The Mysterious Henry Darger

Henry Darger was an interesting character. After watching his video the Realms of the Unreal, you ask yourself was Henry mentally ill, or just different? In my opinion I think he was mentally ill because of the way he acted in public. His actions of social awkwardness around other people show that he truly wasn't all there. Maybe he showed his social skills in his unreal world as he created many characters and there actions. Henry was treated almost like a little kid by other people. Society did not know what to think about him or how to act around him. Darger was very shy from the world and wanted to be alone with his thoughts. That is why he created his own world through paintings and text. I believe that Darger was truly creative because he dedicated his life to his work. I think that we should care about his art because of its craftsmanship and dedication. He put to much time and thought into his work to let is just slip away.

John Cleese Summary

John Cleese represents many great points about creativity in his video interview. He explains what he thinks creativity is and how you can get your mind into the creative mind set.  Cleese states that creativity is not a talent, it is a way of operating. I find this statement very interesting because I understand what he is saying. Anyone can be creative if they can get there mind into that creative mind set.  He demonstrates that creativity is not an ability that you either have or don’t have. He states that in no way is creativity related to IQ. I agree with the fact that creativity has nothing to do with IQ. I feel like anyone can be creative no matter how smart you are. Cleese then begins to explain the difference between the open and closed mode. He claims that a person cannot be creative in the closed mode. Only in the open mode may a person be creative. Cleese suggest that in order to enter the open mode, the creator must introduce these five aspects: space, time, time, confidence, and humor. Giving yourself space with no distractions allows your mind to relax and think. Time is needed to let your mind get into the open mode. A good amount of time would be an hour and a half. It usually takes a person about a half an hour to relax and let their mind become free. This gives your mind an hour to think of something creative and original. Confidence is also needed to enter the open mode. A creator must have confidence in his or her thoughts if he or she wants to be creative. The last aspect needed to enter the open mode is humor. It is so much easier to be creative when you are laughing and having good time, almost like a little kid!

I think if someone wants to be creative they need to surround themselves with the right atmosphere. This atmosphere could be a certain group of people that all share the same interest, or just an area in which the person can quietly think and work on their own. The creator needs to let his or her mind open up and be free. Let all of their other thoughts go and just focus on what they are trying to accomplish. 

My Definition of Creativity

What is Creativity?

            Creativity is the ability to come up with brand new ideas that no one else has thought of yet and is being able to come up with a completely new idea no matter how radical or irrational it may be. Someone is creative when they have enough imagination to come up with an idea that no one has thought of before or being able to improve on something that someone has created before them. In order for someone to be considered creative, they have to be able to think outside the box and have enough imagination to continue creating something even if the public doubts you. Creativity is inside of a person and is only opened when a person thinks of a radical idea or an improvement on an old idea.

            When people try to recreate something that has already been invented or has already been perfected, they are no longer considered to be creative. Once people start to try and take something that was already perfected and improve it, they no longer have creativity; they now are considered copiers and lack the creativity that is needed to improve the things that have already been created. Another way that people lose creativity is when they take an idea and try to replace little things within the idea or product to try and call it their own. This is not considered creativity, but is considered to be a fake because they don’t come up with their own ideas; they just try and claim it to be their own so that they get the credit that they don’t deserve.

            Creativity is being able to come up with either their own idea or to change an original idea to become a completely different object.  People that have more creativity tend to be more popular than people that copy others and try to change little aspects and call it their own. This is why people who have more creativity tend to make more money in the real world than people who copy.

Whats up? My name is Andrew Dorman. I am from Medina Ohio which is about an hour away from Mount Union. I enjoy playing lacrosse, fishing, snowboarding, and riding dirt bikes. I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering. I am playing on the varsity lacrosse team, and can't wait for the season to start!