Creative "I": Architecture of Space
The article “A Room of their own” documents the ways in which spaces are adapted and reordered by the people who use them. It advocates for an organic approach to creating spaces for learning and living, an approach that asks architects to observe the behavior of potential users of the space and to apply these observations to their planning. The article also implies that when possible, the intended users of a space should be invited to inform and assist with the planning and design of the learning space. The article also pays close attention to the fact that not all users will adapt a space in the same way - a natural outcome of the fact that people have different learning styles, and that various activities have different spatial needs. In a sense, the best learning environment is one that anticipates all needs and can be effectively adapted to a variety of purposes.
If I could apply the ideas of this article to my own classroom, and if I had an unlimited budget, I would enlarge the room, furnish it with desks that could come together to form tables, add a variety of seating options so that students could choose the one that best suited their individual needs, and somehow devise a way to instantly eliminate all furniture from the room so that it became an open space.
The article makes a point of countering a statement made by Winston Churchill that the shape of a space influences our behavior. While I agree with Churchill, I also see the authors’ point regarding the way in which users adapt and reimagine spaces, shaping them to their own needs. Truly creative people don’t so much need a particular type of space to create. Instead, I believe that they simply need time, space, and the right tools for their task. They also need the freedom to adapt their surroundings (and the task before them), which I suppose echoes the point the authors are making regarding the design of user-centered spaces. Still, I think that if districts or schools want to consider the best possible way to foster the creativity of their students, they should spend less time considering furniture arrangements and architecture, and more time exploring ways to build unstructured time and open-ended learning tasks for their students.
In approaching the photo essay aspect of this assignment, I considered the spaces where I find myself to be most creative, and I discovered something: I create everywhere. I sometimes pen poems while I am sitting in faculty meetings. I plan classroom activities and map curriculum while I am walking, running or hiking. I write in my classroom, my office, my bedroom, the library of my school. I make up stories when I am tucking my children in at night. So while I could take a series of pictures of my office and talk about how the space helps me create, it would be disingenuous. If I write more often in that room than elsewhere, it is simply because that is where our desktop computer resides. The nature of the space is dictated by the tools in it, not its architecture or furnishings.
The poet Robert Creeley once said, "The necessary environment is that which secures the artist in the way that lets him be in the world in a most fruitful manner." This is different for each of us. I offer below aspects of one of the spaces that promotes my own creativity: my classroom.
My desktop computer is central to my creativity. Not only do I use it for writing and research, I also use it to play the music that I use to augment my energy and drown out distracting noises. I'm working on it at this moment, and Ryan Adams is serenading me from its speakers.
Just beyond my computer, I hung my favorite piece of art from any of my children. My oldest daughter painted this in kindergarten, and I have always loved the combination of colors, brush strokes, and free form floral imagery.
This captures the entire space. Note the chaos on the desk. I wish I was not this messy, but I can usually find what I'm looking for. (Side note, creative people are often messy!). The posters behind my desk are some of my favorites from a freshman project - Island Election Campaign for Lord of the Flies. Displaying my students' best work reminds me of my better teaching moments. This is helpful when I am looking for inspiration while lesson planning.
This message hangs over my board, and while it is intended as a reminder for my students, it helps to focus my work as well. Also the white boards serve as an excellent place to map my ideas when a single screen or piece of paper just won't do.
Finally, this bulletin board is opposite my desk and holds a collection of poems, articles and stories I've enjoyed, as well as the rather disturbing rat poster commemorating my sophomores' work on the Alice Walker story "A Sudden Trip Home in the Spring." This display changes depending on my creative needs.
