If Only We Could Define Creativity: Chance The Rapper

In my first action project this term, the first unit, "Life Genius," helped us define what being a creative genius means. We looked at multiple people around the world that were seen as creative geniuses and we even picked our own. This project opened my eyes because I now know creativity is everywhere. Life itself had to be created and many fail to realize this. I found little difficulty completing this project because it's more opinionated. I had a fun time speaking my mind, though!

By personal experiences, I have observed Kanye West, Chance The Rapper, and Eminem create their own styles of music through different inspirations and genres. Some geniuses create things, like how Jonathan Ive created the design of the iPhone. So wouldn’t creating your own style potentially classify you as a genius?

After doing some research, I have learned that Kobe Bryant, Dr. Seuss, and Jerry Lewis all grew up in high middle-class or upper class families. They start off in a pre-made background so they have the resources and connections to do what they want to do easily.

The last pattern I found was that Eminem, Chance The Rapper, and Kanye West also had a hard time getting their careers off to a good start. Since they were so passionate about music, the coming up part was a piece of cake for these three because they kept on grinding and ended up being REALLY famous.

Dan Hyman. "Chance The Rapper." (2014)

Chancellor Bennett (Chance The Rapper) is a Chicago rapper from the South side. He grew up as an average kid with a mother, father, and 3 year younger brother, Taylor Bennett. At the age of 9 or 10, his significant other, Ramie Bonds’ mother got him “College Dropout” for his birthday, the Uncensored version, which later was confiscated by his mother because it was too “dirty.” Later it was returned to Chance as the clean version. This was the first album Chance ever listened to, so Kanye West was Chance’s first inspiration. Years later, attending Jones College Prep, at the age of 18, he released his first Mixtape, “10 day.” This mixtape was inspired by a ten day suspension he received from smoking marijuana outside his school. Not too long after that, Chance released his more popular album, “Acid Rap” in 2013. Following his “Acid Rap” album, his younger brother released his own album called, “Mainstream Music.” As his younger brother gained some recognition for his music, he was arrested for the assault of a college student at a party. Chance the Rapper is currently working on a new project called "The Social Experiment." I think Chance is someone to learn from. He came from less than I did, now he’s sitting on millions, doing what he loves to do. The message is clear: stay dedicated and inspired, and good things will happen. He continues to tour the world and live out his dreams of being a big star, reppin’ his city.

I think Chance brings a lot to the table in terms of uniqueness, variety, humor, flow, talent, and a raspy voice. Chance excels in the music industry with these traits & attributes. In the past, Chance has struggled to catch the eye of someone of any importance. This hurt his chances of having a fast start to his career. Even now that Chance has the fame and the money, many people still continue to say he's "weird" and "not good enough." Chance's music is directed towards certain groups of people. He isn't a drill rapper like a Chief Keef or an R&B Singer like a Jeremih or Chris Brown, but he uses all genres of music to create his own genre that is less appreciated in the industry by those who are used to more "mainstream" tunes. As he did in the past, Chance continues to make the music he likes to play for his fans as he blocks out all the hatred. 

"I think creativity is something that lives in the heart of a person, it can’t have any true definition. It’s just what’s inside of you, how you see the world," said by SJ in my interview with her. Her definition is very relevant to mine because I believe creativity can't be defined as well.

I believe I show three very positive traits: Determination, Skill, and Intelligence. Determination and creativity are two things that could potentially drive each other. For instance, you could be determined to do something creative. You can be determined to do anything. Skills usually define what you might be creative at. If you are skilled in basketball, then maybe a crazy shot or different way of scoring might be interesting or creative to you. Intelligence is the key to creativity. Intelligence means expanding your range to thinking outside the box. 

Sometimes I fail and then don’t learn from it because I am not very crafty with a lot of things. I am determined to work through things and find ways to bypass my problems. The world lacks the knowledge of Resource Distribution. We have the resources but, they are not going to the right places. If I am determined enough, I could definitely help the world, or at least raise awareness of the bad world distribution of resources.

References:
"Nardwuar vs. Chance The Rapper," iamOTHER. Web, November 16th.
"Chance The Rapper," Chancellor Bennett. Web, November 16th.
"Chance Facts," Craig McCutcheon. Web, November 16th.
"Chance The Rapper: Acid Rap," Evan Rytlewski. Web, November 16th.
SJ. Interview Over Phone. November 9th. 

Bon Appétit! Or Not? - Future Global Hunger

In my third and final action project this term, for the third unit, "IF/THEN," we looked at the world population and what problems could emerge from overpopulation. Population is more than a number. It changes every second. Someone dies or is born every second of the day, and I have failed to realize this. This project focuses more on the downside to high populations. It is actually interesting to see how different people think there is going to be problems with high populations and some think the same thing, but for different reasons. 

