Linda Covella, Author

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I discuss the theory of left brain versus right brain.

The Two Halves of the Brain

The brain is divided into two hemispheres, and each side performs specific functions.

Interestingly, the right side of the brain controls the muscles on the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls the muscles on the right side. (I didn’t know that!)

Besides these physical operations, the two sides control different mental functions as well. Following are the long-held beliefs of what features are dominant in the left and right brains:

The left hemisphere is dominant in language, making it possible for you to speak and to hear and understand speech. The left side also stores your memories, and is dominant in detailed analytical and logical thought processes.

The right hemisphere does rough calculations, but not exact and detailed like the left brain. It also helps us understand context and tone when someone speaks to us. The right brain deals with spatial capabilities and face recognition—processing visual imagery and making sense of what you see. Other characteristics of the right brain include risk taking, imagination, and big picture orientation.

Recently, there’s been discussion about the validity of dominant mental functions of the left versus the right brain. More and more it’s being concluded that both halves often work together to perform mental functions.

In this interesting article/interview, neuroscientist Kara D. Federmeier says, “This kind of pattern, in which both hemispheres of the brain make critical contributions, holds for most types of cognitive skills. It takes two hemispheres to be logical – or to be creative.”

Are People Left or Right Brain Dominant?

It’s long been believed that people were either left or right brain dominant. In this September 2013 article by Christopher Wanjek for LiveScience.com, he says there was never any scientific evidence supporting this theory. Until now. A recent study by scientists at the University of Utah   discounts this left brain/right brain dominance notion. The scientists performed 1,000 brain scans and found no evidence of left or right brain dominance.

Dr. Jeff Anderson, director of the fMRI Neurosurgical Mapping Service at the University of Utah, says, “It is the connections among all brain regions that enable humans to engage in both creativity and analytical thinking.”

Interesting stuff. I know many people who are artistically and scientifically, mathematically or analytically inclined. Myself, I enjoy writing and drawing, but also enjoy the technical and business aspects of my husband and my business.

How about you? Do you feel one side of your brain is dominant over the other?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today we get moving with Kinetic. Kinetic: moving, energizing, dynamic. To be creative, you must get your mind—and sometimes your body—moving. It takes energy to create something, and often the hardest part is getting going, taking that first step. You might have to really push yourself, but you can’t move forward until you start moving. To be creative, you have to be energized. Be excited about your project. The more energy you put into it, the more ideas you’ll produce and the more satisfaction you’ll have. That initial energy will also compound itself—as you get more involved in your work, you’ll become more excited and more energetic. To be creative, you must be dynamic. Being dynamic is related to energy and motion, but it’s also characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress. You have to keep moving forward, but you also have to be willing to change if something isn’t working out for you. Remember, there’s never one solution to creativity. Your first attempt isn’t always your last. If you want to be dynamic, that is, if you want to progress, you have to be open to new ideas, new methods, open to change. Short post today. So…let’s get moving!

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today we have a laugh courtesy of creative Jesters.

Please note: I’m heading out of town for the weekend for my god-daughter’s wedding. So I may not get to comments on other blogs for a couple of days, but will try. Have a great, fun and laugh-filled weekend!

We all love and need a good laugh as often as possible. And writing jokes or writing humor takes creativity. Delivering a joke, doing improvisation, performing skits (a la Saturday Night Live) takes a creative personality—and in many cases, training.

Many people may be funny at times, but it’s difficult to write humor.

In his blog post Four Commandments to Writing Funny, Joe Bunting says, “When I write, my core goal is not to be funny; my goal is to tell the truth in an entertaining way.”

I’ve often read that honesty is an important element to writing humor. (Of course, in all writing, an underlying truth is key.)

Alex Shvartsman is the editor for Unidentified Funny Objects, a sci-fi and fantasy humor anthology (have to admit, I haven’t seen much of that genre!). In this blog post, he gives five tips on writing humor. The first tip is that “Voice Matters.” (If you’re a writer, I’ll bet you’ve had this pounded into your brain, and may still be trying to figure it out.) For writing humor, Shvartsman says, “You can’t rely on the premise for all of your funny. Can’t let your characters be the comedians with humor confined to dialog, either. You have to let the narrative voice do much of the heavy lifting.”

