On REDay and our Installation

By Melissa Stalega

On Wednesday, April 23^rd, the time had finally come for us to show off our work. Everything that we had been working on, everything that we had accomplished throughout the semester in our LCS Practicum had been leading up to this day, REDay. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me it seemed like for the last couple days leading up to REDay, I was completely overwhelmed and there came a time when I thought I wouldn’t be able to get everything done. But, after all the anxiety and effort put into each of these projects, somehow we managed to pull it off, even better yet, we transformed a regular Bryant classroom into our own display case.

We’ve been working with Hyde a lot and the concept of gift giving. I’m sure this is engraved into everyone’s minds by now, and I don’t mean to sound redundant in saying this but I really believe that we accomplished providing the greatest gift to Bryant students and faculty that were able to come into the classroom and see all the work we had done. I know that many people don’t like to look at Bryant as a business school, but the truth of the matter is, it is showcased as just that. Not many prospective students come to Bryant expecting a liberal arts school. I know when I was applying I came in completely business-minded. However, I think as a group, we managed to demonstrate just exactly what else Bryant can offer. Not only did we provide the gift of creativity, but I felt at that moment when we were all discussing the class itself and all the projects we had done, that we exemplified mentors for these Bryant students who might not have known anything about the creative classes offered at this school.

It was nice to see that students who might have only shown up for extra credit, seemed genuinely interested in the class. I think as a whole, we provided them with the gift of creativity and insight. We opened the minds to exploring different classes at Bryant and expanding their knowledge beyond the walls of the business school. I know you might have expected me to write about the gift giving of presenting the art itself, however what stuck out to me was that moment when students were asking questions about the class and we were representing it. Not only did we manage to show-off our projects that we worked so hard on, but we served as representatives of the creativity courses offered at Bryant, which I think, was a wonderful thing.

The Dialogue Book

By Caitlin Reed

Charlene Farley's altered book.

When thinking about what I wanted to do with my dialogue book, I had to consider many things.  The first altered book we completed for class was the first thing I looked at.  In this assignment I took on the doing a random, creative approach to our first altered book.  In this process, I felt myself wanting to make a theme, or something I could relate to personally even though I had done it completely random just picking out a verb and applying it to any random page I opened.  I have used this book to practice new ideas I have, especially when I am going to apply it to my dialogue book.

As I observed the other altered books in class, especially from Terri’s former student, Charlene, who created the beautiful altered book with the historical religious pictures with the cut book and tied down pages, I really saw the idea of how we chose to alter a book is how each one of us relates to it.  When each of us views a book, any book, we all can find and see a different message.  That is because like Hyde would say – we each have a “gift”.  A “gift” that we each give and share with each other in order to keep the “gift” moving and continuing to grow.  As we work in class on our dialogue books and all share with each other our ideas of what we want to do to our books and why each of chose the book we did, I can really see the concept of the “gift” constantly moving.  Another idea that is very prevalent throughout all our work on the dialogue and altered books is that we are each telling a story through our books.  Kathryn, who has been creating a beautiful, authentic and creative alteration to an already beautiful book that relates to her, has taken a page that spoke of a flower and a heart and she is going to put a flower that her boyfriend gave her because he and the flower are close to her heart.  I found this idea to be very inspirational and touching, supporting the ideas of how we are taking out dialogue books and applying them to ourselves and our own thoughts the book brings to us.

The dialogue books have grown out of our own experimenting with collage, images and words.  Blocking out and emphasizing the words and images that really stick out and send a message to us.  We have been combining our existing ideas and experience with new and original ways using paper, paints, images and even polish, just about anything we could think of using.  We have even burned pages to express the emotions we feel.  I have really enjoyed expressing my self through these creative processes.

Making a Book

How has the actual physical construction of a book influenced your understanding of materiality and the written word?

By Alexandria Clyburn

The process of constructing a book has been an eye opening one for sure. As an avid reader I have spent long hours with books of many different kinds.  I have dropped a paperback book in a bathtub (I know, shameful!!) I have read hardcover books so frequently the glued binding loosens and the last few pages fall out. My headboard at home consists of nothing but a bookshelf, and while on vacation I make an effort to visit libraries.

Two of these visits occurred when I was in Ireland.  My friend and I went to Chester Beatty Library.  This library is one man’s private collection of work from all over the world.  This is where I first came in contact with accordion books. Working in Professors Hasseler’s class we are constructing our own accordion books. With these books we are using small book boards and covering them with paper.  This paper is handmade paper that we use to transform the books into beautiful works of art. 

Watching this transformation occur helps to increase the overall appreciation that all book covers go through in the process.  One really begins to notice the details that always existed but that might have gone unnoticed.  Details such as the inside pages of the front and back cover, “endpages” are generally decorative pieces that cover the sealed edges of the paper. The amount of care and time that goes into creating a front and back cover is meticulous. The edges must be cut precisely and glued with care. The endpages are used to decorate the inside of these pieces.  We have created our own endpages, covers and soon will be combining it all.

