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Creativity Notebook Entry #1: Self-Portrait with Artist Statement 5/20

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Creativity Notebook Entry #1: Self-Portrait with Artist Statement 5/20

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This self-portrait means a lot to me because it was a gift. The artist recreated a photo I took on my first trip to Morocco. While I usually love the colorful palettes of Moroccan culture, the black-and-white hand-drawn style emphasizes my journey toward simplicity, acceptance, and joy. My natural beauty, with the sun shining on my curly locks and the "Teach" bracelet symbolizing my desire for lifelong learning, reflect my strongest traits from the survey which are kindness, fairness, judgment, perspective, and creativity.

Each detail in the portrait, especially my smile, reminds me of protection, self-love, and courage guiding me through different cities and seasons. From the moment I arrived in Morocco, each step expanded my world. After returning to the U.S., I shifted my perspective on challenges and flourished into someone passionate about life. I hope this portrait inspires others to embrace their individuality and celebrate the beauty within.

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Creativity, for me, is the ability to express my innermost thoughts and feelings through various forms, whether it's art, writing, or simply finding beauty in everyday moments. My inspiration comes from the kindness of others, like a former elementary student's heartfelt letter from my time with YMCA afterschool program, and the wisdom and heartfelt cards from my colleagues and students who signed congratulation cards for me when I received admission letters to NC State and UNCW. The vibrant colors of the clothespin tacks symbolize the joy and hope I wish to keep adding to moments on my journey. I envision my most creative self as someone who embraces new experiences, like my first trip to the Taj Mahal, and channeling that energy into meaningful projects. I aim to weave the character strengths from my survey: kindness, perspective, justice, gratitude, and creativity into all aspects of my life, from teaching to personal endeavors. I want to express my creativity more fully in my writing and community work, using my voice to uplift others and share diverse stories. This vision board is a repurposed frame from my late mother, she used to share a framing hobby with me as a child of teaching me to frame puzzles we created together, so using this vision board at different stages in my life has been that much more meaningful in times when I doubted a sense of justice during periods of grief, and serves as a daily reminder of my goals and practice gratitude for a life well lived and a vibrant journey ahead.

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Creative Notebook Entry #3 Listening Walk Activity

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Creative Notebook Entry #3 Listening Walk Activity

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On May 23, 2025, I went on a listening walk on the ampitheater trail of Richard Ray All America Park. As I was walking along the trail, I heard the sounds of honking of geese, a large water fountain with small turtles swimming in the reservoir, birds singing, and children playing in the distance on the other side of the hill. Gradually, as I moved farther away from the geese, and closer to the playground that is where the sounds of children playing echoed more loudly. The sounds of the birds singing sweetly from the tree branches swaying in the wind, and the buzzing sounds of insects reminded me that summer was approaching. Each sound painted a vivid picture of life in the park, making me appreciate the simple beauty of nature and community around me. During my walk, I reflected on the frustrations expressed from other childcare staff in a previous experience about children walking barefoot outdoors at times. Our readings in Chapter 5, confirmed a valid connection children have with nature through their feet. I did not personally walk without my shoes in the park to conform to societal norms, but I would love to try this one day when there is less visibility, or at the beach. The readings stated that young children feel a natural affinity for the ground, and I had not fully appreciated before how going barefoot allows their feet to develop naturally, without the constraints of shoes. This experience reinforced the principle of sensory exploration and nature play practice, a key playful learning practice. By allowing children to walk barefoot, we enable them to engage with their environment more deeply, fostering both physical and emotional growth. I found a newfound respect for this practice, recognizing it as vital for their connection to nature and children's healthy development.

"Young children feel a natural affinity for the ground, and that affinity can be enhanced by removing all barriers between it and the feet. Moreover, going barefoot can help the feet to develop naturally, as opposed to conforming to the shape of shoes."

Pica, Rae. Why Play? : How to Make Play an Essential Part of Early Education, Teachers College Press, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uncw/detail.action?docID=31179722

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My goals are shaped by my reflections on creativity, connection, and personal growth. The self-portrait I received as a gift holds a special place in my heart. It captures my first trip to Morocco, a transformative experience that opened my eyes to the beauty of different cultures and the importance of embracing who I am. This portrait reflects the values that will be part of aligning with my goals from my character strengths survey: kindness, fairness, gratitude, perspective, and creativity.

Inspired by this, I set two specific goals using the WOOP method. The first is to try more creative activities through outdoor play. During a recent listening walk in Richard Ray All America Park, I was reminded of the power of nature. The sounds of geese, children laughing, and leaves rustling were peaceful. I realized that connecting with nature can develop many aspects of creativity and learning. I plan to schedule at least one weekly outdoor session where I can explore and create, inviting my family to join me. This way, I can blend my responsibilities with moments of joy.

