Category: 2023

When thinking about chocolate, I first thought of a hot cup of chocolate. But this was not enough. I needed something else, I needed somethinto spice things up.. and then I remembered. Chocolate was supposed to be spicy, it was a spicy beverage before the colonization of Mexico. Why shouldn’t I try to make some? Do I know how to cook? No. Have I ever tried chocolate with chili pepper? Also no. Was this a good idea? probably not.

I quickly found a store that sells mexican products,where I found my favorite chocolate and bought some chili peppers.

I decided that this was just the inspiration I needed and not the actual creation. See, making chocolate (even the spicy one) was too obvious, and I had been doing something related to chocolate lately, something different. Chocolate is also a game in Mexico. It is just a hand game children play (or played, I am not sure anymore) when they are in kindergarden or primary school. I recently taught a friend how to play it. Combining these ideas, I decided to draw a guide to do/play chocolate the way Mexicans do it.

Here is a video of the drawing process:

I also ended up making spicy chocolate. I personally liked the flavor, but a friend tried it and (politely) ran to get some water and some milk to get rid of the flavor it left behind. I was not planing on including the hot chocolate as part of the assigment, and I didn’t get a good recording of the process, but here is a video of a friend and I playing chocolate.

https://vimeo.com/829639267?share=copy

Disclaimer: This is not the friend that tried the spicy chocolate

Kermit, the one and only, explains some basic concepts of creativity: how it is present in everyday life, how it comes from an unusual perspective and how it is an inherent part of the self. He also talks about how creativity might not feel “present” when one is only trying to survive. For me, I wonder if it is not during hard times that creativity is forced to emerge. The video does talk about necessity and creativity being the “parents”, but for me, creativity is usually the product of necessities. Another highlight for me is the part about knowing the rules. Even if it’s to ignore it, I believe that the process of creating needs a methodology. Even if it is a flexible one, it needs a regulated process. If there is no structure, it is just “doing stuff” for me. In order to create there needs to be something else, which I believe is (partially) rules. 

Shahram Chaudhry

While Kermit defined creativity in several ways from seeing the world through an unusual perspective, to trying to make it through living in a swamp, the idea of creativity as being who you are and the thing that keeps you going resonated the most with me. The belief that you’re either a creative person or a technical person has been ingrained in me through my country’s academic culture and I’ve been made to believe that I’m not creative at all (I never got bored in NYUAD so I’m definitely not ‘not creative.’) I’ve conveniently justified my reluctance to take creative chances by using lack of time as an excuse but this class would be a great opportunity to explore my creative side. Also, I realize the importance of not being afraid of failure because what might seem as a mistake or failure could produce different but entirely useful outcomes. “Sometimes, it’s not important to know the destination when we start the journey,” ( I reassure myself as I’m about to figure out how to reach a lake 1.5 hrs away).

As I stand by Lake Wannsee with two of my classmates, I am regretting the decision to visit the lake. Maybe I should just have stayed back and completed my assignment or maybe not! 

“He’s way in over his head,” Enock comments upon seeing a child swimming in the lake. This reminds me of not long ago, during the final week of the spring semester, when I was “underwater” too. I was struggling in the Data Structures course because the workload was just too much with major assignments and quizzes due the same day. It was like I was drowning in a C of Data Structures. To top it all, I had grade issues in one of the assignments which meant that I was constantly afraid of not being able to pass the class and having to take it again. This constant stress obviously affected not just my mental health negatively, but also my focus, thereby affecting my work for the other courses too. Around the same time, Pakistan was facing political unrest and was on the brink of a civil war. With all this going on, it  was like I had hit rock bottom. What I felt then was no different than what a child who doesn’t know how to swim would feel if they’d been pushed into a swimming pool without any prior warning. It felt like I had been underwater for too long and there was little chance of survival. 

But then the day I had to fly to Berlin, my problems started sorting out. I passed the course and I no longer had immense academic stress. Also I found the idea of being in a new country surrounded with new people very thrilling and strangely comforting. Berlin was like the coast to me! I’ve learnt that life will throw you underwater often and life’s all about learning to ‘swim’ your way out of trouble. 

The fish is struggling outside water, and I’d struggle underwater. This means that some situations might work out for some individuals but not others. At the end of the day, it’s about being resilient and trying to push through!

response to “The creative act of listening to a talking frog”

today after class two friends and I went to the supermarket to buy ingredients for a pasta. as we walked I complained that I made pasta yesterday but it turned out a bit tasteless, as usual. we were staring at the seasoning products, listing out loud the ones we already had, when one of my friend suggested getting pepper. pepper. I forgot that it existed – maybe as a defense mechanism from my mom, who loves it a little too much. regardless of the reason, my friend unlocked a new layer of my cook brain. pasta was much better today.

listening to kermit the frog talk about the importance of friends for creativity, I recalled another time when a colleague suggested making my arts project to be hung on the wall, thereby completely changing my concept/execution for the better. I imagined that attaching spinning wheels on a horizontal wood panel would make my life easier – because, you know, gravity – but turns out I was wrong. or to rephrase kermit, perhaps my friend and I were both right in different ways.

on a side note, it was also a bit awkward to hear good advice from a frog.

Kermit the Frog leads a compelling TED talk on the concept of creativity and its fundamental role in our lives. He emphasizes the importance of freedom of thought, recognizing that creativity flourishes in an environment where ideas can be freely explored and expressed. Breaking free from the constraints of convention and embracing the imaginative realm allows us to tap into the boundless possibilities of creative thinking.