We are also creating collage covers from recycled material.  This recycled material is used to speak about sustainability and art. Each of our book covers was made from our own trash, is a commentary on how we can use our own consumption to fuel the art world.  We are making our book covers and Professor is binding them to our book blocks.  This really helps to increase our awareness of the time and energy behind each book that we buy.

This entire experience has opened all of our eyes to the challenges and rewards of creating our own books. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to grow closer with my classmates during this process.

Creativity and Business (and Bryant)

By Kara Hutchison

As a student getting her degree in marketing, I have pretty much been told what to do for most of my classes.  I have been told to take accounting and finance and economics.   I took them all because I had to and that’s pretty much it.  I ended up choosing marketing because I like to categorize it as the “fun” business.  Not all that fun, but it is one of the business majors which can make you think a little outside the box.   People may disagree with this but that’s how I think about it.  I do really like marketing and my degree.  What I want to mostly discuss is how much Bryant and the business classes do not push creativity.

Bryant is, for the most part, a very black and white type of school.  We are starting to get more creative classes, but mostly it is very structured.  Much of Bryant is against creativity or do not incorporate it in any of the classes.  For example, in Terri’s class last semester we wanted to do street art.  Street art being chalk on the side walk.  The amount that Terri had to go through to get that approved was insane.  I am sure she can tell you more about it than I can.  She had to get it approved by many different people just to get us to be able to write in chalk.  I don’t know if you all are familiar with chalk but it goes away with water, like when it rains.  So why was it so hard to get a little chalk on the sidewalk on campus?   I believe creativity is extremely important and especially important in business which is why I am confused on Bryant’s hesitation on it.  Creativity and business relate so much to each other.  I am confused by why people think that they cannot build off each other and are not useful together.  I believe creativity is very important to business, especially in this day.  In order to think of new ideas, product, and ways to promote them, one must think outside the box.  People have to be open to different ways of thinking in order to find new ways to market a product.   Especially for marketing major, creativity is such an important part.  Marketers are always trying to think of new ways to get the consumers attention.  I think in almost every major or job you have, it is important to be creative.

This blog has stemmed from Terri’s class I took last semester and this class we are in.  The class I took last semester focused on creativity and different forms of creativity.  It really opens up your mind and how you see different things.  I experienced it happening to me, and continuing to happen through this class.  I also have witnessed it in my roommates.  Two of my roommates this semester are taking Terri’s creativity and the arts class.  I have seen them start off being a little iffy about the class.  They were originally not very into art and did think they could be good at art.  I have seen them change into people who are very much into art and creativity.  I have talked to them several times about how creativity can help them in their majors and how they also believe we should be exposed to more creativity in college.   They believe that we do not have enough on campus and how if we had more it would really help open up people’s minds to different things.

Overall, I really think creativity is extremely important in many places in life.  I think it can help in colleges, in the class room and in jobs.  If someone is open to being creative, they can think in a different way which can be extremely helpful.   I am wondering if anyone else feels this same way?  Do you think it is important to have creativity in schools?  Do you think it is helpful?  Also, do you think that Bryant is not open to being creative, or are they moving there?

Not just a dialogue but a friction of ideas

By Josh Cutting

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so what happens when we combine the two?  Visual forms of art can evoke feeling that is difficult to express in words.  Conversely words can paint a landscape which is only bound by one’s imagination.  When the two are juxtaposed a dialogue ensues.  Not just a dialogue but a friction of ideas.  Does one bind the other or do they find a harmony?  Taken from the perspective of the viewer the pairing complicates their objective of viewing.  They take in one or the other.  In the case of text itself being altered both may be accomplished at the same time; however the struggle is still present.  Which deserves more emphasis?  Should it be the text combined with one’s unbound imagination, or should it be the visual elements with unbound emotion?  Such a combination takes time on behalf of the viewer to unpack and process what they are taking in.

            

      On the other hand the process can be freeing for the artist.  For the one who creates this pairing the same constraints which beguiles the viewer acts as an agent of opportunity.  They can express visual emotion without having to try and articulate a specific thought, thus freeing them from constraint.  They can bring new life to a favorite story or passage.  By imbuing a written work with visual culture they can share how they experienced it.  So from the perspective of the artist the mixing of words and visual elements are not a point of friction but one of harmony.  A harmony which can better explain how one is affected by what they perceive. 

                  So for an individual to visually dialogue with a book is to reflect on how they experience the text.  It is deeply personal and any two people may not have the same dialogue.  So to take on the role of the viewer it becomes less about figuring out the “point” of the dialogue; and more about seeing a relationship between person and text.  So the object viewed is not an altered text in and of itself, but rather the relationship of artist and text.  In that relationship we begin to understand another relationship; one between words and images.  Although complicated we can see that they can conflict or harmonize.  They can express fuller meaning, or obscure one another.  This is compounded when perspective is considered.  Is one the artist, or simply a viewer?  By dialoguing with text we add a richness to the meaning; both in the relationship of words and visuals, and in the relationship of artist and text.

