Sanjana_Pandit

The Missing Essential

written, designed, and photographed

by Sanjana Pandit

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Table of Contents Foreword.....................................page 6-8 Introduction.........................................page 9-12 Chapter 1: How Creativity Works................page 13-18 Chapter 2: Academics v.s Creativity..............page 19-22 Chapter 3: Budget Cuts.........................page 23-26 Chapter 4: Villa Montalvo Arts Center.......page 27-28 Works Cited....................................page 29

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Dedication to all art programs struggling to remain alive

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Foreword

Ever since the age of five, I have always been interested in drawing, painting or involving myself in activities requiring a creative mindset. I used to think artistic skills were an ability everyone obtained, but it wasn’t until I took my first legitimate art class, I realized how difficult it was to produce a visually appealing piece of work. There are several fundamentals and rules one must comprehend in order to create art. Ultimately, sparking one’s creativity takes time, but is essentially beneficial.

6 Last year, I visited Villa Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga and instantly cherished the

buildings, statues and nature. Soon enough, I started volunteering there and assisting the volunteer coordinator with some photography projects. Because I was so connected to Villa Montalvo, I wanted to do more research on the events they held and see how else I could get involved within this center. Out all the opportunities I discovered, the annual Villa Montalvo Arts Splash Festival was the one that stood out for me. This festival allowed practically anyone to submit an application form for a project that conveyed wellness through visual arts. Two weeks after my friend and I submitted our application form, we received an email from Charlee Wagner, the person in charge of this event, stating that the festival had been cancelled due to budget cuts. This was when I was truly exposed to the harsh funding issues art centers, along with programs in local schools, were facing and how these cuts negatively impacted children. Through this book, my goal is to inform people about these cruel funding cuts in the art sectors all across the

Villa Montalvo house

country. I wanted to take one step further and also describe the process of creativity and how this process is equally beneficial as having an academic skill set in the real world. I related these budget cuts and the importance of creativity to Villa Montalvo Arts Center.

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Since this center is mainly volunteer-based, there are a plethora of dilemmas with funding that negatively affect their production of plays, shows, and even festivals such as the Arts Splash Festival. I also discussed a couple aspects of the history behind this center and how it has progressed to this day. Villa Montalvo spreads the importance of arts, thus also spreading the importance of creativity across the country.

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Introduction “A study conducted in the 1940s asked people with various kinds of brain damage to copy a picture of a house. Interestingly, the patients drew very different landscapes depending on which side of their brain remained intact. Patients reliant on the left side because the right one had been incapacitated depicted a house that was nonsensical; front doors floated in space and roofs were drawn upside down. However, even though these patients with their left side intact distorted the general form of the house, they did in fact, carefully sketch its details and devoted lots of effort to capture the overall shape of the bricks in the chimney or the wrinkles in the window curtains. In contrast, patients who were forced to rely on the right hemisphere tended to focus on the overall shape of the structure. Their pictures lacked details, but these patients got the basic architecture right; they focused on the whole� (Lehrer 11).

What is so significant about depicting an image of a house with only using one hemisphere of your brain? Studies have proven that the right side of the human brain is the creative side, the side that looks at the bigger picture, the side that allows one to think out of the box. Nowadays, the right hemisphere of the human brain is not being put to use on a regular basis. Why is such an essential part of the brain not being used enough? The answer lies within the struggles every community and school district faces: budget cuts.

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It is no surprise that the art departments are the ones that

ictims being affected by these cuts; Villa Montalvo Center

ity. Not many understand how much we can benefit from

are struggling the most in this economy. Kimberly Dickerson, coordinator of the Los Altos art docents reflects, “It’s sad, I wish that the arts weren’t cut. They are always the first thing to be cut on the budget.” Art programs in school

of Arts is also facing severe challenges when it comes to basic funding. This center for the arts is located in Saratoga, California and supports arts entirely through the production of plays, exhibitions, festivals, and other events that

acquiring a creative mindset.

