't worry about being laughed at or ridiculed.  Rather I think my apprehension comes from my personal appraisal of my work -- I'm not 100% proud of what I've completed and it can be a little uncomfortable for me to share something I don't think is my best work.   

Despite this I'm eager to see what everyone else has to share (I'm counting on Julie to bring cookies) and surprisingly comfortable at the thought of getting up in front of the class.  I can get really nervous when public speaking but have no pre-presentation jitters.  Therein lies the beauty of psychological safety!

Inventing -vs- knitting

My creative wheels have been turning away, but not in relation to my creative skill project.  Instead, I've been busy working on my invention.   I've actually enjoyed having a new creative challenge, one that doesn't involve knitting needles to be exact.  I think I've applied more of the creative thinking strategies we've discussed in class to the invention assignment. In particular, I utilized some of the steps of CPS in creating my invention.  

Have needles, can travel.

Let me begin by saying I have finally calmed down, stopped cursing, and am making up with my computer (I admit to beating it a little) after a lengthy and thoughtful posting just evaporated into thin air.  I've got a wavering wireless signal right now and lost EVERYTHING I'd spent 2o minutes reflecting on when I went to publish my post.  Argh.  I'll try again but warn this post will not be nearly as witty or eloquent as my last! 

In any case, I'm out of town for the weekend and brought my knitting with me, as I'm apt to do these days.  As I sat on the beach I was first struck with how strange it was to be knitting some woolly scarf-like thing while sitting in a bathing suit in the sun.  It then dawned on me just how very cool it was that I could engage in my creative skill under such circumstances, all the while checking that my children weren't drowning in the surf AND talking with a friend.  I've spent a good bit of time reflecting on my creative process since this project began and realize how much the circumstances of my life dictate what I can and can't devote time to right now.  I'm enrolled in a full-time doctoral program, on a serious budget, and in the company of my two young sons more often than not.  If I'm going to do anything creative with regularity it has to fit into my life as it is.  I must say knitting really does meet the criteria I've unconsciously established (what a creative problem solver I am!).  These criteria are as follows: 1) Inexpensive 2) Able to be undertaken while with kids 3) Can be stopped and started with ease -- little preparation or cleanup, not susceptible to frequent interruption 4) Can be done anytime, anywhere

I'm also pleased to find that I must be getting better.  The wind was whipping my yarn around like crazy today, yet I was still able to keep up with it all.  I've also found myself getting more adventurous (dare I say creative?), planning different combinations/styles I'd like to try. Lastly, I've had two instances recently where I was able to turn an error into something I'm pleased with.  Despite my progress, I'm getting a bit nervous about our final presentations.  When I selected knitting I imagined some long, lovely scarf I'd present to the delight and awe of the class.  Alas, what I'll likely have are a couple of holey, asymmetrical, ugly-colored swatches.   Perhaps I should see if I can find any mittens or scarfs on sale that I can claim as my own....

Knitting for America

I was in the kitchen fixing dinner while listening to NPR, as I do every night, trying to shoo my kids away and not burn things.  In the midst of a typical evening's chaos I was only half listening to some commentator going on about being thrifty during the current economic recession.  All of the sudden I hear mention  of something that has only recently become part of my life:  she mentioned knitting!  Specifically she referred to the fact that she was a knitter and had resorted to making gifts for people instead of purchasing presents. Still, I was shocked to feel some strange over-the-radio connection.  It was quite gratifying to hear my creative skill mentioned on my primary source of media (alas, we don't have cable so we're public radio junkies).   More importantly, I was reminded that there really is something to this knitting business.  I can heed my president's call to buck up during these tough times...I can save money on gifts by creating!  I can knit for America! 

Kneed to get back to knitting.

I'm reminded once again that fostering a creative skill takes time!  I've been busy catching up this week after 7 chaotic days, and have made little progress with my knitting.  I still can't help but wonder if this is not an optimal time to be biting off something else in my life.  Anyway, excuses, excuses...I really do have difficulty devoting myself to this project on a regular  basis. 

In the mean time, I have been engaging in a good bit of creative thinking as I prepare my invention for our upcoming project.   I've found myself thinking about his a good bit since Wednesday's class. Perhaps I do have a creative bone in my body after all, even if I'm not so disciplined in exercising it. 

Not this week!

This is far and away the busiest week of my doctoral program to date.  In addition to completing assignments for each of my 6 classes I'm busy preparing for the culmination of a two-semester internship: a Saturday enrichment class for 70 fifth and sixth graders.  This is a long winded way of saying there will be absolutely, positively no knitting for me this week. 

Spring Breaking my way towards progress

With the coming of Spring I seem to have turned a new corner with my project.  I've been knitting.  A lot!  And have enjoyed it!  As I hoped, my friend brought her knitting with her on our trip and it was rather inspiring.  She's working on some really neat things using a variety of different yarns and stitches.  The end result is interesting and quite creative, inspiring me to persist with my own knitting.  I'm more keenly aware that I've first got to get competent with some of the basics before I can really do some creative things with knitting.  I've got to be patient and devote time to practice if I want the prize of a really cool creation.  As with many things in life, creativity takes time to cultivate and it's unrealistic to think I'll be a master over night.  

While at the beach I learned a new stitch -- pearling (spelling?) -- and have been working on this over the last couple of days.  It feels great to be moving forward, overcoming my creative block. I did go ahead and change the yarn I'm using and it's much more appealing to me.   My next challenge is to keep up my momentum once the break is over.