Throughout the semester I have been able to develop and improve my creative confidence. This has allowed me to be most comfortable using this skill outside of the classroom. Along with this, I think that I have been able to push myself to accept failure and use it as a learning opportunity. Prior to this class I would not share my ideas in a large group unless I had previously received approval of them from others or was very confident in the idea. I did not realize the importance of developing ideas and putting “crazy” ideas on the table. If my idea was not complete or seemed outlandish I thought that it was not worth mentioning but, I have learned that these ideas are almost the most important because they spark inspiration for other ideas. I thought that if my ideas were not developed further or put on a sideburner it was a failure, but i have since realized again that this was a result of being overly critical of myself and ideas and this is not a failure in anyway but, the ideas present an opportunity to be developed or worked into other ideas. These new understandings have helped me to become more willing to try things in regards to many topics. Since being home I have picked up some new hobbies such as embroidery, baking, and drawing. I had previously done all of these but always limited myself on complexity. I have noticed that lately I have been more willing to take risks in regards to being creative and if something does not turn out as planned I am less likely to throw it away like I had previously always done and more likely to try and turn it into something else. I also think that the development in my ability to accept failure has helped me to do things that are more outside of my comfort zone.
By doing this, I have realized that I am a bit of a perfectionist and struggle to move past small imperfections in my work. Although this class has helped me to work on this I think that in order to fully be able to move past these small details I will need to work on this skill further. I have come to realize that the small imperfections in creative activities such as drawing make the work more personalized and may actually make it better instead of worse. In order to develop this skill more I want to continue to participate in activities that are outside of my comfort zone and push myself to go through with things even when I do not know the end result. Although I feel as though I have been able to develop my creative confidence and my ability to accept failure the most, I think that those are also the two habits that I still want to work on the most.
A habit that comes naturally to me is a child’s eye. My entire life I have been a very observant person and have noticed small details that surround me. This may be due to my slight tendency to be a perfectionist that I am able to recognize such minute details. I have found that although this is a good skill when I want to consciously recognize my surroundings it is an annoyance when I am just relaxing. I find that in these times when I am not trying to recognize my surroundings is when I am able to do it best. Therefore, I hope to be able to hone in this skill and be able to use it more intentionally when developing ideas and working through problems.
Throughout MIDE 300 I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and put into ambiguous situations. Because of this, I am able to come out of the class more comfortable in these situations while also building a more innovative character. This class has taught me how to think differently and consider all alternatives before moving forward with ideas. In the future I hope to use these habits I learned as well as skills such as mind mapping to further develop myself as a student and an innovator.
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