The creative journal activities in this course represent ‘right-brain’ exercises designed to stimulate creative, innovative and inventive neurological processes that underpin higher order cognitive functions such as critical thinking. Students are required to play, explore and experiment with a wide variety of techniques to express or communicate an idea and/or topic. A description of each journal activity is located at the end of each web lesson in this website. The expressions will be evaluated according to the student’s ability to fill a journal page with expressive representations and to experiment with and apply different techniques and materials (see the rubric below.) Students will also have the opportunity to earn extra credit by creating an ePortfolio that showcases the each expression in the creative journal as well as the final project.
What are Right-Brain Exercises?
Right-brain exercises are designed to help students exercise creative thinking in much of the same way that innovative companies such as Google, Facebook, and Tesla are using playrooms to unlock employee talent. Right-brain exercises boost mental processes, including creativity, by strengthening the core cognitive skills the brain uses to design, develop, invent, imagine, and solve problems. These skills underpin the ability to think critically.
Developing left (logic) and right (creative) cognitive processes will also enhance cognitive skills such as:
- Attention/Sustained enables you to stay focused and on task for an extended period of time.
- Attention/Selective enables you to ignore distractions and stay focused on what you are doing.
- Attention/Divided enables you to remember information while doing two things at once.
- Auditory Processing enables you to analyze, blend, and segment sounds, and is a critical skill for successful reading.
- Visual Processing enables you to think in visual images.
- Memory/Working enables you to hang on to information while you are in the process of using it.
- Memory/Long-Term enables you to hang on to, and access, stored information that was learned in the past.
- Logic & Reasoning enables you to reason, form ideas, and solve problems.
- Processing Speed enables you to perform tasks quickly and accurately
The right-brain activities in this course consist of fun, yet challenging, exercises that target and strength the core brain skills central to creative thinking and underpins problem-solving, innovation, invention, and critical thinking. Throughout the semester, students must collect the activities in a journal or sketchbook, upload a jpg image into the respective discussion prior to that will be graded at the end of the semester.
Grading the Creative Journal
The creative journal represents 25 points, which is a significant chunk of your grade. It is important to note that the journal expressions are not graded on their artistic value, this is not an art class. The journal is assessed according to your ability to experiment, innovate, invent and explore new mediums, processes, approaches, techniques, and ideas. It is not unusual for a very artistic student to not do well on the creative journal because they stuck with the same exact technique for every single activity and failed to try out something new. So go ahead and experiment with something you have never done before. See some of the resources at the end of this lesson.
Creative Journal Rubric
| Topic | Fills page = point | Comments |
| Identity | ||
| Fantasy | ||
| Truth | ||
| Alternative Representation | ||
| Mandala(s) | ||
| Fiction Character | ||
| Poem | ||
| Haiku & Haiga | ||
| Song | ||
| Dance | ||
| Film or Play | ||
| Letter-writing | ||
| Religion | ||
| Philosophy | ||
| Art | ||
| Shared Experience Symbols (2) | ||
| Bibliography Graphic (2 points) | ||
| Precis Outline Graphic (2 points) | ||
| Prospectus Graphic (2 points) | ||
| Expression Prototype (2 points) | ||
| Expressive Total: | /25 |
Suggested Techniques
| Pencil | Paint | Oil Pastel | Fabric | ||||
| Ink | Collage | Natural Objects | Kirigami | ||||
| Watercolor | Found Objects | Texture (sand, wax..) | Photo | ||||
| 3D (folding, origami… | Charcoal | Manipulation (burn, tear… | Acrostic poem |
For Printable PDF version, click here
Journal Submissions
Unless otherwise noted in the lesson (ie film, dance, etc.), all activities must be completed by hand in the creative journal and submitted online. Embed a jpg image of each expression in the respective discussion forum (see calendar for deadlines.) At the end of the semester, students will have the opportunity to earn extra credit by submitting a digital ePortfolio showcasing the expressions and the final project. The portfolio should include a section entitled ‘Creative Journal’ which includes a gallery of each expression accompanied with a short paragraph describing the symbols and the materials used. Visit the ePortfolio page for more information.
For examples of previous student work, visit the following links:
- Cirrus Montague
- Taylor Beasely
- Catalina Arias
- Leighton Burton
- Tameria Thomas
- Nicoll De Mier
- Sophia Gochoco
- Spencer MacElderry
- Claire Smith
Right Brainstorming Resources
Feeling stuck? The Youtube playlist and links below offer a selection of easy techniques for beginners. Do not be afraid to fail; the journal is not based on the outcome of your expression, but on the process of creating something. Do not be afraid to take risks. If something does not turn out as planned, keep it in the journal anyway – failure counts!
Fiber Crafts
Origami and Kirigami Resources
Drawing
Ink and Dye