Reflection Entry #2

Buckle Up! and Enjoy the ride!

My mind was in a roller coaster ride of emotions when I read Howard Gardner's (5 Minds of the future) idea. There were some points that Gardner raised where I caught myself nodding in silent agreement. However, there were also times where just like a rollercoaster ride, I couldn't help but cringe because of our divergence of opinions on the must have competencies of the future.

Gardner's approach was very personal. His thoughts as he said were constructed based on his "own values". Which is why I question the universality of his vision. I feel compelled to challenge some of his too specific prescriptions of the 5 Minds of the Future.

(The Disciplined Mind vs The Adaptable Mind)

According to Gardner, in order for an individual to be "gainfully employed” in the future, he or she must be an “expert”, and should at least “master” one of the so-called “major way of thinking” (Math, Science, etc.) I question Gardner’s concept of a disciplined mind. We live in a very fast paced, constantly changing and developing world. What could be a ‘the enterprising thing’ today could be passe the next day. We live in a very unpredictable environment. The idea of mastering ‘one’, could be very limiting. First, I question the ‘major ways’. What constitutes something or a subject area to be classified as a major way of thinking? Second, How do we measure one’s ‘mastery’ of something? I do not intend to simply oppose Gardner’s idea, but I wish to rectify how he defined a ‘disciplined mind’ as one of the key competencies of the future. I also question the efficacy of his concept in ensuring ones employability in the future.

I believe that our future requires more than just being an ‘expert’ in something. Instead of having a tunnel visioned perspective, I believe that we can break free from this linearity and push the development of an ADAPTABLE MIND. A disciplined mind that is able to adapt with our incessantly changing world.

The future holds so much uncertainties. Being too fixated with mastering a single skill, might limit our opportunities. The future needs people who can go beyond being experts of one thing. We need people who are flexible and are not afraid to adapt with the demands of our rapidly changing world. We should not limit our learning to one thing.

A Passionate Mind

This is Isa Lorenzo. I first encountered her March 2006, when I interviewed her for a TV show where I work then as a researcher. The concept of our episode then was to feature outstanding women of the Philippines. Isa made our list for being one of the few renowed female photographers in the country. Interestingly, prior to her life behind the lens, she graduated with a degree in medicine from one of the best medicine schools in the Philippines. She passed the medical boards and became a certified M.D. but she never practiced because she fell in love with photography. According to Isa, her mother insisted that she finished medicine, because it was said to be a profession that ensures stability in the future. Isa was not the only one who was subjected to this traditional way of thinking. Even I am aware of this type of thinking. At the top of my head I could name top professions that I think most parents wish their children to become in the future: a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. This shows that we are programmed to think that there are 'major ways' of thinking. We must break free from this, as it is becoming one of the most common mistakes that we are all guilty of. We associate success with being 'gainfully employed' just like Gardner. We forget a concept very important which is- 'Passion' in whatever it is that we do. I realized with Isa's story that that the mastery of something we are not passionate about is useless, in the end it will only make us unhappy. Isa Lorenzo has a very inspiring story, and I believe has a passionate mind that our future needs. A mind that exudes with passion for what she does. A mind that was able to break free from old traditions.

(The Creative Mind vs The Monkey Mind)

I celebrated in my head when I read that one of the minds needed for the future are the creative ones. I thought to myself, “Yes! I have what it takes to conquer the future!”. But as I continue to read the definition of the creative mind, I was disappointed. Apparently, I celebrated too early. My idea of creativity wasn’t aligned with Gardner's. According to him, one cannot be creative unless he or she has mastered at least one discipline, art, or craft. Again he talks about the idea of ‘mastery’, which is difficult to measure. Is 10 years of continuous practice enough to say that one is a ‘master’ of his art? Personally, I believe that creativity goes beyond arts and crafts. Being creative can also be by means of combining brilliant ideas from different disciplines which Frans Johansson calls ‘the intersection’ or the ‘Medici Effect’. I can't help but favor Johansson’s contrasting concept with Gardner. It is true that years of practice can do wonders, and can produce great products of creativity. However, it is not always the case. As Johansson explained in his concept of intersections, sometimes the most ingenious products are out of the ordinary things.