Villa Montalvo Center is an oasis of culture and nature whose goal is to create and display all kinds of art, nurture artists, and use its grounds in innovative ways that engage people in the creative

districts are not the only

allow artists from around the world to express their creativ-

process and ultimately convey the vitality of the arts.

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Chapter 1: How Creativity Works

First of all, lets establish that the right hemisphere of the brain is the side that initiates a creative mindset, whereas the left side deals with the more logical pieces.

What else does the right side of the brain do? The creative side of our brain

controls a plethora of things we do in our daily life, such as dealing with imagination, vision, passion, writing, music, drawing energy, typography, colors, and other similar tasks. Then what does the left side of the brain do?

The left side focuses on logic, words, organization, planning, numbers, processing, analyzing and strategy.

These days the left side of our brain, the logical side, is being used much more.

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Kyle Wedberg, the CEO of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) believes,“ ‘Everyone agrees that creativity is a key skill for the twentyfirst century…but we’re not teaching our kids this skill.

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this skill. We’ve become so obsessed with rote learning, with making sure that kids memorize the year of some old battle. But in this day and age that’s the least valuable kind of learning. That’s the stuff you can look up on your phone!

If our graduates are going to succeed in the real world, then they have to be able to make stuff’” (Lehrer 231). With about 98% of seniors graduating NOCCA, a majority go to some of the most prestigious schools, such as NYU and UCLA.

This fact that this school has an emphasis on creativity rather than academics, proves that students who acquire the creative skills get into the same well-known colleges as the students whose high school education revolves around the non-creative classes, such as science and history. Considering both these benefits, which hemisphere of your brain would you be willing to give up? Although Wedberg might have a different opinion, I believe that the combination of both sides of the brain prove to be crucial to an individual. The right hemisphere is the not only side that is essential to an individual; we need both sides.

If creativity exists in everyone’s brain, what’s so valuable about it? Doesn’t everyone use it easily, even if they are not aware they do? This is a common misconception; implementing creativity is not as easy as you may think. Milton Glaser, an American graphic designer known for his I ♥ NY logo and Bob Marley poster, elaborates on this issue by saying, “There’s no such thing as a creative type…As if creative people can just show up and make stuff. As if it were that easy. I think people need to be reminded that creativity is a verb, a very time-consuming verb.

It’s about taking an idea in your head, and transforming that idea into something real. And that’s always going to be a long and difficult process. If you’re doing it right, it’s going to feel like work”(Lehrer 69).

How do you initiate this process of transforming your idea into something tangible?

Although there is no specific answer on how to start the creative process, studies have shown there are a couple ways to help spark creativity. One way is to relax yourself. Have you ever noticed when you’re taking a warm shower that the best ideas come into your mind? This is because the warm water instantly relax es your muscles, allowing your inner creativity to emerge.

Another is to let yourself go. Jonah Lehrer, the author of Imagine: How Creativity Works thinks, 15

“There is something scary about letting ourselves go…while this spontaneous method might be frightening, it’s also an extremely valuable source of creativity. In fact, the act of letting go has inspired some of the most famous works of modern culture, from John Coltran’s saxophone solos to Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings.” If relaxing yourself or letting yourself go seems too challenging, one easy way to spark inner creativity is to simply travel. Interestingly, when you leave the place you spend most of your time in, your brain shifts into a new mindset. You start thinking about new possibilities and condone problems you had to deal with back home. Traveling allows a creative mindset to be set into place.

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What is the value of having a creative mindset? Doesn’t creativity just allow you to make pieces of art and give you the ability to draw well? This is also a common misconception. Yes, creativity does in fact allow you to create visually appealing pieces of art, but it’s much more beneficial than that. Yes, creativity does in fact allow to create visually 18

appealing pieces of art, but it’s much more beneficial than that. Creativity allows individuals to be more successful later in life. According to Kimberly Dickerson, coordinator of the Los Altos art docents, “…People who have had exposure to creative arts throughout their upbringing definitely are more marketable in the job market. I think that

they problem solve better.