He also discusses how humor is subjective. Like art, humor is a personal thing. What you think is funny may not tickle another’s funny bone. This one I came across made me laugh, maybe because my husband and I work in the tech industry:

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Officer asks a young engineer fresh out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “And what starting salary are you looking for?” The engineer replies, “In the region of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package.” The interviewer inquires, “Well, what would you say to a package of five weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every two years, say, a red Corvette?” The engineer sits up straight and says, “Wow! Are you kidding?” The interviewer replies, “Yeah, but you started it.”

I have some favorite comedians—Robin Williams, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert (and their TV shows, to name a few—and one of my all-time favorites in Bill Cosby. Here is an older clip “Chocolate Cake for Breakfast” featuring his imitations of his five kids and his wife. It’s 9-1/2 minutes, but worth watching, IMO!

Do you have a favorite joke? Do you think writing humor is a natural gift or something that can be learned?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I discuss the importance of creativity to ourselves and to society.

Personal Growth

As I mentioned in my “G” blog, creativity is necessary for personal growth. I love some of the comments from my blog readers:

Veronica Sicoe: “Personal growth without creativity is only an insipid amassing of knowledge and memories, which, IMO, are worth about as much as one of Google’s databases without the end user.”

J.L. Campbell: “So true. I’ve been cartooning lately. It relaxes me and renews my energy for the other things I have to do.”

Michelle Wallace: “Because all forms of creativity are intertwined, I’m certain this project [mosaics] will be stimulating and give rise to new writing ideas…”

Silvia Villalobos: “Creativity is the force behind personal growth. Without it there’s a huge amount of emptiness.”

Debi O’Neille: “I agree, getting involved in something creative can lead a person into a better mood. Maybe that’s why I love exercising my creative side.”

By exercising our creativity, we’ll learn to be more confident—from childhood to adulthood—as we attempt different activities. That sense of self-confidence and accomplishment will grow when we learn to value the results of our attempts, no matter how little or big, how “perfect” or “imperfect” you perceive the results to be. And I even hate to use those words—there’s no “grade” or scale of rightness when it comes to creativity.

Value for Society

All kinds of people use their creativity to better themselves, those around them, and the world at large: scientists, engineers, business entrepreneurs, artists, inventors, educators, and parents.

These creative thinkers are important to our future, and as creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson says in this interview, we need them now more than ever.

We need solutions to a variety of current problems, and solutions from the past won’t cut it. We need new ideas–creative, out-of-the-box ideas—to tackle the issues of today: the economy; climate change; population growth; food supply and dwindling natural resources; pollution in the land, air, and oceans; providing our children, at home and around the world, with better education; providing worldwide affordable health care.

The importance of creativity to our own lives and to the future of the entire world can’t be overstated. Express your own creativity. Nurture and encourage the creativity of others.

Do you believe creativity is a critical component to solving the world’s problems?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I take a look at the creativity of Harriet Quimby.

I was looking for some creative people from history to highlight, and there is, of course, a long list of well-known artists, writers, dancers, inventors, etc.

Then I came across Harriet Quimby, who I’d never heard of, and found her story very inspiring.

Quimby, born in 1875, was a pilot and a screenwriter. She was the first woman to get a pilot’s license in the United States, the first woman to fly across the English Channel, and one of the first female screenwriters.

In her mid-twenties, Quimby took up journalism in San Francisco. Shortly after, she moved to New York City and became a theater critic. Over the next nine years, more than 250 of her reviews were published. In 1911, she wrote seven screenplays for silent film shorts produced by Biograph Studios, making her one of the first female screenwriters. D.W. Griffith (famous for directing the controversial The Birth of a Nation) directed the shorts.

