Am I way off base here?

I found the following article online while poking around, looking to spark a little something' somethin'. I understand the ideas behind this, and I like the basic message involved, but this just seems so, dry? I don't think I have the words for it, and can't quite explain it.

It seems as if someone is trying to really motivate you, and pump you up, but is speaking in the saddest, droopiest monotone and expecting it to help.

Like I said, I like the main message but it is sorely lacking emotion.

Sometimes you need to see the way NOT to do things to really make you appreciate the good stuff.

Kudos to all of you who are pushing, stretching, reaching and creating.

Students, presenters, faculty, curious onlookers.

Everyone.

Q.

According to cognitive psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, creativity can be broadly defined as "...the process of producing something that is both original and worthwhile." Creativity is all about finding new ways of solving problems and approaching situations. This isn't a skill restricted to artists, musicians or writers; it is a useful skill for people from all walks of life. If you've ever wanted to boost your creativity, these tips can help.

1. Commit Yourself to Developing Your Creativity

The first step is to fully devote yourself to developing your creative abilities. Do not put off your efforts. Set goals, enlist the help of others and put time aside each day to develop your skills.

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2. Become an Expert

One of the best ways to develop creativity is to become an expert in that area. By having a rich understanding of the topic, you will be better able to think of novel or innovative solutions to problems.

3. Reward Your Curiosity

©iStockPhoto/David H. Lewis

One common roadblock to developing creativity is the sense that curiosity is an indulgence. Rather than reprimanding yourself, reward yourself when you are curious about something. Give yourself the opportunity to explore new topics.

4. Realize that Creativity is Sometimes Its Own Reward

While rewarding yourself is important, it is also important to develop intrinsic motivation. Sometimes, the true reward of creativity is the process itself, not the product.

5. Be Willing to Take Risks

Photo courtesy Marja Flick-Buijs

When it comes to building your creative skills, you need to be willing to take risks in order to advance your abilities. While your efforts may not lead to success every time, you will still be boosting your creative talents and building skills that will serve you well in the future.

6. Build Your Confidence

Insecurity in your abilities can suppress creativity, which is why it is important to build confidence. Make note of the progress you have made, commend your efforts and always be on the lookout for ways to reward your creativity.

7. Make Time for Creativity

Photo courtesy Luis Alves

You won't be able to develop your creative talents if you don't make time for them. Schedule some time each week to concentrate on some type of creative project.

8. Overcome Negative Attitudes that Block Creativity

According to a 2006 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, positive moods can increase your ability to think creatively. According to Dr. Adam Anderson, senior author of the study, "If you are doing something that requires you be creative or be in a think tank, you want to be in a place with good mood." Focus on eliminating negative thoughts or self-criticisms that may impair your ability to develop strong creative skills.

Quickie - Blog title explained.

Our wonderful guide, mentor and CMC11 facilitator asked a fair question yesterday.

"What the heck does the title of your blog mean?"

It's a silly hockey slang term about a short snapper, half-slapshot where the puck is shot high into the net. It rarely fails to make me laugh, and one of the current players on the team I grew up loving has adopted it and has even worked it into a charity.

Here's a bit of an article from this spring in the National Post.....

Armstrong, who has also done work with the rival Rogers Sportsnet, is trying to turn one of the lines he used on the panel into a charitable endeavour. The 28-year-old caused a bit of a stir online when he described a play as being “half-clapper, top-cheddar.”

The definition?

“Aw, it’s a beauty hockey saying,” he said, explaining it is when a player pulls the stick back halfway, before releasing a shot that beats the goaltender high.

The saying has spurred a T-shirt (available at www.sportschirps.com), with $5 from each sale going to Camp Trillium, a getaway providing recreational activities for children with cancer.

“It’s kind of stupid to say, but I’ve always enjoyed kind of being in front of the camera,” Armstrong said. “Maybe that’s just my personality, but I kind of like it, and I’ve always had a good time with interviews and had some fun stuff with that.”

There's a little creativity, right? An athlete who is out a bit due to an injury, starts to do short bits of on-camera interviews and helps out a good cause.

Back in a bit...

Bubble...bubble...stir #cmc11

My daughter is one of the pickiest eaters on the planet. It has been eleven plus years of turning her nose up at nearly everything that shows up on a plate. It took her nine years to eat pizza, and she still won't eat a hot dog. What kid doesn't eat hot dogs???

I began cooking with her at a very young age, and it helps to show her the she can be empowered and creative as she learns. It took her ages to realize that all red sauce isn't super spicy, and if she made it herself, she can control the outcome.

We spent this morning making a big pot of sauce before she went shopping with my wife and her Mimi. It has been simmering all day, making the house smell heavenly as I bang out some more homework on this grey October day.

I hope she hangs onto her curiosity about cooking, and stays leery of alcohol. As I asked her to add a splash of Malbec to the sauce, she hesitated, thinking the wine isn't for kids.

I like that.

Keep that up, so you don't drink your face off at a party as a teenager.

I love you, Cenzi, and thank you for cooking with me this morning.

Here's what we did :

Heat a few splashes of olive oil, along with some salt and pepper in a large (!) sauce pot.

Finely chop two vidalia onions and toss them in, stirring and reducing them halfway.

Mince a full bulb of garlic, and stir it into the onion.

Continue the reduction over medium-high heat.

Add a 28 oz can of each : crushed tomatoes, stewed (& drained) tomatoes, tomato puree.

Stir 'em up.

Add to taste : fresh basil, oregano, crushed red pepper (not too much - it leeches out easily) a sprinkle of paprika, a cup or so of good red wine (Do NOT skimp), fresh black pepper, thyme, a healthy palmful of sea salt, and a teaspoonful of granulated sugar.

