Creativity Excercise IV

 This week our exercise was to online resource or book on creativity exercises in the classroom, do a creativity exercise. Then write a quality blog post about what I did and what you learned from the exercise. Include a link to where the exercise can be found online. As I was doing some research I read that playing video games can also spark your creativity so I decided to blog about this rather than do a creative exercise because I found this to be interesting.

Unlocking Creativity: The Surprising Connection Between Video Games and Imagination

In a world where screens dominate our daily lives, video games have evolved beyond mere entertainment. Contrary to popular belief, the immersive experience of gaming has been linked to a host of cognitive benefits, with one of the most intriguing being the enhancement of creativity. Let's explore the fascinating relationship between playing video games and unlocking your creative potential. The Cognitive Playground: Video games provide a unique cognitive playground where players navigate complex worlds, solve intricate problems, and make split-second decisions. This dynamic environment engages various cognitive functions, fostering the development of creative thinking. As players strategize, adapt to changing scenarios, and explore virtual landscapes, they are unknowingly honing skills crucial to creativity. Problem-Solving Prowess: One of the fundamental aspects of creativity is the ability to solve problems in novel ways. Video games often present players with challenges that require ingenious solutions. Whether it's deciphering puzzles, overcoming obstacles, or strategizing in fast-paced environments, gamers develop an acute problem-solving prowess that transcends the virtual realm. Immersive Storytelling: Many video games boast intricate narratives that rival those found in novels or films. Engaging with these narratives requires players to immerse themselves in the story, often making decisions that influence the outcome. This narrative engagement stimulates the imagination, encouraging players to think critically and creatively about the consequences of their choices. Artistic Inspiration: The visual artistry of video games is often underappreciated. Game developers meticulously craft expansive, visually stunning worlds that serve as a wellspring of artistic inspiration. Exposure to diverse art styles, architecture, and landscapes within the gaming universe can spark creativity and influence one's artistic endeavors outside the game. Enhanced Cognitive Flexibility: Creativity thrives on cognitive flexibility—the ability to switch between different concepts or perspectives. Video games, especially those with open-world exploration, demand cognitive adaptability. Navigating vast landscapes, interacting with diverse characters, and encountering unexpected challenges all contribute to honing cognitive flexibility. Linking Play to Creativity: To experience firsthand the creativity-enhancing benefits of gaming, try the online exercise "Creativity Quest." This interactive quest combines gameplay elements with creative challenges designed to stimulate your imagination. In a world that often debates the merits of screen time, recognizing the positive impact of video games on creativity is crucial. From problem-solving to artistic inspiration, the immersive experiences offered by video games can serve as a catalyst for unlocking your creative potential. So, the next time you pick up a controller, remember—you might just be leveling up not only in the virtual world but in your creative endeavors as well.

Designing Emotion

     This assignment the client is a record label that wants to promote the emotional impact of a particular song.

Using a combination of text and images, I needed to show the feeling of a song. This is to be about the emotion of the song, the feeling it creates inside the listener, not illustrating the lyrics or title of the song.

The target audience is for anyone who is feeling happy and want to celebrate life or a success in thier lives.

HOFLA Project

     Last week the entire class had to collaborate creating some posters for Heart of Florida Legal Aid Society, Inc., (HOFLA). They hired the clasd to create a series of posters for internal display and possibly for display throughout the community. HOFLA provides free legal services to low-income communities throughout the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Polk, Hardee, and Highlands counties. Their services include:

• Family Law -
  • Divorce where minor children are involved
  • Child Support
  • Paternity and Custody
• Domestic violence -
  • Representation for survivors seeking injunctions for protection and other civil relief
• Immigration Law -
  • Relief under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
  • U-Visas
  • T-Visas
  • Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
  • Other forms of humanitarian immigration assistance
• Pro se Legal Assistance
• Housing and Consumer Issues - ( For current clients, new clients will be referred to partner agencies)
  • Landlord Tenet 
  • Discrimination
  • Foreclosure Defense
  • Negotiations related to debt repayment

Clients who qualify pay no fees for attorneys or staff. To qualify, a client must financially be at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level Guideline and have limited assets.

HOFLA can help refer clients to a partner program for other legal services.

Offices: 550 E. Davidson St., Bartow, FL 33830 - (863) 519-5663, 430 South Commerce Avenue, Sebring, FL 33870 - (863) 402-6983.

HOFLA.org

FB: HOFLA_Legal

X (formerly Twitter)@hoflalegal

Hofla was founded in 1968 and is funded by government and private grants from:

• The Florida Bar Foundation
• United Way of Central Florida
• Polk County
• Hardee County
• Highland County
• Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• Florida Department of Children and Families
• and others
  

        MY DESIGN FOR HOFLA

    The series of posters should stand together as an obvious group when presented togeher, or stand as compelling messages when displayed individually.