I think that they learn how to deal with other people. I think they’re more flexible.

I think that they’re not just book smart, but they also have a more well-rounded overall personality and that for an employer is a better fit.” A creative mindset doesn’t only help individuals in the future, but it also helps them throughout their lives, especially in school.

Chapter 2:Academics vs. Creativity

Believe it or not, creativity does in fact help students with purely academic subjects such as math or history. Jeanne Yu, a math teacher at Los Altos High School and a former major in media arts and film in college, believes that “ Students definitely need to be more creative in terms of solving math problems, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I was more successful in solving math problems as a kid because I was willing to approach it from multiple perspectives and different creative solutions. I think a lot of students nowadays and maybe historically try to just solve the problem step by step, the process whatever the teacher shows them, or like ‘drill and kill’ and they just do the problems.

But some of the problems require thinking out of the box a little bit and making links and associations between different pieces.”

Creativity does indeed allow individuals to think out of the box, and thus approach problems from a different perspective, which is especially helpful in core academic classes. In fact, some argue that the skills we obtain from creativity are more important than the skills we use with academics nowadays.

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This is because people have observed that “Children usually love classes in art, music, dance and drama, in part because the arts are taught differently from other subjects. The arts demand students’ involvement. They capture children’s interest in such a way as to motivate them to hone their skills, even if it means accepting the drudgery of practice and they appeal to those children who learn better when they watch or listen to something than when they read it” (New York Times). With our academic skills, we obtain the ability to memorize facts and use logic to figure out the solution or answer. In contrast, with a creative mindset, individuals are able to think differently by using the right side of their brain, and instead of using logic, they use their imagination. Yu thinks, “...it’s just a matter of balance in anybody’s life on how much time they spend on any subject. But I think being well rounded will help somebody in all the topics and fields that they do.” Although the issue of whether academics are more beneficial than creativity is controversial, there is no doubt that the combination of the skills gained from academics and creative classes allow individuals to achieve more in the future.

Unfortunately, only a minority of the population truly comprehends how crucial the arts

and creativity are for an individual’s the future. Some believe that academics and standardized testing have a negative affect on creativity. “Researchers argue the prominence on standardized testing has hurt creativity in children” (Mother Nature Network). Whereas, others like William Julius Wilson, a sociology professor at Harvard University thinks, 20

â€œâ€Śthe person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance.â€?

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Nowadays, the importance of the arts is being deprived by the emphasis on academics and standardized testing in our society.

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Chapter 3: Budget Cuts

If creativity and the arts are so crucial, why don’t we make an effort to integrate them more into the school curriculum? There’s just a slight problem: budget cuts. Actually, this isn’t a slight problem; it’s a huge issue ingrained in our community. “When the budget cuts come to the arts, it is unfortunate because it is the first thing that tends to go…they don’t cut the math class, they will cut the art class” (Kimberly Dickerson). Even though many are aware that the art classes are the first victims of the budget cuts, not many understand why. What do you first think of when you hear the word creativity? For many, “hobbies” including drawing, painting and photography come to mind. These “hobbies” make it difficult for individuals to succeed later on in life because it’s hard to make a living out of these activities. “The word ‘creativity’ in our society tends to be applied to artistic endeavors. But divergent thinking is an essential part of everyday life, whether it’s navigating office politics or devising a new socialmedia network” (CNN Living). Creativity is essential for the future, no doubt. “This unique ability is one that will be crucial to the workforce of the future. Today’s toddler faces a universe of rapidly evolving technology, an ever-shifting global economy, and far-reaching health and environmental challenges -- scenarios that will require plenty of creative thinking” (CNN Living).

