Brittany Odom Student ID: 900528578

Brittany Odom
Student ID: 900528578

It all started in sixth grade, when I realized that I had little talent. I took to doodling on
everything that I practically own in order to have some type of creativity in my life. My first
moments of creativity were when I was in Mrs. Foshee's art classroom in the sixth grade. I was
really into motor cross at the time. We started to learn about how to create clay sculptures. I
decided to create a girl wearing a helmet similar to what I wore when I rode my dirt bike. It
seemed to gain everyone's attention because most people were making small pots. It was not a

great sculpture, but it sure earned me a 100.

After sixth grade, I fell in love with art so I made sure I was able to get into each art class
as possible. In high school art class, I helped create a painting that my teacher would later hang
from the ceiling. From my knowledge it is still there seven years later, and has our signatures on
it. I felt very proud and accomplished that we were able to do this, and make us a memorable
part of the school. I have always had some sort of child like perspective when I created my own
work. For example, in Module 3, Dr. Howard Gardner mentioned, “Picasso and Einstein both
posed incredible skills in their respective domains, but then they pushed it forward by capturing a
“childlike quality”… to ask a child questions.” This time frame kind of reminded me of when
Thomas Edison said, "creativity is 1 % inspiration and 99% perspiration" from Module 12. Also,
Elizabeth Gibert said, "it is 99% oyster and 1% pearl, which is inspiration, though rare, is more
valuable than effort alone." This idea seemed to help inspire me with my own creativity.
In college, I did not really take any art classes that let me use my creative skills, but it was
only to be able to learn the history of art. I found that very boring because it was an art class, and
we were supposed to be painting something, right? Also, my senior year in high school we had to
do a lovely senior project that the new principal magically created in her free time. It was a little
difficult for me to find the perfect mentor to help me create something that I have never done
before. I finally decided to ask my Aunt Jeanne to help me make a quilt. My quilt had bright
colors and characters from cartoons on it. I said that I was making it for my future child, and
hope it was going to be a girl (which it did). I also look at my daughter, and try to see her
perspective on her own creativity even though she is three. It reminded me of Module 4, when
Redrick Haren explained "playativiity" when he mentioned that “no one has taught me to be
creative= no one has taught me how to play.” I believe that this is right. I did not teach my

daughter how to play. It amazes me to sit back and watch her play while she interacts with her
toys. My future goals are:

Also, in this writing course, is where I have learned what janusian, homospacial, and
sepconic thinking are which can be found in Module 10. Janusian seemed to be kind of
confusing to me. Module 10, it is defined as "the ability to coexist with paradoxes, opposing
ideas, etc. to merge opposing ideas in one entity." For example, I created a picture as you can see
below.

Also, in Module 10, homospatial process is a "metaphor construction, or taking
different objects and being able to superimprose, justapose them and have these co
exist in the same place." In Module 10, it mentioned that Janusian thinking happens in
early process of the creative work, and homospatial process happens while the creation

is in progress." For example of homospatial.

Also, persistence is a way to create my work. As Chuck Jones in Module 3 explained,
“here is the birthplace of persistence: if you’re not willing to do it, you have no right of being in
the trade.” Chuck explained failure with a strong emphasis, and being persistent is a way to attain
your own sense of creativity. Also, throughout the years, I developed the love of video games.
Dr. Susan Greenfield said, that “video games may be responsible for the rise in ADD.” Also, she
said that “only reason you will read a book is because you care about the characters, characters
have a meaning: you can see one thing in terms of something else. But in video games, you don’t
care about the princess, just about getting to the end of the game” (Module 7). Dr. Susan also
mentioned that we lose empathy when we do not read; therefore, I need to start hitting the books!
How I develop my creativity would be to calmly find my piece of mind. I am usually
asked to do something, so I am never really inspired to just start painting or writing. I did
actually painted a picture for my home for Fall that has pumpkins on it. I also live on a farm that
is surrounded by cotton AKA "Georgia Snow" that has once inspired me for a poem that I wrote
last semester. It is usually the simple and easy things that help me create. I believe that I see art
all around me; especially when I look outside.
The process that I go through when I am about to create is finding that peace zone. It is
usually in a small room where I can be locked inside in the late hours of the night after my
daughter and husband are asleep. I breathe in and out to calm my nerves and anxiety. Also, I like
to turn on my music. Dr. Patricia Levy mentioned in Module 8, "Our brains and Art, that
viewing art or listening to music activates multiple areas of the brain." I believe that my music
does activate my brain to get my creativeness flow going. Also, in Module 9, Charles Limb
thought that music helps your brain as he observed in his experiments with jazz and rap.