The intended audience is victims who are in need of legal assistance. Although the audience could be the elderly, the more pressing audience is 18 - 48, younger than most of the client's current marketing material. The client would like to make the posters more modern and speak to an elevated audience (ie, showing respect for the individual regardless of circumstances, and not speaking down to or belittling the audience because of their current situation). The goal for the series was to encourage victims to reach out and get the legal representation they need and to raise the awareness of free legal services available to people in need.

The client was happy with all the pieces that we designed and did look like one individual composed them.

Holiday Ads

 This week assignment Using the same product or service, to create three advertisements. 1- 8.5 x 11in full-page magazine ad, 1- 8.5 x 5.5 in half-page ad, 1- 2000px x 2000px Instagram/Facebook ad. I choose Airlift. The intention is for customers go and buy the Air suspension. I chose Black, Red, and White as the Logo has the same colors. I wanted to stay with the same color palette.

FULL PAGE MAGAZINE

HALF PAGE

FB or IG

Creativity Excercise III

Prison Cake Care Package

As you know each one of us was born a creative genius, however, most of us were taught/socialized to be non-creative. It has also shown that by doing activities daily, each of us can become better at generating more and better ideas on a consistent basis. This week's creative exercise is three minutes to write down contraband according to the article below.

Alas, your significant other has been sentenced to jail. It happens. As luck would have it, you’re a professional baker. This is fortunate for your significant other because the prison is testing a new contraband policy: If it can fit in a cake, it can come in. Time to figure out what you could sneak in. Your challenge today is to write down as many items as you can conjure that you could covertly pass to your incarcerated loved one inside a cake. The goal is to provide items that he or she would want or need inside the joint. There’s no limit to what could be sent. If it gets past the guards, it’s no longer considered illegal contraband. You’re tasked with writing down as many items as you can in three minutes.

Here are my items:

1. Smokes

2. Money

3. Cell phone

4. Magazines

5. Knife for protection

The Best of the Basics (Photoshop Tips)

     For this week's assignment, I Read an article about PhotoShop in one of the PhotoShop User magazines. Write a post about what I read and what I learned from reading it. I read the Photoshop User Magazine for November 2023. The topic was The Best of the Basics guide provides essential tips and shortcuts for efficient navigation and editing in Photoshop:

1. Foreground and Background Colors:

   • Default colors are black and white; reset with the 'D' key, and swap with 'X'. Use 'Option-Delete' to fill in with Foreground color and 'Command-Delete' for the Background.
   • 
     

2. Circular and Square Selections:

   • Utilize the 'Rectangular Marquee tool (M)' and 'Elliptical Marquee tool' with 'Shift' to constrain shapes. Hold 'Option' for center-outward creation and 'Spacebar' for moving the selection.
   • 
     

3. Layer Mask Tips:

   • Temporarily hide a mask with 'Shift-click' on its thumbnail. View the mask alone by 'Option-clicking' on the thumbnail, and pressing'' for a red overlay.
   • 
     

4. Sharing Content Between Layers:

   • Drag masks, layer styles, and filters between layers or documents. Copy by holding 'Option' and dragging, even between different documents.
   • 
     

5. Transforming a Layer:

   • Use 'Command-T' for Free Transform, and right-click for additional options like Skew and Distort. Turn on 'Show Transform Controls' in the Options Bar for active Move tool transformations.
   • 
     

6. Nondestructive Cropping:

   • Choose the Crop tool and disable 'Delete Cropped Pixels' to hide excess pixels.
   • Use 'Free Transform (Command-T)' to reposition without losing content.
   • 
     

7. Selecting Layers:

   • Select layers with the Move tool by holding 'Command' and clicking. Right-click on a layer in the document to access layer names for selection.
   • 
     

8. Rulers and Units of Measurement:

   • Toggle rulers with 'Command-R,' change units by right-clicking on the rulers.
   • Create guides by dragging from rulers, hold 'Option' for vertical/horizontal changes.
   • 
     

9. Adding New Text Near Existing Text:

   • Hold 'Shift' while clicking to create a new text layer instead of selecting an existing one.
   • 
     

10. Hiding and Revealing Elements:

    • 'Command-H' hides text highlighting and selections; press again to reveal.
    • 'Tab' hides or reveals panels, Toolbar, and top Options Bar; 'Shift-Tab' toggles panels. 'F key' changes screen modes, cycling through Standard Screen, Full Screen with Menu Bar, and Full Screen.

Mastering these shortcuts enhances workflow efficiency, allowing users to navigate Photoshop with ease and precision.