'Thoughtwrestling' - a great creativity resource

Week 7 in the MOOC had some fantastic resources for creative problem solving. What to do when you've got to solve a challenging problem? "It’s time to call Doctor Creativity"

Diagnosis vs Prognosis for Creatives

Written on January 11, 2011 by IanMRountree in Problem Solving

Click here: http://thoughtwrestling.com/blog/diagnosis-vs-prognosis-for-creatives/

Like Thoughtwrestling on Facebook and you can play Word Association Monday.

I recommend following Thoughtwrestling on Twitter. 

Art Expressed in Science And Math

We tend to think of creativity in relation to the arts but there's plenty to discover in maths and sciences. My organization - International Colored Gemstone Association - created an artistic representation of the Human Genome in a sculpture called The Book of Life. Our former president, Paolo Valentini, said he envisioned creating something to show how colorful we all are on the inside.

The sculpture is made from silver, gold, and colored gemstones which were donated from our members around the world.

Follow the link to the full story:

:http://gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92:book-of-life&catid=38:activities&Itemid=61

More creative math and science:

Iconic Drawings And Visualizations From Science And Math

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/iconic-drawings-and-visua_n_927780.html#s328880

Creativity Late in Life

Not being creative late in life seems unnatural to me. Creativity is not a river flowing through me that is going to dry up as my skin wrinkles and my arteries clog.

My job does require that I be creative, however, I am creative in my every-day life, too. I have kept journals for years in which I have recorded life events, but I also have spent a lot of time collecting funny stories such as incidents that took place on the bus, or in the supermarket. The exercise for me is not just to relay funny events like they are jokes, but to tell the story in a way that reader can picture what happened and appreciate the setting as well as the exchange. I often share my stories with my sons. They have their favorites such as A Squirrely Day in the Park and The Little Ole Lady From South Carolina.

Maybe someday I'll get organized enough to put all my stories together. To do that I will need to dig out years and years of journals, try to read my own handwriting, and start typing. I'll be really happy when I can get to it.

I don't see my creativity slowing down at all. In fact, one of my squirrel stories is evolving into a children's book. On the recommendation of my sons I am still working on editing the part where the old man yells: "The pigeon is going after the squirrel's nuts!"


Ditkoff asks if an old dog can learn new tricks. This (50ish) old dog can INVENT new tricks, not just learn 'em. I'm sure you can too. Have a look at his presentation by clicking the link below.

http://www.slideshare.net/MitchDitkoff/creativity-late-in-life

Visual Transliteracy

Visual Communication Speaks for Itself:



In memory of Steve Jobs, by Tim @SuperHotMale - Twitter, 10-5-11





Facebook Logo

 

The @ sign



Smiley Face



Female-Male Symbols

Yin and Yang

Road Signs



Sign of Peace



The Finger

Mickey Mouse Ears

Playboy Bunny

Nazi Symbol

Olympics Rings



Native American Indian Thunderbird Rock Drawing

Celtic Symbol of the Tuatha - Cauldron

Nazca Monkey, Peru, 400-650 A.D.

Known as the Hamsa Hand in the Jewish Religion

Known as The Hand of Fatima in the Islamic World



Aztec Numbers

Sumerian Pictograph

Egyptian Symbol - The Eye of Ra

Ancient Chinese Symbol - Wood, one of Earth's Five Elements

Ancient Symbol for Alchemy

Ancient Alchemy Symbol for Gold



Lascaux cave painting, 17,000 years old





 

Working on my tranliteracy

The cry from the unemployed these days is that employers are looking for transliterate people to work for them - even though many people are not really sure what "transliterate" is.

Sue Thomas, professor of new media at De Montfort University, defines transliteracy as “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and films, to digital social networks.”

In case we think being transliterate is as easy as finding friends on Facebook, or tweeting on Twitter, Thomas clarifies the concept as “a unifying ecology of not just media, but of all literacies relevant to reading, writing, interaction and culture.”

The digital age has changed the way I communicate, and also with whom I communicate. I used to write letters and mail them to school friends, my Aunties in Milwaukee; it was also the form of communication I used in business. I still write letters to my Aunties, but with my friends and business associates I use email, Facebook, Twitter, and text messages on a regular basis.

Last week I hadn't answered an email from a buiness associate and so he went to Facebook and sent me his cell number to ask that I call or send him a text message with the answer to his question. Thank goodness he doesn't know I'm on Twitter!

Welcome to the age of transliteracy. 

I used to use FB more for entertainment, but now I have 597 close friends, followers and business contacts to attend to everyday. It's a wonder I can get anything done. On Twitter I follow 1,945 fellow tweeps, and have 864 followers. I personally know less than 10 of the people I connect with on Twitter, and this group is totally different from my FB community. If I'm not transliterate yet, I better find out how to be pretty quick.


Here's the latest wisdom from one of the readings on our MOOC:

'Why don't people write on toilet walls anymore?' 'Because they are too busy Facebooking or texting.' #transliteracy

References:

Introducing transliteracy

What does it mean to academic libraries?

by Tom Ipri
http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/10/532.full


Transliteracy.com
http://nlabnetworks.typepad.com/transliteracy/

7 Ways to Cultivate Your Creativity

This slide show offers simple exercises to stimulate/cultivate your creativity. I admit I posted this in another blog for another creativity class, but it's just too good to miss.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=creativity-cultivation-unlock-ingenuity