"Sparking Creativity" - Living Smart Video Reaction

"SPARKING CREATIVITY" - How to apply Dr. Raul Cuero's concepts to everyday life...

I just finished watching an episode of "Living Smart" with Patricia Gras. In this episode (Sparking Creativity), Patricia Gras interviews Renowned Microbiologist, Dr. Raul Cuero. Dr. Cuero's roots stem back to Colombia where he was raised in a very poor uneducated family near the docks. His drive and zeal for life are quite remarkable. He has overcome social, economic, and educational barriers in becoming an esteemed multilingual microbiologist. Dr. Cuero’s life is quite remarkable, as is his willingness to share his thoughts on creativity, and academic pursuit.

According to Dr. Cuero, the “Intellectual Culture in Academia” has been on a decline in the United States. There seems to be an epidemic of negative attitudes towards academic pursuit. Today’s generation is looking for school to train them for a specific job that already exists. Dr. Cuero would suggest that students should attend school to be intellectually challenged and to engage in intellectual activities that spark creativity and imagination in order to be better equipped to recognize and solve problems. This sort of activity and engagement is crucial in an academic setting.

Dr. Cuero says, “Ideas emerge from interaction with other ideas”. In order to foster an environment for creativity to emerge, we must set it up to include communication and interaction. A successful academic environment would also provide opportunities for students to observe, recognize, and practice problem solving without limitation to an abundance of parameters. Dr. Cuero believes, “You can not plan creativity”. He talks about “discovering creativity” and “…moving beyond expectations and doing something that others don’t know you can do.” An environment where both students and teachers encourage innovation and creative problem solving is essential to the creative process in academia.

After hearing Dr. Cuero's words, I'm inspired to incorporate a few of his ideas into my everyday life. The first being to spend a bit more time in nature. As Dr. Cuero says, "Everything comes from Nature". For me, I see this as being an opportunity to quiet the noise of everyday life and observe the finer details that are so often hurried past. It's also an opportunity to contemplate ideas and to allow them to develop. Dr. Cuero spoke of creativity as a process with many steps. An integral part of the process is allowing "ideas (to) emerge from interaction with other ideas". I can see this bouncing of ideas happening in my own head, or through conversations and interaction with others in my daily living. Setting up the right environment is crucial to fostering an academic culture where creativity can exist.

Dr. Cuero says, "You cannot plan creativity". Inside the four walls of an intuition of higher learning, we feel ourselves being pulled in several directions all at once. On one side, we have to be analytical and detailed when justifying curriculum and the methods used to teach. On another, we have to present problems that are incomplete along with vague information, to allow opportunities for creative problem solving and new solutions to emerge. Above all, we must practice a sense of balance in life to achieve “Mental, Physical & Spiritual Fulfilment.”

FMX 211 First Feelings

First Feelings... Well, I feel EXCITED!!! I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be!

As a matter of introduction to my blog, I'm Joshua J. Campbell. I recently retired from the U.S. Marine Corps at the rank of Gunnery Sergeant after completing 20 years of service. While every Marine is a Rifleman, I held a few Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) that are a bit rare. My MOS' include 5524 Musician, 5563 Percussionist, 5519 Enlisted Conductor, & 5522 Small Ensemble Leader. Needless to say, I've had many adventures and have many tales to tell. However, I'd be giving a false impression of myself if I merely mentioned my experiences as a Marine. That being said, I'd describe myself as a creative problem solver, compassionate leader, and creative soul that has lived in an overly structured lifestyle while longing for opportunities to express authenticity and emotion. I'm also a Husband and a Father to 4 children.

I'm really looking forward to the enriching lectures, assignments, activities, and other opportunities that will come out of being in FMX 211. Having taken classes from professors that lacked real world experience, I couldn't be happier to be learning from Blanka Roundtree. I'm a huge advocate for "Realistic Training", and can't think of someone better to be teaching this class. I expect to be challenged and exposed to new ideas, techniques, and creative processes. I also expect open and honest feedback that will help me grow in the field of New Media Production.


(The SP19 FMX 211 Class met for the first time on Wednesday, 23 January 2019 @ 10:00am in the CASS Bldg on the University of Tampa Campus.)