A Stubborn Father and his "Angsty" Teenage Son

Throughout my life, my relationship with my father has taken many twists and turns. During my childhood him and I were very close, although as I entered my teenage years things changed drastically. We would constantly argue and could never end a conversation on a positive note. I strongly believe this was due to our religious differences. From my childhood, many memories I have with my father are of going to church services and helping out around the building. As I grew older, I became much more independent and took control of my own beliefs. I chose to no longer attend church (except for major holidays) as I began to question God and Christianity. This upset my father and created an incessant drive in him to make me view otherwise. As an “angsty teenager,” obviously nothing could upset me more than persistent nagging from an authority figure; so our relationship was at a standstill.

Although, as I matured through my teenage years, we were able to alleviate the tension through short discussions about each of our beliefs. Even though we were never able to agree with one another, we were able to understand what each of us held as our personal truth. It was our own beliefs (or truths) that we agreed should be respected. In a perfect world, it wouldn’t have taken us years to come to this conclusion. Nonetheless I am grateful we were able to, as many people who argue about religion don’t.

From the story Sophie’s World, I learned about the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and his beliefs on “subjective truths.” This idea truly made an impact for me in regards to my relationship with my father. Kierkegaard expressed the importance of truth being “subjective.” “By this he did not mean that it doesn’t matter what we think or believe. He meant that the really important truths are personal. Only these truths are ‘true for me.’” (Gaarder, 376). Although my father and I settled our differences before I was exposed to Kierkegaards beliefs, I strongly believe that if I had learned about subjective truths earlier, our differences would have been settled much sooner. “Because what matters is not whether Christianity is true, but whether it is true for you.” (Gaarder, 377). I also believe understanding the idea of subjective truths is beneficial to society, as it is a much more open way of thinking that allows everyone to carry their own beliefs and accept those of others.

Along with Kierkegaard’s idea of subjective truths, I also learned about his beliefs towards human temperament. In our society, controversies control pop culture and our specific view’s on these controversies directly affect the progression of our society. Basically, our views of what is right and what is wrong play extremely important roles in governing the laws of our culture.

In Sophie’s World, Gaarder expresses Kierkegaard’s view on morals and how we should view what is right and what is wrong. “The important thing is not what you may think is precisely right or wrong. What matters is that you choose to have an opinion at all on what is right or wrong.” (Gaarder, 380). When considering Kierkegaard’s belief, we can break down our own stubborn values and instead be open and supportive of each and everyone’s own belief. This allows a much more accepting environment for it does not deny anybody of their own truths.

This directly relates to my father and I. Rather than hearing one another out and accepting that we each have our own beliefs, we criticized each other and let it affect our relationship. This was an issue that should have been resolved years before it actually was. I truly wish I could have learned about Kierkegaard’s philosophy and ideas of “subjective thinking” and “human temperament” earlier. For it would have opened my eyes to a whole different way of thinking and possibly allowed my father and I to be much more accepting of one another early on. I am extremely grateful for learning the philosophy of Kierkegaard, as I plan to use what I have learned to better myself as an accepting human being, and hopefully in the future as a father of my own “angsty teenager.”

Define Art...

Google Search: Art - Google Images - Results: "Street Art," "Paintings Art Famous," "The Word Art," "Famous Art," "Art Supplies," "Abstract Art." How can one word produce such a variety of results? This only further complicates my quest to define Art. Of course, I could always cheat and look up Merriam Webster's definition: "something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings." Okay, I must say I don't completely agree with that. I believe art in many ways, can be ugly. It can define or represent something ugly, or aesthetically look ugly to the audience. It also does not, necessarily, have to come from skill. Anyone can create any type of art. Such as the above work created by a two-year-old child.

But I will not deny that art can be beautiful and come from skill. Art is all of these things because art has no true definition. The definition is as original and variant as every mind on this planet. Art is defined by both the creator and the audience. In my personal opinion, Art is any creation of human process or the process itself. Among common art such as writing, painting, drawing, sculpting, photography, film, dance and music, I believe things like speaking your mind and giving birth are examples of art.

In my opinion, art is the most diverse and universal form of expression. It can trigger an emotional response and connect with anyone without the use of words. Art is its own language, as it creates a bridge of human understanding.

Creativity: Society's Destruction & Our Self-Development

    "I believe creativity itself is not something that can be taught, rather it's something that can be broadened by experiences and exposure." That was my response to an in-class discussion the first day of school. The question was "Can creativity be learned or taught?" I thought about the phrase, "teaching creativity." How bizarre it sounded. We know if someone wants to learn how to play guitar, they take lessons from a guitar instructor. If they want to learn how to do better in a certain subject, they hire a tutor. But what if someone wants to learn how to increase their creativity? Do they see a creativity instructor? Probably not. All the same, two troubling questions remain: Why have we become so detached from our creativity? and What are the ways we can self-develop our creative process?

    According to Linda Naiman, "creativity skills can be learned. Not from sitting in a lecture, but by learning and applying creative thinking processes." She expresses this through her view of "Whole-Brain Thinking; right-brain imagination, artistry, and intuition, plus left-brain logic and planning." Naiman not only explains what is needed in order to develop our creativity, but provides methods on how to develop it. She uses diagrams, data, and factual evidence to describe the development of creativity and how she believes our educational institutions are counter-productive to this creative process.

.

