Creativity & Genre

Creativity and creative process are vital to embarking upon a new endeavor in a field with ripe choices. In class, we've been doing many activities that give me a better understanding of creativity. To better understand the importance of creativity, we watched a Ted Talk, completed the "New Introductions" Activity, and read and annotated the Gale article "An Interview with Ron Beghatto: Subtle Nuances of Creativity in Learning and Life." After participating in these activities, I've decided my magazine will be for teenage girls and young women covering various topics. After doing a lot of research, I'm inspired by many women in the women's magazine industry. I have a vision for my portfolio project that will share "my story" now, let me tell you why. 

 Last week in class, we watched the Ted Talk "." The speaker Duncan Wardle talked about the importance of creativity. Today, the school system strips away our creative thinking by having an idea to be right or wrong, and because of this, people struggle to come up with new ideas. Wardle gives the audience a quote stating, "Our river of thinking is a massive barrier to creativity." That's why playfulness is so important when brainstorming big ideas. The best ideas usually come at odd times, such as during sleep or in the shower but never usually do come to mind at school or work because of the naïve expertise we were taught. This why our expertise could block a single biggest innovation. Wardle also talks about his experiences working at Disney and the creativity Walt Disney had to make Walt Disney World so successful. Disney World was the biggest creative innovation created. It all was possible because Disney took risks and had enough self-confidence and bravery to develop such a marvelous idea and execute it. Many people are scared to get out of their bubble and take risks because they were taught to conform to their whole life. As stated in the video, "The opposite of bravery is not cowardness its conformity." Being brave is a significant part of being creative. Another activity we did in class was the "New Introductions" activity. For this assignment, you had to think creatively and describe ourselves as something and why. For example, I did animals, so one of my sentences was, "I am a panda because I love to eat and sleep." I wrote down a couple of sentences similar to that one, and then it was time to share our sentences in class; doing this requires you to do be brave because what you are saying has no right or wrong answer. It's just merely you creatively expressing yourself. Participating in this activity changed my whole view on creative expression because I was forced to think outside the box and be brave. 

 Being creative and taking risks is crucial for coming up with big ideas and exceeding your goals and dreams. In the interview "An Interview with Ron Beghetto: Subtle Nuances of Creativity in Learning and Life," Michael F. Shaughnessy, a Full Professor at Eastern New Mexico University, interviews Dr. Ron Beghetto. He's an expert on creative thought and action in educational settings. As the Pinnacle West Presidential Chair and Professor at Arizona State University, he explores the role uncertainty plays in creativity, learning, instruction, and how making principled changes to existing teaching, education, and leadership practices lead to creative innovations. Beghetto states how "creative self-efficacy is a specific type of creative self-confidence that helps shape more global beliefs about our creative abilities and identity." His perspectives made me realize that self-confidence reflects our creative abilities and identity and is vital in creating a successful project. I learned that creative expression is a beautiful risk worth taking because sharing creative insights, ideas, and work stands to benefit oneself and has the potential to help others. Taking risks and having uncertainty is a part of the creative process, and for this project, I will do that to create a unique magazine. Ultimately this article helped me recognize that my creative strengths allow me to make real-world creative contributions. Engaging creatively by looking at an issue will benefit me when working on my magazine.  

While researching, I found two magazines that interested me and gave me ideas for my magazine. One of the magazines was "Elle," standing at number seven in the top ten women's magazines. Owned by Lagardere Group of France, it includes news and beauty and covers various other issues that affect women, such as news, politics, and relationships. It also discusses issues from a women's perspective and, of course, fashion, beauty, and entertainment. This magazine's genre is general interest because it covers a broad range of topics and combines stories, pictures, and advertising. Each one of their magazines features a female celebrity on the glossy front cover. The style of the magazine depends on the season and what the model is wearing.  Nina Garcia is the current editor in chief. The creative director is Ruba Abu-Nimah. Garcia is a Colombian journalist and was previously Marie Claire's creative director. She is the first Latin woman to head a significant fashion title in the United States. Millions know her style as a "Project Runway" judge and the author of four fashion books. She's brave, uses creative expression, and her fashion ability to put an outfit together seamlessly. Her secret is to stock up on a few perfect basics and then add items to elevate the look. A big part of her style is chic hats. She's a huge inspiration in the fashion industry world, and her work is incredible. After analyzing the magazine, I found that I would like to use the same combinations of stories, pictures, and advertising. I want to execute my magazine differently by not featuring any celebrity on the front cover. The other magazine I researched was the "Cosmopolitan," a leading women's magazine known for sex tips, celebrity interviews, and fashion advice. It's a combination of pictures, articles, and advertisements. The magazine's genre is general interest because it features numerous topics, but it's geared towards young fashion-savvy females. Jessica Pels is the editor in chief, and the creative director is Abby Silverman. Pels previously served as the digital editor of Marie Claire, where she tripled the readership. She also has print and hybrid posts at "Glamour" and "Teen Vogue." Her style can be described as classy and unique. She uses her social platforms to inspire young women around the world to be unique and express themselves. I want to focus my magazine around the same interests but leave out the more mature explicit content and make mine geared towards teenage fashion-savvy females rather than young adults. 

After learning about creativity, participating in several related activities, annotating an article all about creative expression, and researching many magazines, I have come up with my final decision for my magazine genre. I have decided to create a general interest magazine. General Interest is the most common category of a magazine. They are written for a general audience, cover a broad range of topics, contain a combination of stories, pictures, and advertising, and are usually bound with a glossy cover. My targeted audience will be teens and young women because I love giving fashion advice, recommending makeup products, reading politics and celebrity drama. That's all going to be included in my magazine, and I’m very excited about it. I have a vision, and I know that I can express myself creatively and tell ‘my story” because I'm very passionate about my chosen topic. Therefore, I will able to create a successful portfolio project.