Sharika Roland

An essential part of the definition of creativity is that it is not only original and useful, but occurs in a specific domain. This view highlights the importance of recognizing the areas in which a childs particular bent falls. One way to understand this is to think of it as seven kinds of intelligences:  Languages, Math and Logic, Music, Spatial Reasoning, Movement, and Interpersonal Intelligence.

Making school a place where each of these ways of learning are offered would be the very best as it would include everyone. Traditional schools focus on Languages and Math and Logic. You are going to have a hard time getting good grades if you have other kinds of intelligence. You might be labeled a slow learner even. What a traumatic stigma to have to go through when you just have a different learning capacity.  I was one of those who did not fit in very well with traditional education.

If I could start a school I would incorporate all the seven intelligences and let the children pick the one that they can use the best. Everyone would love school then. Everyone knows we are each unique, why then have a system of schooling that is so narrow. It takes a lot more work to incorporate all the styles of learning but it wold be more useful for everyone.

Also the first few years of life are crucial to building a good foundation for living the rest of your life. I think we should throw the Television out and develop amazing play areas for children so they can find out how they learn best. If you know that half the battle is won.

The ironic think about this blog is that it is super personal and I am talking about the most important things and I am deeply sharing my heart , but it is in an isolation tank.

I write and really hardly anyone writes back more than a few words. the counter says lots of people have read this but I wonder what they are thinking.

This is what I would like to see happen. People begin to write back and they write to each other about the topics I am talking about and share their insight and experiences.

then we all can benefit. But until that happens , I am in solitary confinement. It is one thing to actually be alone and write but this is sort of a two way street.

I would love it if someone totally disagreed with me and told me so. I would also love it if someone took it to another level and proved me wrong. I also wonder what the spam is about. Is there a person who sends notes out just to get on some kind of a list. I don’t know.

Until I do know I think I will keep on till someone writes back really writes back and shares something important.

I was reading a book on creativity that featured a story about a company that painted clouds on the floor, and has sounds effects on the long hallway that everyone had to walk down, Push a button and you get a new sound, all the way down the long hall. They also had very unorthodox ideas about furniture arrangement and naps were encouraged to make you feel better. All in all they were fostering a creative environment for all employees. Can you imagine ever quitting a place that was so homey and delightful? Why doesn’t everybody do this?

Most offices have florescent lighting, beige or white walls. and nothing to look at that is beautiful.

What a waste of life. No minute of your day should not be filled with every good thing to listen to, read, look at and feel. Yup we have five senses so we can use them not just for special occasions.

If I had an office full of workers I would greet them all with a kiss when they got to work. Then I would have them take off their shoes and hand them some soft slippers. Then I would whisper in their ear how proud  I was of them and how wonderful this day was going to be. Does that sound silly?? Well think of how high morale would be and how much work would get done without the onslaught of drabness and fear and loneliness  and  competition, and tiredness. What if you went to work and could not wait to get there because it was so delightful and make you feel one hundred percent better. I would make it my full time job to delight my employees. We would do whatever we would do together as a team and be happy and productive.

I cannot even think of a more wonderful time than to be with people who are able to communicate what is unique about themselves. We are all unique of course, but few people are able to fully express that fact. But when you find one , you will basically have the best time of your life just talking to them. People are so concerned with what others might think of them that mostly they end up conforming to the status quo. That is why there are fashionable colors and fashionable looks. Everybody wants to fit in. To get love. I think that is the only reason.

What if you were the only person in the world and nobody but you wee going to see how you were dressed. How would you dress? If I had guts I would wear cashmere sweaters and pants and great flowing robes. You always feel fancy in great glowing robes.

What is all this talk of clothes? Well clothes are just an outward expression of in inward view of yourself. And believe it or not but if you start dressing more elaborately , you will start thinking and feeling more elaborate.

My grandmother refused to ever ever wear pants. She always had a dress on even when she was working outside.” That is what aprons are for” she would say.

When I lived in San Francisco, I got a scholarship to go to the Academe of Art. It was a total free ride.

On the first day I had a class in sculpting that I had to take but did not want to because I had no interest in sculpting. I only wanted to paint. The professor said that he could not teach us how to be artists but only show us what he knew. I thought that was honest. But I did not care what he knew and I did not care what anyone knew there . I only wanted to paint and I already was doing that without their help. Another class I had there I heard a similar thing from another professor. After two weeks of this I left art school and never went back.

This is what is true. If you are going to be an artist, it does not matter how you get there. I totally believe that some people are born artists and that is that. I also believe that some people really love to do art but they are not artists. The difference between a born artist and someone who is just in love with art is vast. A born artist can do nothing else. There are no options to them but to do their art. Other people have options but born artists do not. There is no question ever ever ever ever at any point in their lives as to what they will do.

When I was in first grade during art class I knew I was going to be a painter, even though I had never held a brush. Wen I saw paintings in museums. I knew I was going to be a painter/ I never never never have not painted.

My parents , god bless them, knew this too about me and let me paint big paintings on masonite in my bedroom when I was very young. I only cared about paint and I loved the feel of it and the smell of it. And if you can believe this I have always painted ladies.

Beng an art lover is not a lesser life, it is just different. Art does not own you when you just love it. When you are an artist , it does own you. There is nothing else you can do because you are its slave.

When young people come up to me and ask for advice, here is what I should tell them if I was honest:  If you can be something else then do it, but if you can’t, then you don’t need advice.