Instead of again being to focused on one art discipline, the creative mind can be modified by making it more explorative in nature. Allowing it to experiment on odd combinations, breaking the rules of artistic perfection, and giving attention to trivial things. A creative mind should not be constrained with the idea of ‘mastery’. It should be left playful, like a MONKEY MIND. Allowing it to jump and play with many ideas. The demands for creativity in the future will go beyond arts and crafts. The future requires one more than just to perfect brush strokes. It needs NEW creative ideas that are not only formulated by years of practice, but also of lived unique experiences.

I enrolled in various art schools but I haven’t learned the right way of making art. I get so frustrated whenever I am asked to create precise lines, with proper measurements first

before I draw anything. I hated the idea of using pencils to draw a sketch first before the actual artwork. I hated the idea of having rules in art. I feel most creative when I am not confined with proper proportions.I found the joy in using pen as my medium because I couldn’t earase it. I love making mistakes whenever I make art. I feel that each mistake is part of the artwork as well. I feel that I am most creative when I am not trying so hard to 'master' art and I just let my Monkey Mind loose and go out of control that I get to create my most wonderful art.

The Synthesizing Mind vs The Critical Mind

Another interesting mind concept of Gardner is the Synthesizing mind. Its main thrust lies on the ability of people to choose proper information from the many information one receives daily. The ability to select information is important, but it is NOT merely the selection process that we should pay attention to, but also the process of being critical to the different divulged information one has at hand. Gardner talks about reflecting, deciding, listening, examining and then deciding, however he failed to mention the importance of being critical, asking about the information at hand. The idea of having a CRITICAL mind I believe can help improve ones synthesizing skills. Because synthesizing involves more than just reflecting and then choosing...It is important to be critical on how we arrive at a certain decision.

In my M.A. classes, I always hear the being 'critical'. I am encouraged constantly by my instructors to ask questions, to probe and dig deeper until I find the best answer or sometimes no answer at all and simply better understanding of things. As odd as it may seem, but I find this more liberating, because unlike in the past where there are point blank best answers to certain questions. Now it seems like we are living in a world where the best answers to hard questions, are in the form of another question.

The Ethical & Respectful Mind vs An Open Mind

In relation with the Synthesizing Mind, Gardner also discussed the importance of having an Ethical Mind and a Respectful Mind. I do not question integrity behind Gardner's ideal. In the 'ideal world', we will have all have an Ethical Mind and a Respectful Mind. But that is in the 'ideal world', what about the 'real world'? Without the intent to sound too pessimistic, I believe that there will be more challenges in the future, and so we must develop minds that are equipped with the proper skills fit for the demands of the future. So instead of simply relying on having a Respectful and Ethical Mind, I want to modify this and push for the development of an Open Mind. A mind that has its biases, has its own moral fiber, but is able to open itself to varied viewpoints. That to me is more realistic. Our world at present is a world of diversity. In the future i envision a world filled with even more diversity. The best way I can think of to unite us all is for us to embrace diversity, and be open about contrasting belief systems, ideologies, perception of things like what is ethical, or what is respectful.

Our life is like a roller coaster ride, filled with unexpected turns, that could jolt us out of our senses. We do not know what the future holds, all I know for sure is that the future is filled with uncertainties. So to end this post I think that another good kind of mind that we should develop for the future is to develop a Clean Slate Mind. A mind that is FREE to explore, learn new things as much as it can as we enjoy the ride called LIFE.

Reflection 1: Does your home, school. work encourage creativity?

Art-Mess...