Aviation sparked her interest when she attended an aviation tournament on Long Island. There she met Alfred Moisant who ran an aviation school. At that time, the Wright Brothers also ran a flight-training school, but they would not teach women. Quimby convinced Alfred to teach her to fly, and in 1911, she received her pilot’s license. She began performing in aviation shows wearing what became her trademark outfit: a purple satin flying suit with a hood, which she designed.

In April, 1912, Quimby became the first woman to fly over the English Channel. But the sinking of the Titanic just days before overshadowed her achievement.

Sadly, just a few months later, Quimby was performing at an air show, her plane had a still-unknown mechanical failure, and both Quimby and her passenger were ejected from the plane, falling to their deaths. Quimby was 37 years old.

In her short life, Harriet Quimby expressed her creativity to the fullest with both her writing and her flying. Her story is an inspiration for us all to be dauntless creators!

Do you know of any not-so-well-known creative people from history? Or is there someone in your own life who you find particularly creative?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today’s topic is Growth.

When you create something, you’ll grow emotionally and intellectually from the experience. Try something new, out of your comfort zone, and your growth will be even greater.

Creativity will stimulate your mind and help you become a better learner.

Working on a creative project can raise you out of a sad or depressed mood. The process of creating, and then seeing the result, will give you a sense of accomplishment and raise your spirits.

Don’t even think about failing. There is no “failure” when you unleash your creativity. If something doesn’t quite turn out the way you planned, still you’ve learned something new. You challenged yourself and created something unique. That is succeeding, not failing.

One creation is never the final word. Whatever you create is a stepping stone to more knowledge and more creations, to more personal fulfillment and gratification—and happiness.

How do you think creativity enhances personal growth?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today, let’s have a little Fun with these Facts and quirks about some famous creative people!

Odd Facts about Famous Creative Geniuses

Einstein was apparently infatuated with his cousin, Elsa, who wrote him a letter asking for a photograph and a book on his theory of relativity. Einstein responded that there was no book, but if she visited, he’d explain the theory on a walk “without my wife, who is unfortunately very jealous…Baby, I’m your relativity relative.”

Truman Capote supposedly liked to write while lying down with a drink—coffee, mint tea, sherry or martini—in one hand. “I am a completely horizontal author,” he said in an interview. “I can’t think unless I’m lying down.”

William Faulkner took up the habit of drinking whiskey from Sherwood Anderson, who he met in New Orleans when Faulkner was working for a bootlegger. Impressed with Anderson’s writing schedule of drinking late into the night and writing in seclusion during the day, Faulkner decided “if that was the life it took to be a writer, that was the life for me.”

Leonardo da Vinci took many short naps in a 24-hour period; he slept no more than two hours per day. (This method of sleeping is called polyphasic sleep.)

Thomas Edison also liked “power naps.” He slept sitting in a chair, his elbow on the chair arm, his chin resting on his fist, which was full of marbles. He’d think about his problem until he fell asleep, his arm would drop, and the marbles would clatter to the floor and wake him. He then immediately wrote whatever was in his head.

See the above link for more (and further details on the ones I listed here).

Do you have any odd or funny habits you’d care to share?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I discuss the effect of education on creativity.

Does education—and I’m talking traditional education—help or hamper creativity?

“How Schools Kill Creativity”

Ken Robinson–writer, researcher, adviser, teacher and speaker—has been involved in many projects related to education and creativity, including leading a 1998 British advisory committee that studied the significance of creativity in education and in the economy. For this work, he was knighted in 2003.

He sums up what he works toward in one statement: “To transform the culture of education and organizations with a richer conception of human creativity and intelligence.”

In a widely watched 2006 TED talk entitled “How Schools Kill Creativity,” Robinson argues that “we are educating people out of their creativity.”  He believes the current methods of education make people good workers, but not creative thinkers. He says students who may appear restless and distracted are ignored or stigmatized instead of having their energy and curiosity directed toward creativity.

TED.com offers these other quotes from Robinson’s talk:

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

“All kids have tremendous talents — and we squander them pretty ruthlessly.”

