Which creative style do you most relate to?

In a review of the book, The Launch Cycle, Matt Miller describes several different ways people approach creativity then poses the question: Which one do you most relate to?

• the artist, who loves to make things from scratch

• the geek, who is fascinated by systems and structures

• the architect, who crafts things from the systematic side

• the engineer, who focuses on fixing problems

• the hacker, who tears things down to build something better

• the point guard, who makes a difference and creates opportunities 

• (He missed this one) The astronaut is the teacher who is always exploring new ideas 

If I had to choose two, I would definitely say that I am either the engineer or the point guard. Honing in on one though is more difficult. I am confident in the two I chose if for no other reason than I came back to this assignment after six months and my choices are the same as before.

• What does it mean to have a bigger definition of creativity?

Teachers should be on the lookout for creativity in the process as well as in the final product. Creativity can manifest itself in any subject.

• How are certain creative types misunderstood?

Often creativity is misunderstood or interpreted differently by different people. I am reminded of the student who painted a picture and another teacher remarked how "powerful" it was. I didn't see it.

Different people can show their creativity differently. Some people need more time to make the connections necessary to be creative in the first place. Students might need to do a gallery walk or some additional reading/viewing before jumping in to allow their creativity to show through. 

• Why is it important to have a maker mindset?

The maker mindset consists of the skills students need to learn. It teaches them to be more flexible with their thinking and solve problems or challenges.

I was going to write the word "real", but not all challenges are something they might encounter in the real world. However, the challenges allow students to think through and solve problems at hand with the tools and resources available. 

In that sense, the problems are "real".

• What is the risk in failing to develop a maker mindset?

I think the risk in failing to develop a maker mindset is that the jobs of today, as well as the future, demand the skills of a maker mindset; flexible thinking, making connections, improvising, being creative, and thinking critically.

I think this is where we teachers risk failing to prepare our students for life after schooling.

From Education Closet, but I forgot the link