Heat to full rumbling boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to a minimum, stirring frequently for 30 minutes, then reduce to a simmer.

Allow it to simmer and blend for a minimum of three hours, longer if possible.

Tweak and add spices to taste as it changes and melds.

I also cheated and bought some meatballs from the butcher. Just brown them over medium-high heat with some olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, ensuring they're cooked through, then drop them gently into the sauce.

Cannot WAIT until dinner!

#cmc11

TSMITW podcast isn't over yet!

How great is this?

I mean, honestly...

#CMC11

"The Smartest Man In The World" - Sept 23rd podcast

Today's live session at noon EST was a little dicey. The presentation Tom Mackey had was very interesting but due to some technical glitches, the class wasn't able to interact or easily pose questions. I sent several direct messages to the moderators, but it seemed I wasn't sending anything. Twitter was offered as a method of interaction and posing questions, but it seemed only a few made it through, and none of mine made the cut.

"Transliteracy & Metaliteracy : Emerging Frameworks for Social Media"

I found the focus on the seven pillars of information literacy was particularly intriguing. I hadn't heard it mentioned prior to today and particularly enjoyed the explanation of them not being in a linear fashion.

http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/seven_pillars.html

Visual literacy!

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/

That's it for the moment. My brain hurts and I need to re-type a paper for another (much less interesting, however necessary) class.

#CMC11

No music title - No artist. I only hear the distant traffic and the wind.

I had planned my schedule around the September 29th live session, thinking it was at noon as usual. I logged in, noticing that I was alone. Ugh. I missed the announcement that the time was moved up and like walking into the empty lecture hall hours after the class was over, I logged off, defeated.

However, I made use of the recorded session and was able to enjoy Siemens presentation. I was struck by the feeling that though I was observing the recorded event, and even if live, everyone was scattered far and wide, we were indeed connected. Paying attention, reading, thinking.

Mr. Siemens said "we socialize to make sense of information", and I think the live sessions show that to be true. I know I started as a baffled MOOC newbie, (still somewhat, but improving) but attend and interact to make sense of the information!

I'm writing a big note, and putting a reminder in my iPhone (thank you, and rest in peace Steve Jobs) so I'll be on time for class tomorrow. I'd rather be connected live instead of a tape-delay.

#CMC11

PS - The Encarta graphic perfectly captured the change in how we access information. I remember it came with the Windows 95 computer I purchased so long ago. I can't imagine being limited to a few discs worth of information now, knowing how readily available everything is online today.

Paul Langlois - "Fix This Head"

Thank you, Starbucks drive-thru!

#cmc11

Matthew Sweet - "Girlfriend"

I'm not sure I'm connected.

Or CREATIVE.

I wanted to add a photo I took while in Iceland. I know my wife added everything when we were transferring things to the new Mac, but I can't seem to grab pics from the photos on her profile area.

So, defeated, I went & pulled the one I had posted on Facebook.

Here's the pic, in all of it's low-res, highly compressed muddiness.

We spent the day at Gullfoss and the southwestern corner of Iceland. Walking back to the car, with my wife in the foreground and the glaciers in the far background. Of course, they'd be far easier to see with the photo I WANTED to post.

I'll get better at this.

#cmc11

The Jayhawks - "Hollywood Town Hall"

I'm confused.

The other day in our online live session, I stated that cooking shouldn't be confined or completely DEFINED by the recipe in front of you. I like recipes as a loose guide, and end up using my cooking knowledge from my past and my own CREATIVITY. I don't like the idea of copying word-for-word, scooping up and counting grains of rice, drops of vinegar and shakes of spices.

I went on to say that cooking is an art. I thoroughly feel that, but it contradicts my feelings of CREATIVITY.

I feel that one who is truly creative cannot copy the work of another. That being said, I don't plan on figuring out on my own how to cook a twenty-five dollar cut of meat. I'll use my experience, but if if I were just starting out, I'd look it up as not to reinvent the wheel, OR ruin my dinner.

Can CREATIVITY build on what others have done so many times before us?

I have a chateaubriand in a light marinade as we speak, waiting for dinner. I made a marinade from memory and without measuring. I let the meat warm on the platter, laid slight cross slices into it, and let it soak a while. I plan on heating the grill, and cooking it by sight, smell and touch to determine when it is done.

Am I CREATIVE?

I'm not sure I am.

If I were, wouldn't I take the meat, put it into the blender, wear it on my head for a while, sprinkle it with M&M's then microwave it? Because that is different?

I'm confused.

And hungry.

Not for the M&M recipe though.

#cmc11

City and Colour - "Little Hell"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/brain-scan-movie-scenes_n_976580.html

I won't lie. This fascinates me, and absolutely terrifies me.

I'm not sure if it is the Fincher-esque, watercolor-left-in-the-rain, muddy visuals that spring from the brain or the fact that one day, everybody could actually SEE my strange dreams.

I'm in no way CREATIVE enough, but someone needs to get a hold of more of the recorded dream video, and set it to an ethereal soundtrack. Or edit it to make a short film.

Just not mine, please. NO ONE wants to see me naked, running the halls of my high school, late to class.

#cmc11

Rain on the windows, coffee (THANK YOU!) brewing in the kitchen.

Alright. I've completely goofed in my past attempts to load the RSS feed and I've been more than frustrated. I'm in the midst of swapping everything from my I-didn't-think-it-was-that-old laptop and external hard drives to the new Mac. Mostly seamless, but a few things have fallen through the cracks.

I'll also tack on a few posts that weren't apparently uploaded to Blogger.

And get that coffee.

I need it.

Q

#cmc11