My second goal is to change my perspective on creating joy and my well-being through weekly practices like journaling and art. Scheduling these moments are reminders that allow me to celebrate my strengths and experiences. I want to turn off notifications on my phone and email for at least 15-45 minutes each times and focus on the process without worrying about necessarily achieving an outcome each time.

These goals align fairly with who I am. By engaging in outdoor activities, kindness and gratitude are achieved by celebrating the beauty around me while building connections and memories with my family. These goals are commitments to living a more creative, playful life, which I am thankful to utilize in my future professional experiences

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Creativity Notebook Entry #5: Option#5 Process Art

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Creativity Notebook Entry #5: Option#5 Process Art

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I leaned into experimentation by repurposing black construction paper to communicate a sense of joy and using Q-tips to erase the oil pastel flakes that cause the messy aspect of creating art explained in the Complete Guide to Process Art by Sally Haughey. Changing the techniques used to make the strokes larger or smaller was liberating and deepened my connection to the piece. I can see how documenting the process can be meaningful for students in the classroom as well. Shifting my focus from the final product to the creative journey was transformative. My emotional growth is expressed through the colors at the carnival representing navy for the sky, rides, pink for cotton candy, what my children were wearing and lilac for lavender flowers which bring me joy. This piece now exists in the world, a simple family memory, which brings a sense of accomplishment to what I created.

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In reimagining my driveway, I decided to add flexible seating with an outdoor picnic table and cozy camping chairs, and a vibrant hot pink Bluetooth speaker to create a fun atmosphere for my family and neighbors. This redesign was inspired by the low-cost ideas from Popup Play and PLL – Movies on the Block & Playfest 2019 and Playful Learning Landscapes early learning design concepts, which focus on building connections and fostering creativity in our communities. These changes support creativity, play, and connection by transforming our driveway into a space where people can interact together. The flexible outdoor seating allows anyone to choose switching between activities, from the Hopskotch game or other activities suggested, while the music helps set an upbeat tone. My redesign choices were influenced by the hands-on, playful activities in the module resources, such as those found in Pop Up Play. These activities promote interaction and skill development, which is explored with the Montessori and Reggio Emilia Approach. The Reggio Emilia approach is all about creating spaces that encourage exploration and connection to the environment around us. By involving my children in deciding how to set up the space, I empowered them and nurtured their sense of ownership. When they offered to help clean up, I could see their joy and eagerness to take care of our shared environment. In the future, I hope to carry these design principles into early childhood classrooms, creating spaces that inspire creativity and strengthen connections among families and children. Seeing our neighbor's curiosity sparked as well provided an example of how we can build a sense of community and joy in learning too. Where curiosity thrives in an environment, exploration and collaboration can flourish, creating a strong sense of community and joy in the learning journey.​

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Creativity Notebook Entry #6 Reimagining a Space for Creativity, Play, and Engagement_ (2)

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Creativity Notebook Entry #7 Mindful Photo Walk

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Today, I took a walk in my neighborhood with one of my children. As we walked, birds chirped followed by loud frogs croaking as the sun rose higher. I noticed details that I had not seen before, like a towering tree whose height amazed me for the first time. The air was filled with the scent of grass and the warmth of the sun was complemented by a nice breeze. I found awe in the way the yellow sunlight illuminated each object uniquely. The daisies patterns reminded me of windmills from past trips in the countryside, and the spotted black dots on a yellow leaf brought bumblebees to mind. The morning dew resting by the leaf made me think of advice received to be near water. I paused to take pictures and reflect, feeling grateful for the ability to create space in my mind for these moments. Slowing down and really paying attention changed my experience completely. I started to appreciate the sounds around me in a new way, too. The birds were singing sweetly, and the cheerful croaking of frogs waking up felt like joyful music, rather than just noise. For the last photo on our walk, I was reminded by the angles that changes in direction can move you away from stressful thoughts. By the end of our walk, I felt a sense of vigor and we chose to stay outside for a bit longer. Next time, I would approach my photo walk with more time, and solitude which deepens my connection to the moment.

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What caught my attention about this leaf found outside was its bright colors and the darker blotted patterns on its surface. As I followed the Drawing Cycle, I planned to split the leaf in half visually, as Katherine Hocker suggests, which allowed me to focus on the right side first, capturing its curves. I wondered how the spots appeared on the leaf without any holes and what caused those unique dotted patterns? When I shifted my attention to the stem, I noticed its bent shape and the curious burned appearance at the end. Also, why is this leaf yellow while all the others around it are green? I chose to start with the larger spots on the left side since they really stood out. I practiced drawing the stem more and rubbed the pencil marks, to create the green discoloration against the bright yellow leaf. Last, I drew the veins, and I observed how they started to blend with the leaf's yellow color.