He also mentions a key point that I find very important when discussing creativity: creativity thrives when we collaborate. Collaboration with fellow individuals who share a passion for innovation is very vital when exploring endless possibilities. Like-minded individuals come together to exchange ideas and build upon each other’s strengths to create something extraordinary.

Although some might say that creativity only stems from artists, writers, or musicians, Kermit reminds us that we are all creative beings as we create every single day. Creativity is not limited or exclusive, but the engine that “drives the very essence of our being”.

Just as everything is new and exciting to a child, Kermit tells us to step into that way of thinking to inspire our creativity and passions. Additionally, while structure and order provide a foundation for our lives, it is the chaos, failures, and mistakes that propel us forward. Before we have anything else, we have creativity. It is the spark that ignites innovation, problem-solving, and progress. Kermit urges us to embrace our innate creativity and harness its power to shape a brighter future.

In this Ted Talk, I agree with several points. Firstly, creativity is not a separate faculty that only a few possess, but it is a function of intelligence that everyone has. Creativity can be found in any activity that engages human intelligence. Additionally, creativity is not limited to a specific field or profession. It can manifest in various forms and different areas of life, whether it’s art, science, business, or even everyday tasks. Creativity also requires taking risks and exploring new perspectives and ideas. Failure is a natural part of the creative process, and it should not be feared but embraced as an opportunity to learn and grow. Furthermore, the “beginner’s mind” concept resonates with me, as it emphasizes openness, curiosity, and a willingness to approach things with fresh eyes, like a child exploring the world.

However, there are some points in the Ted Talk that I don’t necessarily agree with. For example, the statement that creativity is the true engine of the economy, while it can certainly contribute to economic growth and innovation, there are also other factors at play. Additionally, the idea that everyone is inherently creative is a subjective claim. While everyone has the capacity for creativity, the extent to which it is expressed and developed may vary among individuals.

Kermit the Frog started by mentioning an issue that has been bothering a large number of people: the “meaning” of life. I am obviously one of them when I was young. However, I later on justified myself with his point. The answer lies in creativity, which will make the world a better place for others because of your existence and achievement. Kermit believes that creativity is not a small group of people’s ability or right to do so. I also strongly reckon his point as I believe that the notion of creativity is “spontaneity into any process” and is inherent in all people. It is not restricted to artists but also scientists and researchers coming up with a new field of interest, engineers that makes a new design decision or invention, even common people who puts his or her own touch to interior design, dinner and so much more. Kermit believes that creativity moves the society forward, and is inherent in the definition of human intelligence. 

He emphasized that to gain creativity, one should open his or her arms to acceptable failures and risks or what he called “controllable chaos”. Hence, one should be ridiculously optimistic about trying different things. This also resonated with me. I have always believed that there are more than one way to solve a problem as all problems are interconnected. One solution may provide a better way to solve this particular problem, while others may solve the problem in acceptable efficiency but also benefits the solution of other problems.

I also resonated deeply with his idea of a “Beginner’s Mind”, meaning that being interested in exploring new things like a child would do. It is not acceptable or even scary for me to consider losing interest to and rejecting new ideas or things that can contribute to the solution of the issue. For me, this even applies for serious manufacturing such as planes as mentioned in the talk. For these kind of problem, if a better solution is thoroughly tested and proven to be much more efficient then the existing one, than there is no need to stick to the old solution anymore. I wish that this notion of a “beginner’s mind” can be more acknowledged in the future, becoming a skill not only for kids but for anyone who is actively participating in making the world a better place.

To better hone my creativity skills, I should value Kermit’s next point on teamwork. While I am always open and respect new ideas, perspectives or pathways and recognizing their uses in understanding the full picture of the solution of a problem, teamwork was usually not a preference for me. I now realized the power of active collaboration and will start to recognize the importance of balancing my views and solution with actively searching for teams and new solution when dealing with new problems.

Overall, this was a very informative, resonating and fun talk. I rethought my notion on creativity during all parts of the talk and refreshed them through thinking about Kermit’s viewpoints.

We often overlook the extraordinary potential that lies within us. But deep within every individual, dormant yet potent, lies a unique superpower. While it may not be as flamboyant as those of fictional superheroes, its impact is profound nonetheless. By embracing our superpower of empathy, resilience, kindness, or any other inherent quality, we unlock the ability to transform our own world and those around us. I used Ai to create a digital illustration of a mainstream superhero character for this project. I then used Photoshop to swap my photo with that of the Superhero in the Ai generated image.

A Mesmerizing Journey Back in Time: My Short Animated Film About Dinosaurs

Step into a time machine, buckle up, and prepare for a thrilling adventure as I take you back to the prehistoric era with my newly created animated film about dinosaurs. Combining the power of Canva and iMovie, I embarked on a creative journey to bring these magnificent creatures to life on the screen.

Canva, with its user-friendly design tools, proved to be the perfect platform for crafting visually stunning scenes, while iMovie allowed me to bring these scenes to life with motion and sound. Drawing inspiration from the mass extinction, I formulated a captivating storyline that would transport viewers to a world ruled by dinosaurs. With Canva’s versatile text options, I added descriptive captions, engaging dialogue, and educational snippets.

Once the visual design and storyline were in place, it was time to animate the dinosaurs using iMovie. This powerful video editing software enabled me to bring the still images to life through smooth transitions and clever editing techniques.

https://www.vimeo.com/manage/videos/829972878/general