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However, this message that creativity is key for the future still hasn’t seemed to be pervasive yet because only certain groups and individuals recognize this significance creativity holds. Sir Ken Robinson, an English author, states that,

“If you speak to business leaders, they say they want people who are creative, who can innovate, who can think differently”

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It’s strange how even when business leaders say they are seeking creative individuals, the government continues to make the arts suffer the most when it comes to budget cuts. Christine An, head of the arts department at Los Altos High School says that she receives, “$180 per class per semester, which does not get [her] very much. One box of colored pencils is $24.”

This amount of money displays just how badly the art classes struggle from these cuts. Kimberly Dickerson feels like, “… the students are not as well rounded individuals coming out of school. I think that often times the kid who might get in trouble more often actually gravitates to a more creative field and finds more interest there and when those opportunities are cut, then that displaces them somewhere else and it’s unfortunate.” These cuts are essentially depriving hundreds of children across the country from reaching their full potential in the creative field.

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Chapter 4: Villa Montalvo Center of the Arts

The oasis of Villa Montalvo Center located in Saratoga is a prime example of a place that is dealing with the harsh effects of budget cuts. Montalvo Center hosts an annual Arts Splash Festival. When my friend and I submitted our application to be part of this festival, we received an email in return stating that there was “a series of program cuts” thus “the festival has been cancelled for this year” (Charlee Wagner). This event opened my eyes to the trauma art centers and other programs are suffering. Nevertheless, the volunteers at Villa Montalvo are all trying their best to spread the value and significance of the arts.

How was this arts center primarily established? James Duval Phelan created this historic landmark, in 1912. Phelan was described as “a passionate Californian”(Montalvo Arts Center) and was the mayor of San Francisco and went on to achieve the status of “California’s first popularly-elected U.S. Senator”(Montalvo Arts Center). Not only was Villa Montalvo his favorite home, but he also invited artists and writers to work on their projects on the Montalvo grounds. Shortly before his death, Phelan wanted Villa Montalvo “...to be maintained as a public park open under reasonable restrictions, the buildings and groups immediately surrounding the same to be used as far as possible for the development of art, literature, music and architecture by promising students”(Montalvo Arts Center).

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Today Montalvo offers exceptional performing arts programs for children and adults: concerts in their various historic buildings, exhibitions of artists from all around the world, and a “wide range of innovative public programming” (Montalvo Arts Center). When asked the question of whether Villa Montalvo does a good job in spreading the importance of arts, Nayna Patel, volunteer coordinator at Montalvo Arts Center, says,” We try and bring in different aspects of art into the organization. So it could be visual, it could be hands on. We try and bring artists from all over the world and that includes culinary artists as well, so it’s all different aspects of art.”

“For over 75 years, Montalvo has served the community as a center for creativity, [fostering creative minds], offering art courses, performing arts events, gallery exhibitions, educational opportunities, artist residencies and more. Today, Montalvo and its arts programs serve nearly 200,000 visitors each year”(Montalvo Arts Center). Villa Montalvo helps foster the missing essential in one’s life, which in this case, is creativity.

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Works Cited “Academics and Creativity.” Personal interview. 29 Feb. 2013.

Chira, Susan. “Creativity vs. Academic Study: How Should Schools Teach Arts?” The New York Times, 04 Feb. 1993. Web. “Importance of the Arts.” Personal interview. 06 Mar. 2013.

Lehrer, Jonah. Imagine: How Creativity Works. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Print.

Miranda, Carolina A. “Why We Need to Let Kids Be Creative.” CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

“Montalvo Arts Center | Welcome.” Montalvo Arts Center | Welcome. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.

“Neuro News & Cosmo Clues.” Neuro News Cosmo Clues. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.

“Villa Montalvo Arts Center.” Personal interview. 16 Mar. 2013.

“Why Are U.S. Children Becoming Less Creative?” MNN - Mother Nature Network. N.p., 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.

“Why Is Creativity Important in Education? Sir Ken Robinson Video Series from Adobe Education.” YouTube. YouTube, 07 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2013.

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