The first Apple Macintosh was released on January 24, 1984. Within this computer, the signatures of the original Macintosh team were engraved on the inside of the case. This innovation was supposed to not just be a computer but a work of art and a window into the future.
Whenever someone mentions the term “art,” one might be inclined to think only in the traditional sense of drawing or painting. However, art – as well as creativity – spans countless professions and hobbies.
One of the main reasons that art can apply to many aspects of life is that it is a tool of expression. Anything that allows people to articulate themselves, anything that puts the audience into a state of inspiration or critical thinking, can be thought of as art.
Here at NASH, creativity can be expressed within a variety of electives and extracurriculars such as creative writing, filmmaking, photography, and traditional art.
Creative writing provides an outlet for emotions and allows authors to look deeper into their minds. Both creative writing and filmmaking push kids to imagine new worlds and allow them to expand their minds and think outside of the traditional mold. The two pursuits allow kids to make their content and create characters with complex backgrounds, emotions, and stories.
The process of creativity has five main components: idea formation, initial brainstorming, failure, collecting ideas and feedback, and success.
The first step of creation is the formation of ideas. This can be the most critical step as it provides the foundation for creation. The problem with being creative is that people might be inclined to believe that an idea is not good enough, the shorthand for which is creator’s block. This leads to people trying to continually improve their craft, which causes them to lose themselves in the process.
“I like to bounce ideas off of other people to get my mind flowing a bit,” Evan Obusek, a Film and TV Production student at NASH, said about his brainstorming process.
Within every project, setbacks are inevitable. Whether it be from over-ambition or lack of planning, creators should expect to have breaks in their creative flow through external factors.
“I’ve definitely been overambitious about a project before,” Obusek continued. “I think it’s pretty easy to shoot higher than what’s accomplishable. Failure is a necessary part of the creative process. It’s how you learn.”
It is critically important to emphasize that failure is not a permanent state. Knowledge is gained from failure, and new ideas can be funneled into the project that will ultimately improve the final product.
Maren Hesseling, a NASH senior who pursues photography and film, said that “experiences have you learn more about your craft, and a lot of it is trial and error. It’s just part of the process.”
Creative writing student Beatrice Jones commented on her experience with failure by stating that “failure is not being proud of what I create. I know that I have high standards that I may never meet, so to push through, I keep creating… just keep making and you’re bound to get better.”
Success is subjective. However, one’s works are the culmination of their knowledge and setbacks throughout life. Life cannot be lived to the fullest if one were to only take the good without the bad. Similarly, creative students cannot succeed without failure, whether that failure is a large or small hinderance.
A short-term success is not the end of one’s creative journey, but a stepping stone to the next project with higher ambitions and aspirations.
“Before you make something perfect, you should make it exist first,” Jones said.