“Clean- up- your -room!” – I can no longer keep track the number of times I’ve heard this line from my parents. “Filthy”, “messy”, “chaotic”, would be the best words to describe my room when I am making art a.k.a. mess. The photos I took is just a preview of how I make clutter, especially when I have a new “thingamajink” art masterpiece brewing up. I have been messing up our house for the past 25 years now. Despite the constant complain I get from my parents about my chaotic art projects. I know that they are proud of whatever piece of art I end up creating out of my mountainous clutter.

Creativity starts at home…

My passion for the arts was evident at an early age…The moment I managed to hold a pencil, I would draw non-stop. One of my funniest early memories playing with art was that one time I drove my mom so furious. We ran out of paper at home and I ended up drawing on our walls. The next day my dad bought plenty of Manila papers, which he posted on our walls just so I could keep doing art the way I wanted to (on walls). I can still recall the best masterpiece I made at age 3. My medium was: A Black sign pen and my dad’s feet. Yes…you've read it right… I drew on my dad’s feet. My parents did not box me from the traditional way of making art. They allowed me to explore art free from rules, no restrictions.

My dad is an artist. I grew up admiring his artworks displayed in my grandparent’s home in the province. He always encouraged me to draw, to paint, to create beautiful things, to play with color, and to use my imagination. My dad is probably the biggest influence in my life when it comes to my love for art. At night time before we go to bed, we turn on our flash lights in the dark and we create different shadow shapes until we fall asleep. Every morning we wake up extra early to make colorful plaster pins which I proudly wear to school. Growing up despite his complains about my messy room whenever I make art, he continued to feed my passion for the arts by supporting me any way that he can.He provided me a home where creativity is allowed and nurtured. I am lucky because I have a dad who appreciates art. He sent me to different art schools just so I could hone my artistic skills.

Art is never ugly…

This photo is my rendition of a swimming pool when I was 3 years old. My mom and dad kept it and even framed it. Looking at it now I don’t think it resembles a swimming pool, or anything at all for that matter. But I never heard anything bad about it from my parents. All they said to me was, “it’s beautiful!”.

Art, Dance. Theater, Music…You name it I’ve done it!

My mom doesn't draw or paint like my dad. But she loved the literary side of the arts. It was something that she encouraged me and my younger sister to dabble into. There was never a summer that I wasn't enrolled in a ballet school (which I dreaded, but tried), a drama class, voice lessons, piano lessons (I hated it) and all possible literary arts that one could think of. I ended up loving acting, singing and playing the drums out of all the literary arts I was exposed to. My mom did not limit me to just one literary art form; she introduced me to a lot, and allowed me to fall in love with any of it on my own. I can still vividly recall the time when she enrolled me in a piano class, and I dreaded it. A few days into it, I told her that I didn’t enjoy it and she looked at me and said that it was okay. I was never forced to do something I didn’t enjoy. More than anything my mom wanted me to love what I do. I ended up loving the drums more than piano. I also enjoyed singing and joining plays. My mom’s dream of having a pianist for a daughter still came true though, because my younger sister who is the musically inclined one in our family.

Math vs Art...

My mom is a mathematician while my dad is an artist… I am an artist and a very mathematically challeged one…I consider math my waterloo. I can easily get 100 in my art plates in school, but I always get low grades in mathematics. I never joined any of our school quiz-bees, but I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve bested in most if not all of our literary musical and art contests in school. I never saw my weakness in math as an issue growing up. I was raised in a household where my creativity and artistic talents is recognized to have equal bearing as if I excelled in math. I was then enrolled at a very traditional school, where art and music was considered to be minor subjects. My good grades in the arts did not do me justice, as I continue to struggle in some of my ‘major’ subjects such as math and science.

According to Ken Robinson’s article The Arts & Education, one of the biggest challenges to creativity is striking a balance on how people view the arts and the other academic subjects (math, science, English). Our traditional educational system, give more importance to academic subjects more than the arts. If only the arts were given as much value as other subjects in schools, I might've graduated with honors. I believe in Robinson's issue raised on how bias in terms of the hierarchy of subjects in most of the schools is evident. There is an assumption that “math, languages, and science are more important for national economic development, than the arts” (Robinson).