As I sit there listening to my music, I start to think what exactly is art? In Module 11, I
found that my questions are somewhat answered by Leo Tolstoy. He stated that "every work of
art has the ability to create an interactive field between the writer and the reader (or the artist and
the viewer)." This interaction is different from speech in that by word we transmit thoughts by
art and by feeling." This seemed to be very deep, and help my thought process on what art is to
me.
I get inspired from other people's work. In Module 2, Kirby Ferguson, explained what
copy, transform, and combine is in the use of his creativity. He explained what is meant by
stealing and form innovations that may have you take a look at your own theory. He also
explained that everything is a remix. I can relate to Kirby’s idea. For example, there was a girl in
high school that was kind of gothic, and I use her ideas to steal from. If I stole from an actual
artist it would be Joanne Kathleen that woman who wrote the Harry Potter series. I have always
enjoyed, and had a strong interest in fairy tale creatures. I believe that what art is would be
looking outside into the world. As I mentioned before, looking outside into my field of nothing
but cotton makes me paint a picture in my mind. I believe that there is art in everything, even my

little brown dog that is curled up next to his heat lamp on my porch.

Criticism is not always a good thing for me because I do not take it very well. I always
take it to the heart, and feel very vulnerable. In Module 5, Seth Godin explained his idea of
vulnerability of the creative process. Seth said “V is for vulnerable: life outside the comfort zone
on A­Z for adults." He also, mentioned how no one really gets writer’s block, but there is a part
of our brain that freezes when we are afraid. I also believe that those are two important factors
because it helps get your adrenaline pumping. I believe when your nerves are shot, and heart is
racing; then you can create your best work. Also, when you are creating a big project it may be
important to collaborate with your peers. Collaborators may help you with criticism in order to
help you improve your skills to create something even better. I have a fear of writer's block
because of the fear of not knowing what to write; therefore, not getting a good grade. In Module
9, Rosanne Bone mentioned that writer's block effects our brain by going into a freeze, fight, or
flee kind of mode. I also believe that this is what my brain does when I cannot think of things to
write.
As Matt Cardin explained in Module 13, he gave advice to get to know your subconscious
which is part of you that infuse your writing with the imagination (A Course in Daemons
Creativity, Chapter 4 &5). Also in Module 14, Matt explained the importance of identifying your
certain setting, rhythm, hours, etc. to help you get ready to create your work. Mining my
subconscious for material may not always be a leisurely walk at the park. My mind wanders in
every direction that it could possibly go in. I am constantly all over the place with my writing. I
often find myself day dreaming like in Module 6, Sigmund Freud mentioned. He discussed what
fantasy and play was. I have heard that your thoughts before you go to bed at night are what you
will dream about. Also, in Module 1, from “In Structure of Intellect Mode” Gulford explained

what divergent thinking. He explained that it is “the ability to respond to questions that have no
obvious singular, answer, as in answers to what would happen if we didn’t need sleep?” He also
explained how fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration are important factors of divergent
thinking. I that I can relate to this in order to help my subconscious think of new material for
projects.
Some advice that I could give would be to always remain calm, and breathe in and out.
Let your emotions and fingers flow on the paper or canvas until you have created your
masterpiece. Let your hand and fingers naturally fall onto the pen, pencil, or brush as it moves
gently or sporadically across the table as if it were always a perfect combination.
Defense
I believe that my project is very creative because how I included references from this
semester. I also believe that adding colorful font helps my project pop out. My pictures that I
colored seemed to help show examples of what I was discussing. I may not have the best
drawing or coloring skills, but I tried my best to draw what I had in my mind. In order for me to
create a sense of copy, combine, transform I drew a heart and a star, and then pushed them
together to make something new. For Janusian, I create a few different pictures. One is fire and
ice because they are two totally different things, but yet they still can manage to have some type
of relationship together. Also, I drew a few different pictures on this one. I drew a brain pointing
separately to a beer and coffee. Yet, again they are two different beverages, but can be still
considered drinks. For homospatial, I created a picture of a girl, and mentioned, "her eyes
sparkled like fire flies." I created her eyes trying to be bright as they pop. Also, another example

was a fishing picture, "she is fishing in a lake of trouble and sorrows." I believe that this is an
good example because she is not really "fishing" for actual fish, but trying to find herself.
My map of previous accomplishments that I created was simply explaining how I found
my creativeness in the 6th grade while in Mrs. Foshee's art classroom. I also explained before
how I help create a ceiling picture in art in high school. In college I did not do anything real
creative in my art class, but learn about the history of art. Also in my previous accomplishments,
I was married, and had a baby girl which leads me to the present time. For my future goal map, I
drew me finally graduating from college, hoping to find a new job, and relax after I found a new
job in my newly built house. I believe that this creative journey has been quite an experience. I
am glad to be finally finished with college, and just hope it will lead me to something greater
than I have ever known. Thank you for the awesome experience, and helping me this semester
and the one before.