A Reflection on Ideas, and Art:

My older brother, who is seven years senior to me, told me when I was about 8 years old to always maintain my childish innocence as it is the innocence of a child that lends itself to the creativity and ingeniousness that is lacking in the common adult. I couldn’t agree with this thought more; very rarely do we find an adult that laughs at things as much as children do; very rarely do we hear a grown-up saying queer and perhaps nonsensical things like a child does; and very rarely do we see an adult that possesses the innovation often seen in children.

I have done my best in holding on to my child-like ways but it has proven a bit futile and I think I am beginning to understand why.  Children are able to use their imagination at a higher level than adults because they are not afraid of being wrong, or of showing their feelings. A lack of fear in these areas fuels the imagination, and creates good ideas.  Steven Johnson says good ideas take time, but they also take courage–courage to overcome your fears and share your ideas with the world even if they are a bit rough around the edges yet. If we overcome our fear of feeling, we can then do as Robert Hughes suggests and pass from feeling to meaning and close the gap between you and everything that is not you and create a work of art.

The Daily Create:

Again, here is the story behind my keys on my keychain (aka, my first Daily Create):

The Daily Create is a good thing–it creates a space for an individual to share their creativity, and be courageous in sharing their ideas.  In getting a dose of daily creativity, we can stimulate our brains and maybe come up with fresh, new ideas to share with the world.  Everyone has something to offer, sometimes it just takes a little time to figure out what that something is.

How to Find me Elsewhere on the World Wide Web:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emma_stotz, and my tweet:

Want to know more about me? Check out the blog I made for #ds106: estotz.com/wordpress/the-… @mburtis

— Emma Stotz (@emma_stotz) September 5, 2012

Flickr!: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86724380@N02/

SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/estotz

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/estotz1

The First Week of DS106:

Here is my brief introduction: http://estotz.com/wordpress/the-big-picture/

So far, Digital Storytelling sounds like it is going to be a really awesome class.  I say this because so far I have done more insightful thinking for this class than I have for any of my other classes this semester. And if a class can get me thinking like this within the first week of classes, it is a good sign.

This is the first class I have ever taken entirely online, and I dig it.  I am a pretty disciplined individual, especially when it comes to academia. I think this class is going to force me to be a bit more creative than I am used to, and it is going to help me with my overcoming my fear voicing my ideas.  Overall, I am excited for the things to come, and for what kind of creativity I will find within myself (if any) through this course.