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

“Schools are Necessary for a Creative Society”

Keith Sawyer, a professor of Educational Innovations at the University of North Carolina, wrote a 2012 article for the Huffington Post entitled, “Schools that Foster Creativity.” Inspired by Ken Robinson’s TED talk, Sawyer agrees that “creativity should be as important in education as literacy.” And he believes we need schools in order to have a creative society.

He says creativity takes many hours of hard work and dedication, and requires a large investment in learning and expertise. He says, “The path to the creative society of the future goes straight through the classroom. But not the memorize-and-regurgitate classrooms we have today — instead, classrooms that give students a deeper understanding of the material.”

Further, he says creativity doesn’t come with a “sudden flash of insight.” Instead, it’s a build-up of many small ideas, and the right type of education can teach students how to be creative rather than blocking creativity.

It seems both are arguing for a new way to teach, new classroom methods to encourage creativity instead of stifling it.

What do you think? Does education hamper or hurt creativity? Do we need to change the way we currently teach students in order to encourage their creativity? Is creativity important for our society and economy?

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I look at being Dauntless in your quest for creativity!

Dauntless. Fearless. Bold. Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged.

Going for it.

To be creative, to create from your soul, you need to be dauntless.

Artists throughout history followed their creativity to the point of being considered rebels, or sometimes, crazy. Often, artists are at the forefront of major changes in society.

Some well-known rebel artists include:

Beethoven: An article on Ultimate-Guitar.com says Beethoven is “widely considered to be one of the best composers who ever lived…because he changed the face of music forever…[he] almost single-handedly took the world from the Classical Era of music to the Romantic Era, and managed to speak out against some of the injustices of the world in the process.”

The Impressionists: According to this article on Artelino.com, “Impressionism started as a rebellion of a few young artists in Paris around 1863 against a rigid art establishment. It took the Impressionist artists about 20 years before ridicule was replaced by recognition…Art critics called the paintings unfinished and declared the artists as madmen.”

The entire article is worth reading, if just for the mention of other unbelievable criticisms against the Impressionists.

1950s Poets and Painters:

The “Rebel Poets of the 1950s” who included Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, at that time, “were called anti-intellectuals, destroyers of language, and literary juvenile delinquents.”

“Rebel Painters of the 1950s” states:

“As with the poets of the period who challenged accepted literary standards to envelop their personal experiences within new formats, the painters of the 1950s created unique and distinctive images by merging their private states of imagination and feeling with innovative compositional structures.”

Jimi Hendrix: Rock ‘n Roll was a big part of the social changes of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and Hendrix was at the forefront playing his unique style of electric guitar. He was criticized for his version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Check it out on YouTube.

Hendrix once said: “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this word, then it can only happen through music.”

Don’t be afraid of what others might think of your work. Your best work will come from inside you, and that will, in some way, be different from anyone else’s. Sometimes it will be different in a big way, and that’s when you have to be dauntless—and be proud of what you’ve created.

Be Creative! Be Dauntless! Be a rebel!

My theme for the Blogging from A to Z challenge is Creativity. Today I discuss Craft and Curiosity!

I think to really boost your creativity, you need to know your craft. Whether you’re writing, sculpting, dancing, or working on a new scientific theory, you need to know at least the basics of your field or hobby.

I’m not saying you can’t be creative by just jumping into something. Many people approach a creative project that way—the old “hold your nose and take the plunge” method. I just think you’re going to be more successful, and have a better chance of exploring your creativity, if you aren’t bogged down by struggling with the basics.

Along with the idea of learning your craft, is the need for curiosity in order to be creative. If you question things, learn more about your subject, be curious about the world, people, and things around you, your creativity will be sparked.

Say you’re writing about a cat stalking a mouse. You could probably come up with a suitable description. But if you first observe a real cat stalking a mouse, or some other critter, or read about cats, or watch a movie, or all of these things, your description will be much more creative. You might see some detail in the cat’s movement or reaction that triggers a way to make your writing original—perhaps adding something humorous or foreboding, depending on what your story or article is about.

Learn your Craft as the foundation for your creativity. Curiosity will help you dig deeper into your creativity, producing something that is truly “you.”