 
    Like Naiman, Newsweek publishers Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman put our educational systems to blame. "Overwhelmed by curriculum standards, American teachers warn there’s no room in the day for a creativity class...The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off." In their article, they protest that creative learning does not have to take away class time, rather it can be implemented within traditional teaching strategies. They also express the importance of children's creativity versus their overall IQ, and just like Naiman, use "whole-brain thinking" as a technique to develop creativity. They compare convergent and divergent thinking, then relate them to explain how they work together with both sides of the brain.
 
    Along with what seems to be a unified decision that traditional teaching methods are useless towards developing creativity, August Turk believes that there are some key factors in our thinking processes that can help as well. He describes how we need to get passed the idea of "making a fool out of ourselves" as it only adds restrictive boundaries on the capabilities of our creativity. One thing I found extremely interesting, was Turk's explanation behind frustration and it's benefits. “Make friends with frustration; if you are not occasionally frustrated, even angered, by a teacher or learning environment that seems bent on nothing more than highlighting your limitations, you are probably wasting your time.” This helped expose how all of our creative capabilities are self-governed, relying on our own efforts to push ourselves past simple things such as frustration in order to see improvement. As Turk puts it best, “Creativity requires treating the impossible as possible.”

   Although, not all of our creative development is subjective to the way we use our brain; sometimes, its why. In his article, Stefan Mumaw takes a different approach in understanding how to increase our creativity. But before answering "why," he first addresses "what." He criticizes our predisposition to creativity and invalidates the common misconception of its direct relation to being artistic. "We have resolved ourselves to the belief that since we are not artistic, we are not creative and therefore shouldn't engage in creative activity. It has become truth because no one has had reason to challenge the origin. If they did, they'd find that their primary definition of creativity is flawed." Mumaw then focuses on the importance of intention when understanding creativity. "Creativity cannot be present without a problem to solve...It is the problem that defines creativity, not the art." He goes on to express how once someone has found this problem, it is the originality of their solution where creativity takes part.

   In class, we talked about a famous photojournalist, Dan Eldon. He was a strong-minded activist who gave his life for his art. His objective was to use this art to expose that which the rest of the world didn't see. To Eldon, art and creativity defined his lifestyle, it was an ongoing experience. As he was exposed to new situations, he developed his craft and creativity. This is crucial in understanding the variety of ways in which our creativity can grow. As most sources focus solely on internal change, rather than external exposure. Yes, it is important to first analyze the way we use our brain; but we must also understand that without influence, we are blind to what creative possibilities can be made. Dan Eldon's journals are a perfect example. They include pictures, drawings, and collages all from his travels and based upon his experiences there. In a sense, they were a visual timeline of his life.

    Creativity lives within all of us. It may not be as prominent in one person over another, but regardless it is still a trait everyone has the ability to harness and develop. The way in which someone develops their creativity is different for everybody. For some, it may be a matter of changing perspective; while for others it may be influence from a personal experience. Whatever the case may be, understand that creativity can be one of the hardest things to develop. But once it is engaged, it will never stop growing, nor will it ever leave us.

Weekly Significance

    Within the past four weeks we have covered countless ideas and theories. While some did not exactly grasp my attention, there were a few that did. One in particular, was an article we were asked to read, called The Creativity Crisis. It expressed the importance of creative thinking and how it is slowly decreasing in America due to our educational institutions.
    I had never really thought of relating my past education to my creativity. It never occurred to me the significance of those growing years and the impact certain influences had on me. When I recollect my experiences in elementary school, I always look through past projects and art work. I remember how much fun I had coloring, cutting, pasting, and creating. How much my education was devoted to such things and thus how big of a role they played in my life. After reading The Creativity Crisis, I started to think about those times with much more depth and naturally, attempted to connect them to the article. I remembered specifically, I loved coloring. I recalled all the downtime I spent filling in colorless templates. I thought about the amount of effort I put in to never break a line; how I would immediately trash whatever I was working on if I did, regardless of progress. I was taught color was supposed to be inside the lines and if it wasn't, it was wrong. I remembered using unusual color placements a lot, each time having to be reminded of what the color should be.

    I kept thinking about all of these small instances, where I was unable to explore my creativity due to constant rules of what should and shouldn't be. It frustrates me to think that all of this is still going on. Children learn and become who they are through their own creativity. By teaching them that their desires to veer away from what's expected is wrong, the schooling system is tearing away at what truly makes them who they are.
    
The Creativity Crisis was my weekly significance because it brought these ideas to my attention. I found the article to be extremely interesting as it justified the importance of creativity and the impact our schooling systems have upon it. These systems argue that structural learning is the most important factor of our education, and therefore should not be cut down for art programs or other means of creative learning. However, the article explained that by incorporating creativity in structural learning, students use advanced thinking strategies and produce better results. This is what I appreciated most about the article, that it did not just expose the problem, but provided a solution.

Charles Thomas Close

Chuck Close is a world-renown photorealistic painter and photographer. His art has traveled across the globe to and from places such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, and the State Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, Russia. He has been granted recognition from honors such as the National Medal of Arts, Harman Eisner Artist In Residence, and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Close is highly recognized and respected for his artwork; although, many will agree that his life story is just as compelling.



First Source This page gives accounts of the earliest stages of Chuck's life. It explains the setting in which he grew up and the struggles he had to deal with at a young age. The source also does a nice job in expressing his progression through his work and achievements.

Second Source This page provides an in-depth description of Chuck's parents and their connection to art. It expresses his mother's artistic background along with both of his parents' influences on him and his art. .

Final Source This page expresses Chuck's initial inspiration to create and work with art. It provides reasoning to the dedication of his art and explains early impacts. The page also gives a brief background of
his education and experiences during this time, that ultimately led to the discovery of his focused style.