Creativity; Literary maps

News June 29, 2007 (mp3 file: 5.77 MB, 6:09 min.)
Creativity; books on bulletin boards and other library displays

This morning I was reading a newsletter from Quilt University and the author was discussing the value of naps, noting that Thomas Edison took 15 minute naps, awakening refreshed and ready to invent something. That started me thinking about creativity in general. Too often I hear people—including librarians—say they just aren’t creative. I think we're all creative when we start life, we just somehow “unlearn” it along the way—perhaps we’re so busy learning the concrete “facts” and dealing with the tasks of life that we push creativity aside for later—and later never comes for it. Creativity isn’t just about painting or drawing or composing symphonies, it’s also thinking about new ways to do things, looking at something differently, and trying something that hasn’t been done before or done that way before. And I think it may be largely about being willing to try things—even if you’re not much of a risk-taker you can try something small. You can even just THINK about the “what ifs” and imagine what might happen.

I think it requires exercising your creativity. Edison used naps (though I’m sure he used many other things, too; his creativity seems to have had a great deal of exercise!) but naps might not be a practical method for you during your work day; putting your head down on the circ desk for a snooze after school as the kids are coming into the library probably isn’t the thing to do. But maybe as you’re shelving books or doing some of the more routine tasks, or driving to and from work, you can play “What if?” Or take a look at some books about creativity—A Whack on the Side of the Head, or How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (now THERE was a man whose creativity was well exercised), or Thinkertoys. Each has exercises to stimulate new ideas and creativity, and are especially useful if you’re just not sure how to get started. Try thinking creatively about new programming (or re-vitalizing established programs) or new services or classes or how you manage your time or…shelve books. Even if you end up not doing most of what you think about, it will strengthen you ability to think creatively—and you may become so intrigued by what you’re thinking up that you want to try some of them out.

One creativity exercise that I’ve seen in several creativity discussions, and that seems to work pretty well, is to take two concepts and then look for relationships between the two, or force them. This example might not be the best, but I’m just doing it off the top of my head—and I’m sure all of you will be able to better me at it. Take teaching people how to do good, effective searches on the Web and compare it with playing golf. You might start with listing characteristics of each—in golf a hole in one is a good thing, you use irons and woods and drivers and putters and a golf ball…(I hope it’s not TOO obvious that I don’t play golf…), you have to take into account wind, the course, etc. Now, if you force relationships with teaching searching skills….a hole in one is like getting the search result you want at the top of the hit list, on the first search. It can be a rare thing, in both instances. The clubs and ball are tools—what tools do you use for searching.? There are skills you need to practice—addressing the ball (choosing search terms?), knowing the course and the layout of the various holes (what search engine are you using, and how do you construct search strings in that search engine?), and adapting your game as you progress, analyzing your position on the green (what kind of results am I getting, and how might I refine the search to get better results?)…etc., etc. Maybe it ends up with something as basic as approaching the teaching of searching by making it a game. (So, what’s the game called, what are the rules…)

Here’s one I just thought of, though I haven’t done any of the relationship forcing—shelving books and drive-in restaurants. Perhaps you won’t wear roller skates to take the books to the shelves, but it’s kind of fun to think about, and it opens up that part of your brain and gives it permission to think about different and fun things.

When you let your mind exercise some creativity it’s a lot of fun, it’s a relief from the stresses or the routine—and you just might come up with some ideas you want to try. And if you don’t want anyone else to know what you’ve been coming up with, they don’t have to. But I’m betting you’ll come up with some ideas you like so much that you can’t wait to tell someone about them. My money’s on you! --Karen

Book reviewed by Marcia:
Literary maps for young adult literature, by Mary Ellen Snodgrass. Libraries Unlimited, c1995.