KidSpirit

Creativity and Imagination Group Guide

Volume IV, Number I

Artwork by Vidushi Sharma

What is the imagination? What is the source of our creativity and how do we nourish it? From articles on how technology impacts the imagination to how we create art, these questions and others are at the hub of this issue of KidSpirit.

1. In her feature article “Filling a Blank Page,” Elly Goetz describes her process in creating a brand new work of art. “Sometimes when I start a project, I feel anxious. When I am creating I feel a range of emotions, such as joy, fear, and surprise.” In writer Adele Griffin’s PerSpectives article, Griffin describes a similar anxiety over forcing creativity. How do you feel when you stare at a blank page, whether it is before starting a drawing or painting, or even before writing? How do you feel throughout the process of your creative expression? How and why do your feelings change, or stay the same? Can creativity be forced? When is creativity “authentic”?

2. In “Technology: Creative Tool or Escape Route?” Vidushi Sharma wonders whether technology has been a blessing or a curse for her creativity. How does technology help or hinder your own creative projects? Do you think that on the whole being constantly “plugged in” to the Internet, cell phones and other forms of media stimulates your brain positively or negatively? Why?

3. Khalid Husain describes a unique form of creative expression in his Awesome Moments piece: playing Dungeons and Dragons. Do you do something creative or imaginative that others might not consider to be so? Share the imaginative process and why it is important to you.

4. In the Big Question, Allie McIntosh laments that when looking at the mountains she once came to for inspiration she now notices her youthful imagination is harder to access. Have you noticed your own imagination changing as you grow older? Is it harder to be imaginative or creative than before, or do you notice yourself becoming creative in different ways?

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn