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When doing this exercise, I was in conflict; I didn't know whether to choose who I really am now, or the person I'm working to reach. I also felt that my personality depends on the environment I'm in, i.e. whether I'm in a personal or professional environment. In the end, after reading the different profiles, I felt that I identified with the ENTP type the most.

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At first, the Moon Landing seemed like a very simple exercise. It was similar the fluency exercises, but still pushed us to think differently. I did not think much of it, until we came to the ropes. NASA put ropes as one of the important tools to have, but not for the reasons I thought. Astronauts use the ropes for any cliffs that may come across in their journey. At that moment, I realized that I never thought of the moon as having cliffs, only small craters. And the reason is because when I pictured the moon I pictured a cartoon version of it that I saw a lot when I was younger. I realized that our childhood cartoons play a huge role in how we perceive the world today, and it influences association we make between many things, even after many years have passed.

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After talking about it in class, I got to thinking what creativity means to me. I believe that creativity is the ability to come up with something totally original. But how many of us are actually doing that? I realized that even though I can come up with a unique idea, how much of it is pure creation from my part, and how much of it just an adaptation or appropriation of other ideas? Sure, taking inspiration from things around us may be useful in the "small c's", the everyday "creativities", if you will. But what about the revolutionary ideas? The ideas that truly reshape our world?

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Food for thought:

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It has occurred to me that our personalities have a huge impact on the way we deal with problems in our lives and the way we view them in the first place. Many of the problem solving techniques that we have taken, such as mind-mapping or breaking our problem into smaller tasks, are absolutely useful and applicable in all fields, but I struggle to find a use for them in my daily life. For each course I take I study differently; for each activity I join I tackle problems in various ways. Sometimes I'm very organized in my approach to a challenge to be able to come up with the best solutions; other times I just sit and have a go at it, and find out that what I have produced is far better than anything I would've done if I had sat down and planned first

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The Design Thinking process we went though to redesign one of our classmates' gift giving experience was very intriguing, mainly because it was a new way to approach problems and challenges in our lives. But I realize afterwards that we may have been already pushed to think that way in other parts of our lives.
A couple of days ago one of my friends called me, panicking, because she had a final submission for a project the next day and hasn't finished her work. She was overwhelmed from all the tasks she had to finish. At first, I wasn't sure how to help her or calm her down, but then I remembered what my mom used to tell my sister when she panicked, "Take everything one step at a time." Instead of looking at the problem as one big bulk, break it down and tackle every small part on its own. Eventually, you will solve the problem with success and no stress.

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The Gift Giving Experience Mini-Challenge

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The Gift Giving Experience Mini-Challenge

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Here, I have attached my work itself. After empathizing and interviewing Samah, (sorry for calling her Habiba), I designed a store for her, that has all kinds of gifts and small trinkets that she can look through and buy. She was very happy with the idea, and I truly felt that it complemented her gift giving habits.

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Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

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Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

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I have recently started this book that talked about how mindfulness plays a huge role in our ability to remember, judge, and imagine. It talked about how to be able to be mindful, you need to be able to not only see, but also observe the world around you. The author, in the beginning of the book, mentions a little story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, where Holmes asks Dr. Watson how many stairs there are in 221 Baker Street. Even though he walked up and down those stairs everyday, Dr. Watson was not even able to guess a number. And that is what makes Sherlock Holmes so great: he observes. I then realized how vital a skill this is in our in-class fluency exercises, and how, if a person honed these observation skills, he/she would make a substantially higher amount of associations between things. These would come in handy in many different ways, one of which is problem solving. It is imperative that we learn how to observe, and cultivate that habit, because we do not observe by defa

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Redesign the Pyramids from IKEA's Perspective

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Redesign the Pyramids from IKEA's Perspective

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Out of all the fluency exercises we have done, this one was my favorite. Usually, when someone sits to redesign something, the possibilities are endless, and this can be a double edged sword. Sometimes, when we are left with any and all options, we get lost and find a hard time settling on one concept or idea. But when we look at things from one person's perspective, we get to narrow it down enough to be able to come up with bigger and better ideas. In this case, I felt that when I was redesigning from a company's perspective is much more fun for two reasons: 1. As opposed to individuals, we usually know more about what a company is all about, since it is usually very clear in their products, ads and services. 2. Companies usually have a certain approach to the way they come up with products and services, and this "vibe" can be successfully extended to any redesigning project a person can face. For example, when I was redesigning from IKEA's perspective, I was thinking of "environmentally friendly" and "customization".

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Now, the DolabCo. Challenge was actually quite interesting. One of the things I observed was that, out of the 4 groups, 3 made insanely large and complex ideas. To give them credit, their concepts were very impressive and creative, but still very complicated. Many of us fall in a trap, where we want to make something grand and so out of this world that it would blow people's minds. But we never stop and think about the simplest solutions out there, that may be better and more successful. We get caught up in the need to make something so complex, instead of focusing on making something so simple its revolutionary

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I would have to agree with Steve Jobs on this point. No one can help but create something that is inspired by what is around them and what their background is like. We build up on each other's ideas, and that is what creativity and innovation are all about.

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I have recently read a book by Daniel Kahneman called "Thinking Fast, and Slow". In this book, he discusses how we have 2 systems: System 1 is the fast, intuitive system, that makes decisions on impulse, while System 2 is the slower, more thoughtful system that uses critical thinking to arrive to a conclusion. After talking about the "red hammer" phenomenon in class, I could not help but remember this book. For me, System 1 represented the red hammer, the idea or thought that we reach so quickly yet can be erroneous, or even commonplace. System 2, on the other hand, represents the Design Thinking process, which is long and deliberative, but produces better outcomes. It is extremely important for us to train our brains to use System 2 more often, and more efficiently, to become more creative.

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My Thoughts On the Growth Mindset in Particular

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My Thoughts On the Growth Mindset in Particular

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The growth mindset is a great idea in theory, but what about in practice? Many people say that to cultivate a growth mindset you need encouragement and a positive attitude. I personally will never thrive that way. For me, harsh criticism is key. It pushes me to be better, always, and even though it may seem illogical to want harsh criticism, the method is irrelevant as long as the end goal is reached.

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According to Malcolm Gladwell, the famous author of the book Outliers, to be an expert in anything (be it in sports, science or salsa) you need to practice this activity at least 10,000 hours. Many people have used the 10,000 hours rule as a way of life, while others tried to refute his claims. Regardless of whether you believe this 10,000 hour figure, you have to admit that the guy has a point: the more you practice anything, the better you will get at it. And that's all that really matters. As long as we keep working on something, we will see progress, and whether it takes 10 hours or 10,000 hours to master, practice is key.

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After doing a design thinking project after design thinking project, drawing this mind map felt as easy as reciting my full name. It was also the first mind map I make that gets a Check Plus! This means a lot to me in this case especially, because I hold great pride in knowing that I'm getting better, because nothing is more dangerous that being complacent.

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I was very proud that I came up with a theme for my mind map, but because I did not know how mind maps work, I ended up making a flowchart.

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Unlike the DolabCo. Challenge, this challenge was very tricky, confusing even, for me. In topics relating to things such as Zero Hunger and Education For All, my mind always goes to the solutions that would work on a national or even international level, due to my experiences in model conferences such as MUNs. For me to change my way of thinking AND applying the Design Thinking process was very tedious. It was, however, a good exercise in adapting to change. As the last Design Thinking project, my group and I tried our best to come up with the most creative and unique solution we can, and we were very happy with the fact that we were able to divide our problem into very small sub problems, and that we were able to look at those sub problems from new angles.

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Talking about careers opened up a topic I struggled with throughout my high school years and even until today. I battle with the idea that I have to choose a major. For me, it felt unfair. I loved everything, and was always curious to learn more. I wished I can study law, economics, business, political science, culinary arts and graphic design, but also computer science, architecture, and math. I understand why this system of choosing one field of study is employed, but I still wish I can learn as much as I can about everything. Then I realized that I can learn on my own, and no matter what major I choose, I always had the option of pursuing anything else concurrently if I put my mind to it.

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After discussing careers and personalities in class, I decided to take a free MBTI personality test online out of curiosity. When I saw my results, I was fairly confused---The profile of "The Campaigner" is not me at all. Then I realized that of course a free test online is not going to reveal my personality down to the smallest details. It did lead me to explore the other profiles, and pushed me to think about who I really am.

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The image speaks for itself, but it definitely shows how, by using the right words and some unconventional creativity, one can write a CV that would make them look like they own the world.

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When I got the results for the inventory, I was shocked, to say the least. I thought my code would be EIA, but it turned out to be ERC. Deep down I know there's a C in me, but the fact that there was no A confused me to no end. I love art, in (almost) all its forms, yet the test says otherwise. I believe that these tests are useful, but not always accurate for me. My interests change all the time, but maybe it's because of the period I'm at in my life. Nonetheless, I have decided to utilize this inventory to formulate my career plan.

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This was one of my favorite career related activities. My work values are the one thing I've always known, since they always shaped my career goal. After finishing it, the results were no surprise to me at all: My top work values were authority, advancement, prestige and risk. I've always wanted to be in a position of power, and I wanted to be the person that makes the decisions, but I also love a job that is competitive and ever-changing. I would like to note that even though my focus is on specific work values, pretty much all of them are intertwined. (e.g. advancement and income).

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I posted this assignment for 2 reasons:
1. It bothered me that it got a Check and not a Check Plus, because I could have done better, design-wise. I feel that it is important to recognize one's mistakes so as to be able to fix them in the future. It also gives me incentive to push myself and truly develop.
2. I have never been this honest about myself on paper before. Of course I know who I am, but I don't necessarily commit that in writing. This exercise pushed me to finally admit my most prominent traits, both good and bad, and it felt liberating.

