Author: Mariam Almagboul

Original meaning:

everybody is watching you in this game called life, and you have to beat it

5 alternative meanings :

1. The basketball player( Derrick Rose) is drowning and he has to jump out of the water.

2. The basketball player is the best player in the world and he is known as the Sun, and the venue of the game is the ocean.

3. The basketball player is making his final shot in this other dimension where after he makes the shot, reality glitches.

4. He is trying to save the fish by dunking the final ball, and then the fish that are hanging on to the net fall back into the water.

5. The basketball player, who is regarded as the best in the world and known as the Sun, plays his final game in an oceanic arena where the boundaries of reality shift.

I’ve chosen #2

5 possible things I can make:

1. An epic sports movie trailer that cuts between intense basketball action sequences and majestic ocean/sun imagery, building anticipation for the ultimate championship showdown between Titans set oceanside.

2. A concept art series depicting a futuristic basketball arena constructed on stilts in the middle of the ocean, with transparent court floors showing the marine life swimming below.

3. A brand campaign for a new line of beach basketball apparel and equipment, featuring the “Sun King” star player as the face endorsing gear designed for oceanside/sandy court play.

4. A graphic comic book cover chronicling the mystical journey of the chosen basketball hero who must master playing on ocean courts against the evil king to harness the spiritual power of the sun and waves.

5. tapestry depicting the basketball “sun god” locked in a symbolic struggle while slam-dunking into the crashing waves of the cosmic ocean

Ive chosen #4

Creation:

Lateral Thinking response

I really enjoyed the ideas around vertical thinking (using logic to build on existing knowledge) versus lateral thinking (rearranging information in insightful new ways to create novel concepts). The author makes a solid point – vertical thinking alone isn’t enough for true innovation. We need the ability to break free from ingrained patterns and gain fresh perspectives.

Lateral thinking provides that “sideways” view to spot new areas worth exploring. It’s the spark for the creativity and game-changing insights that drive breakthroughs across all kinds of fields. While you can’t just magically summon an epiphany, the cool thing is lateral thinking is a skill that can actually be developed deliberately.

I loved the metaphor that you’ll never dig a brand new hole by just digging the same one deeper. Sometimes you have to start breaking ground in a different spot. Lateral thinking allows you to identify those untapped locations. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes to combine information in those insightful, out-of-the-box ways.

Integrating the vertical and lateral modes seems key for any field aiming to stay relevant and progressive long-term. It’s all about balancing extending existing knowledge with continually exploring uncharted perspectives.

My thoughts on Otis Sandsjö 

Our recent class visit from Otis Sandsjö was a real highlight. His saxophone improvisation had such a unique sound, unlike anything I’ve heard before—really fresh and captivating. I also loved hearing about how he finds inspiration and sparks his creativity. It was cool to get a glimpse into his creative process, making the whole experience both inspiring and enjoyable.

Sir Ken Robinson’s way of defining creativity really clicked for me. Instead of making it seem like this elite talent that only a few “artistic” people have access to, he positioned it as something we all naturally possess just by virtue of being intelligent humans. If creativity is fundamentally tied to how we use our minds and solve problems, that means it has the potential to be expressed through any activity or field we apply ourselves to.

I also appreciated his point about how even just observing a simple frog can involve creativity in how we perceive and make meaning from that experience. It’s a solid reminder that creativity doesn’t require creating some grand masterpiece. The creative spark is about seeing the world with fresh eyes and making novel connections, something that can arise from the most ordinary moments. Our unique lenses and perspectives shape the creativity we’re able to tap into.

While I get some of the criticisms about TED Talks sometimes feeling a bit insular or repetitive, I think talks like Sir Ken’s that dig into core concepts about fundamental human capacities like creativity can actually provide new frameworks for how we understand ourselves. Sure, he uses artistic examples as metaphors, but the core principles he lays out carry major implications for nurturing creativity across all disciplines and life realms.