To support the point of Robinson, I rummaged through my old stuff and found my National Secondary Achievement Test (NSAT) result back in 2001. NSAT is a national exam that the government’s department of education conducts every other year to measure the quality of education of thr secondary level of education in the country. If you will notice, the test only constitutes 5 subject areas Math, English, Science, Filipino and History. There was no room for the Arts in the said National achievement test. Notice my extreme test results. It clearly showed my poor mathematical skills. If one will use these subjects as a gauge of 'greatness', then with my 76 score in math I would not make the cut. But as Robinson discussed, it is not fair to discount the arts. My creativity has to count for something right? Despite my struggle in mathematics, my self-esteem did not falter, because of my supportive parents. They never made me feel inferior just because I couldn’t balance formulas, or solve mathematical equations like other kids. They encouraged me, and instilled in me that my artistic talents are things that I can proud of.

I Play at Work...

I am a very visual person…there are things that are hard for me to say or write, but I can express through visuals. I was lucky enough to have found a job which allowed me to use my visual skills more than my mathematical skills. For me there is no better job for creative souls like myself, than TV work. After graduation I knew right away that I didn't want a 9-5 job, or be subjected to a routine like work. It has been a very liberating experience for me to work in media...to be in a place where everyone understood the power of visuals, where weird ideas are considered genius, and where diversity is embraced. At work, no day is ever the same! It was at work where I learned that the key to producing creative and compelling stories is to ‘hit the heart first, before hitting the mind’. If only I had the opportunity to have this kind of learning as early as I learned the quadratic equation, I would have honed my creativity more. But the marginalization of the arts as Ken Robinson discussed, is evident in most of our educational system in the country. A reason for this is perhaps the schools desire to produce people who can be doctors, scientists, lawyers, engineers. Such careers that the traditional society associate with economic growth. I agree with Robinson that we must not forget that the creative people can also contribute to economic development of our society. We need Writers, Producers, Actors, Artists. They can also contribute to our economic success. I am glad that I found a workplace where creativity is valued and recognized to be an asset. I have found a place where I see how creative people like me can contribute immensely to society with the work that we do.

I do not envision myself finding the cure for AIDS in the near future.

But I know that I can perhaps create a documentary that will educate people about it.

I don’t need to know mathematical solutions, scientific equations achieve success, or to be able to contribute to the world.

I think I have everything that I need in order to be successful... my supportive family, a messy room, and a mind full of creative juices that freely flows, and will hopefully lead me to the next BIG idea that someday will allow me to make a difference.

AND NOW I BLOG...

June 16, 2010: The day that I have been dreading has come....I am subjected by my CREATIVITY CLASS requirement to enter the 'bloggosphere world'...my inner most thoughts will be made public...my grammatical errors (which i claim as mere typographical errors) will be publicly viewed, scrutinized and by sheer luck might falsely inspire people... but I want to pass...and so I will face my fear... Hi everyone! I am CAMILLE "CAMS" VENTURINA, I produce documentaries, I climb, I do yoga....and now I am officially a blogger!!!... :-)

Welcome to the Bloggosphere!!!

PAPER AND PEN GIRL....

Most of my friends have been hooked on this blogging craze for a long time already...but technophobic-SLASH-lazy ol' me...refused to get into this 'bloggosphere' world! Don't don't get me wrong...I attempted...many many times... but after being asked to create a password over and over during the sign up session (because according to the site it is either too short or too weak)...and after being asked by the blog to choose a template color,a font color, a header color and all the possible areas of the blog site that needs coloring...I got tired & just end up with a confused looking site...which i could easily forget about! And so i settle for the old school way of self-expression using a paper and a pen.... :-)