Also @ Creativity Portal

Building Teams to Help Creativity at Work
As a team leader, do you want to spend your time building your team for creativity at work? ... How do you lead your team? Are you a "star with helpers" or are you "first among equals"? The best approach is a flexible one that depends on the situation. Still, if you want a more "first among equals" style, here's a team building approach that doesn't require using a consultant.

Anti-creative Habits to Break
Are you still using the same old methods to think your way out of a problem? Perhaps you are using the tried and true, but it's not working anymore. Read on...

Ephemeral Beauty, Enduring Inspiration

The Eight Principles of Design

When the Student is Ready the Master Not Only Appears But He Stays

Take Ten for Writers No. 70: Simile But Different Writing Exercise
Similes are comparisons that jazz up your writing.

This We Know Postscript: The Future's Bright
People don't so much work any more but contribute and create, loving what they do.

Finding Inspiration in the Dark
Is it possible to appreciate light without experiencing the dark?

Creativity Interview with Artsy Craftsy Shia Lynn Toh.
Ever since I have redefined creativity and unravel creative boundaries, I find myself like Yin and Yang.

Alex's Drawings

Rob Court : I Can't Draw

I Can't Draw

By Rob Court

It's that time again — back to school! Today I'm planning drawing lessons for schools in Santa Cruz and Monterey, California. I'm also preparing for the inevitable group of students who will lay down the gauntlet at the very first moment of class, proclaiming outright, "I! Can't! Draw!"

Indeed, I faced the first defiant outcry even before the first day of school. Last week, while discussing the drawing course with teachers at a small alternative education school, a student overheard her name added to the course roster. A look of horror crossed her face as she blurted out, "No way! I can't draw."

As she spoke I leaned over to look at the papers on her desk. I noticed she was doodling with a pen on a folder. It was a wonderful abstract doodle, composed of intricately woven lines and delicate shapes. "Perfect start. I'll see you in class next week," I replied.

Driving home, I remembered one particularly defiant high school drawing student last year. From the moment pencil hit paper Alex let me know, in no small way, that he didn't know how to look at things then draw them. Each time he gasped in frustration, my return volley was firm encouragement. "Compare what you've drawn to what you're looking at, keep looking for accurate proportions."

That was pretty much how it went as we continued drawing through the lessons, from simple cartoon characters to natural forms.

Then one day during class, while drawing from a picture by the muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, Alex glared up at me and quietly said, "I hate you Rob, and I hate drawing."

Alex's Drawing I replied, "Yeah I know, but look at this amazing sketch you're doing." He smiled slightly and continued shading the background behind the figure of the woman.

And so it goes. This week, every drawing teacher across the land will rise to the challenge. Elementary and middle school teachers, drawing instructors such as Mona Brookes, and university professors such as Dr. Betty Edwards will step into their classrooms and hear the familiar ring of those three fateful words: "I can't draw."

Smiling patiently, they will say to themselves, "Ah, but you can." •

Drawing coach, Rob Court lives in Santa Cruz, California. He is the author of 30 drawing books and works with students in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. More »

3/19/10