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After reading the Provocations: A Start-Up Guide and exploring the play invitations resources, I thought of how I could improve this previous lesson that I shared with a two year old group of young learners at a childcare center. In Morocco, mint and lavender are two of my favorites which I found were a huge part of the culture. I designed an experience that blends Art, Social Studies, and Nature or Science. This lesson invites children to explore concepts of culture, identity, and environment through hands-on sensory experiences. I chose handmade bejeweled jars and decorative pieces to engage their senses and spark curiosity about Moroccan culture and nature. I printed photos of lavender and mint to discuss their colors, uses, growing environments, and animals like the bees that love to pollinate them. After checking that there were no allergies in the class prior, the children smelled each jar and picked their favorite to replicate in different activities. For this activity, I added new stations, including a fabric dramatic play area with a sachet for sorting/color matching, a rock decorating station, and a building station for designing gardens. I also added more art material options, including the Q-tips tip learned in earlier modules to help create the unique shapes on lavender flowers. Also, I thought jumbo popsicle sticks might be a better low-cost substitute for Legos after thinking about how smaller Legos would be problematic for this age group. I learned from this module's resources that experimenting with different materials and using an interdisciplinary approach, along with the concept mapping cycle in provocation lesson design can lead to great student-led responses. This combination promotes engaging discussions, particularly when children share their sensory experiences, enabling them to express creativity through art and imaginative play while encouraging exploration and deepening their understanding of the world around them.​

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I chose to tell the story of my memories at the beach with my parents and how those experiences shaped my life. The beach was a constant backdrop, teaching me about courage, love, and joy. Those moments felt eternal, the world stretched out, filled with possibility. I think of my mother's chair with sunflowers she loved, and an umbrella representing protection on the shore, I see the full circle of life, the love that shaped my journey, reminding me that these bonds will always guide me back to these moments. As I grew older, I found myself walking hand in hand with my parents less often. When I faced challenges, I could almost hear my mother's voice, reminding me to breathe, to be brave, to embrace the waves. Fast forward to a sunny afternoon on a beach in a different part of the world, and I reached for my children's hands, just as my mother reached out for mine. To convey my story visually, I started by creating a horizontal line represented by the wave across my page as suggested by Ringgold. I used a digital pen on Kleki, using colors like yellow, orange, blue, and white for beach elements and reddish-pink to represent love under the sunset skys I will never forget. Shades of brown represent generations of stories like footprints in the sand. I included my parent's favorite quotes and one of my favorite's from Maya Angelou. Through this process, I learned the importance of planning my story, using simple symbols can be powerful, and how these activities can help students explore creativity in telling their stories.

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Creating "The Three Little Thorns" was a fun and memorable experience, inspired by a simple sentence about the three brown unknown elements I found outside and experiencing nature with my family more recently. My goal was to be more intentional about incorporating nature into my storytelling, and my children inspired my vision for the story.

I wanted to write a simple story that connected nature with themes of overcoming challenges, joy, and adventure.​ To bring the story to life with loose parts, I used sticks representing seaweed, green and yellow leaves for the characters clothing to be able to tell them apart, and brown spiked spheres for their bodies. Popsicle sticks, paper, markers, scissors, and tape were used for the scenes and signs to create visual elements to add to the development of the story.​

This process taught me about critical thinking, creativity, and imagination in storytelling. I had fun involving my children by asking them to record the video and create signs for critical points in my story points which was a rewarding family moment. This experience helped me tap into my imagination, meet my goals to incorporate nature into my storytelling, and using everyday items to create a meaningful story. I appreciate learning how I can get to know future students who may be shy or how students may think in ways that aren't always possible in the classroom environment.

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I named my artwork "Seashell Symphony." I created a conch seashell shape using green and yellow leaves, inspired by my love for the beach and the soothing sounds of nature there. The bright yellow leaves represent the inner parts of the shell or ear that echo the waves of sound, while the green leaves form its outer smooth shape. I chose these natural materials because they reminded me of the beauty and diversity of sounds found in nature and inspiring building my connection to the outdoors even when I am not in those physical spaces. The arrangement of leaves communicates balance, color, and symmetry, so I thought maybe those would be good math and science cross disciplines. Each leaf’s texture and pattern add depth and draws the viewers in to take a closer look to the bright yellow center similar to when you hold up the conch shell to your ear in real life. This piece expresses my appreciation for the natural world, and a way to create an experience to remind me of the beautiful sounds and ground me without having to necessarily visit the beach physically. I want to share how these connections inspire creativity and encourage future students to explore their surroundings and express their experiences through nature art.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WTYU0ZSwO8