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This was the first digital mind map I made for this class, and I was quite happy with it. In this assignment we were asked to make a mind map about how we have made a decision about our careers and what we plan to achieve through talking about our personality, interests and work values. Instead of stating these points implicitly, I decided to write my mind map in the form of convergent then divergent thinking, and mentioning those qualities implicitly.

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This CV is one of my favorite assignments. I got to express my creativity and design a CV that is nowhere near as boring as the actual CV I have (which I posted above because I wanted to show just how boring it is compared to this one). It was fun, but also informative. Instead of making up my own internship, I decided to look for different options for CS majors that I can apply to while I'm still officially an Architectural Engineering major. Almost all the internships and jobs require that I study CS and to have experience with certain programming languages that I was not yet familiar of. I felt it would be unrealistic to try and apply for these jobs as my first step, so I decided to apply for a LEGO tech camp counselor position that was offered. I chose it for a few reasons: it would give me a good training from a very well known international company that I can add in my CV, its requirements I do have (I've worked with children before, which puts me in a really good position), and I would get to work abroad, and it would show that I have the ability to adapt. I really wish creative CVs were an option when applying for jobs, but it is understandable why a certain structure and form in needed in CVs.

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Short answer: Yes. Yes they do.
Long answer: Today's educational systems put more effort and attention in subjects such as math and science, rather than anything else. Don't get me wrong, math and science require an immense amount of creativity. But the way we study it in school is far from creative. We are encouraged to listen to what the teacher has to say, not to ask questions (because what if your question is stupid? It'll just waste class time) and memorize the formulas given to us. This is not an environment where creativity can grow. It's time for schools and universities all around the world to change the learning systems already!

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“Which is Your Own Biggest Barrier to Creative Confidence?”

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“Which is Your Own Biggest Barrier to Creative Confidence?”

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I decided to reflect on this reflection paper at the end of the semester, since I was very curious about how my thoughts would change. After completing this course, I would say that I do not have any more "barriers" to my creative confidence. I am now more certain than even that if I applied and pushed myself, I would create some of the best work I could possibly do.

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It was important to discuss the different mindsets people have. Unfortunately, I believe that most people have a more fixed and closed mindset. I know that it is more of a spectrum, no one has a 100% growth or 100% fixed mindsets, but our educational systems push us to be more on the fixed side: mistakes are never encourage, and every student's worst fear is not that he/she is not learning and understanding, but that they will not do well on their exams. This is not what education is about. It is about pushing us to open our minds and make mistakes so that we can become better and continuously develop.

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It was very interesting to see how the design thinking challenge can be utilized in real life applications. Instead of doing the "logical" thing (which turned out to be hilariously incorrect) they challenged the misconceptions and designed something that is truly revolutionary. Even though I do not believe that the design thinking process is suitable for every job, all I hope for is to actually have a job that is flexible and interesting enough to require the use of design thinking.

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This first Design Thinking challenge was hard. I did not understand what we were doing, why, or what the outcome is supposed to be like. It was very rushed, and I felt that if the first time was done at a slower pace. The outcome I came up with in the end was something I was proud of no doubt, and it was definitely a challenge.

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It's very sad that parents nowadays still force their children to study what they want, instead of what the children actually want. This stereotype that engineers and doctors are the only good professions needs to disappear. All majors can and will find jobs, and all of them add something to society in one way or another. It is definitely time for change.

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I am Nour Abd Eldayem: Architectural Engineering student that played tennis for 14 years.

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After trying to discover my career identity, and using all the tools we've studied (work values, personality, and interests), I feel that I was able to finally paint a complete picture of where I'm headed career wise. I used critical thinking, self-reflection and all the brainstorming I did to decide on a rough plan of what my next steps would be, starting with changing my major. This essay, along with the career identity mind map, truly show where I am now and where I want to go in the future

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The Various Brainstorming Session Outcomes

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The Various Brainstorming Session Outcomes

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If I would choose one activity to do for the rest of my life, this would be it. I had so much fun stretching my brain and using different techniques and perspectives to redesign different items or places. I still sometimes try to use that technique in many of my other classes, or even in my personal life, to create something new and exciting.

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It is very weird to try and convince myself that this class is over. It felt like it was just the beginning. It is a sad day, for I have to say goodbye to this course, but I know that the things I learned, whether because I wanted to or had to, will stick with me my entire life.

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Writing up this CV was a pain for me, and I've been working on it for months. From using unacceptable fonts, to somehow failing to use reverse chronological ordering for my experiences correctly, it felt like I'll never write a good CV. This experience was annoying, but it definitely showed me what CVs are supposed to be like.

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(Little did I know, this module would be one of the most challenging units I'll ever have to take for any of my courses).

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In hindsight, even though I was dreading this module because I have just settled on my major after 2 years of constantly jumping back and forth between majors, It turned out to be pretty interesting and exciting. It actually ended up confirming my final major choice for me, which was a refreshing surprise.

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A highlight from his talk that we watched.