Developing Creativity: Clarifying the Ideas of Inspiration

By Kenneth Warhurst

Michaela Warhurst Self Portrait

When we think of creativity, inspiration, and other artistic aspects we tend to focus on the spontaneity in finding our muse. Even when Hyde talks about creativity, he ends up accidentally implying that artists cannot think about where their talent comes from as that will inhibit their creative side. What he really meant was that if an idea comes to us, we should follow through with it and not think about how weird, awkward, or silly others might perceive it to be. This is what he meant by “Premature evaluation cuts off the flow” (Hyde 188). Being too self-critical of our work will prevent us from doing anything. And as we know from previous chapters, hording ideas to yourself will prevent you from developing your abilities and it will inhibit the continuation of the gifting cycle and sharing of creative works necessary to creativity.

As great as this message is, I would also like to focus on something that Hyde says is of secondary importance to inspiration. Hyde briefly mentions that besides this “unwilled reception” of creativity, “All artists work to acquire and perfect the tools of their craft, and all art involves evaluation, clarification, and revision” (Hyde 187). In other words, artists improve upon their initial creation. Creativity is not a one draft thing. The point here is that inspiration is not just random, it is developed.

In all creative endeavors the individual is inspired, follows through with that inspiration, and develops their skills to better convey their vision to others.

Knowing all of this, I would like to talk about my sister. Last winter break my sister (17 at the time) was willing to draw a picture for me to use for my stories. She did not have much time to do this as she had other work to do. It was also going to be a painting which was something she was unused to doing compared to normal pencil drawing. I asked her to draw a picture that involved nature, technology, and medieval armors and weapons but with something that had “UN” written on it. It was also supposed to be ambiguous and mysterious so that nothing seemed particularly good or bad. While constantly needing to have me clarify what she needed to draw, she completed the work in about three hours. She shaded the drawing Monday March 17 1014. The result was to me one of the most amazing and unique pictures I had ever seen.

For her, she felt it did not live up to her standards and needed a few more drafts.

My sister started drawing around the same age I started writing. I might not be an expert writer but I have constantly improved. She is improving all the time. Still, she does not think she is good enough to be a professional artist and does not think she has the passion to match others. This is even though she has invested years developing these skills and drawing hundreds of pictures. She is far too critical of herself for her own good. And honestly, so am I. There are a lot of times I produce something which I find is substandard that others find to be great. And yesterday in class it seems everyone was afraid of showing their works even though we all liked a lot of what everyone else wrote regardless of genre or style. The phrase, “You are you own worst critic” comes to mind.

This is not necessarily a bad thing but often inspiration is just about being able to follow through on an idea. Infinitely drafting a single work until it is “perfect” or not showing anyone anything you are doing only hinders you and prevents you from developing yourself further.

Therefore, my takeaway from Hyde is that inspiration is something that we naturally acquire just by doing what we innately enjoy. However, the key is having the ability to display that idea by developing the skills needed to display it. It is also about not being self-critical to the point of refusing to show others or putting ourselves down to the point where we refuse to acknowledge what we have. And from this class I can definitely say that inspiration and creativity are things we all have.

Gifts and Consumption: Thinking about Sustainability and Creativity

Zoe Gertner

Today’s capitalistic society has led us to consume and discard materials incessantly. Oftentimes, we even throw away or sell items that have at one point had meaning to our lives. In doing so, we are breaking the cycle of the gift exchange. We are only adding to the pile of waste that lies in the landfills by not passing on our gifts. “The spirit of a gift is kept alive by its constant donation…it must always move” (Hyde). By discarding of gifts, we are eliminating the spirit of the gift.

        

As a business student, when thinking of consuming commodities in our culture, I thought of fad products. Fads are products that are introduced into the product market and have extremely high growth rates in popularity for a period of time, and very steep decline rates not long after they’re purchased. Silly bands are perfect examples of a fad that led to high waste. Silly bands, for those of you who are not familiar, are small plastic rubber bracelets that turn into a shape of an animal, or an object, or a superhero, or what have you (See pictures above). Silly Bandz were popular for all of a few seconds. They’re small, rubber, break easily and can’t be recycled. What happened to the billions of Silly Bandz that were bought between 2009 and 2010? They were probably lost, or thrown away. I find this is a perfect example of our consumption and discarding of materials negatively impacts and breaks the gift cycle.

                 

The last idea I want to discuss is the amount of food waste people in the US produce each year. In the first chapter, Hyde talks about food being the most frequently used image for gifts “because it is so obviously consumed” (Hyde 10).  As you can see by the graphic below, Americans are wasting a ridiculous amount of food.  If Americans became aware of the amount of food they’re wasting per year, they could make some valuable changes to their habits and behavior.  These food items that people are throwing away or spoiling have the potential to be shared gifts, especially when there are nations of people starving. The gift exchange is completely disrupted in regards to food, especially in America.