My class and I calculated the World Population in 2050. We used geometric sequences and the current world population to determine the world population in 36 years. Our work is shown below:

AMK. World Population, 2050. (2014)

For our project, we wrote a script to inform other teenagers about the problems associated with 

population growth. The script is for an animated cartoon that will be put on social media sites.


[Dillan and Savannah sit outside on a picnic blanket, talking about life]


Dillan: I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while Vannah, haha.


Savannah: Haha, all you had to do was ask! This is really nice by the way.


Dillan: Thanks, it didn’t take too long, just made some sandwiches and stuff. It was actually kind of fun, since I was excited you finally said yes…


S: But Dillan… this is the first time you asked.


D: ...but anyways I used so many different recipes, trying to get all this food made correctly. My garbage had a bad stench because of all the food that was in there!


S: But Dillan you know there’s millions of people around the world that are starving because they can’t afford food to feed themselves and their family.


D: ...Vannah, that’s silly, we both know that people are hungry because the population is increasing and food is becoming scarce because we can’t produce enough!


S: No, hunger, poverty, and food prices are linked. Almost all hungry people are poor.


D: ..well--


S: Millions live with hunger because they simply cannot afford nutritious food.


D: ..I see, but--


S: And also the world produces 17% more food per person today than 30 years ago. But almost a billion people go to sleep hungry every night!


D: ..Vann--


S: Plus we already grow enough food for 10 billion people. And our world population is 7 billion. Now what did you have to say? 

D: Nothing anymore. Wow, Vannah I wasn't aware!

S: Yea, there's a lot of things we may not be aware of.

D: So you want to just go grab some food from the garbage? 

S: I never said that! Haha

What Would Life Be Without Super Heroes?

In my third and last action project this term, the third unit, "Journeys," showed us the stages of the Hero's Journey. The stages we focused on for this project are: The Call, Mentor, The Unknown, Trials, Infinite Despair, Rebirth, Atonement, and The Return. This project was actually really cool because you could see some of your favorite characters from a different point of view. Instead of just seeing them save the day, you respect the journey that got them to that point. This unit was amazing and surprising to me. I didn't know this course would change the way I look at story-lines so much.

I chose Yoda to analyze, from the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated television series for my fictional character. I chose Yoda because he is one of my favorite characters EVER. I like the way he fights people, making them face themselves; he rarely attacks. He just uses the force and the bad energy of the dark side to fight. He uses his opponents’ anger to pierce their armor, metaphorically. I chose my auntie, Ms. Jones’ for my real life hero because growing up as a kid, being in the army was the coolest thing there was. She is an active member in the Army and she continues to inspire me everyday. She also stays really involved in my life. Why not share the love? I feel my heroes,although seemingly quite different, could actually relate. Both of my heroes have been through similar types of experiences--not exactly the same things, but the same idea. They received an invitation to start their journeys, they opened that invitation and faced many problems, and then they overcame those problems to get to where they are now.

Below is an original image of my analysis, or what I like to call the "The Circle of Action." This circle represents Yoda on his hero’s journey to find the hidden secrets of the Force. My analysis of both heroes follows Joseph Campbell's theory of the monomyth:

DNR. Circle of Action. (2014)

DR: Hello how you doing, for this recording can you please tell the people what you do? Your Occupation?

Ms. Jones: I’m currently in the military I’ve been in the military for 12 years now. I’m active duty, rank of a Sergeant first class.

1.) The Call-
DR: What motivates you to keep doing what you’re doing?

Ms. Jones: The things that motivate me to keep doing what I’m doing is the fact that I’m able to assist others and their families to give them resources in which will help them in their time of need. It’s just basically giving soldiers options or helping them when they don’t know certain things. So being a viable resource to others motivates me to keep doing this.


2.) Mentor-
DR: Who was physically there helping/pushing you forward to accomplish what you wanted to?

Ms. Jones: I would say The person that motivated me to push forward during my basic training would probably be my auntie Stephanie who is currently deceased but at times when I did wanna give up and I’ll call home, she’ll tell me to stay strong and I can make it through it. It’s only a transition, you worked very hard to get there, you can push through it. So she believed in me which in turns made me believe that I can accomplish it.


3.) The Unknown/Crossing the Threshold-
DR: How was the transition into your line of work? How was it different than before?

Ms. Jones: I joined the military right when I got out of high school So I went from high school into the military so basically being able to do whatever I wanted to do as a teen to a structured environment where I had people basically yelling and screaming at me telling me what I needed to do. So I had to make a choice basically of what I wanted to do. It’ll be easier to just listen so at some point I had to put my pride in my back pocket and just follow directions and it made it a very easier transition. So I went from a non-structured environment to a structured environment. So it was a pretty hard transition for me.


4.) Trials/Tests/Allies/Enemies-
DR: Along your way, did you know anyone that was going through the same thing as you?

Ms. Jones: Actually I Joined with two other friends, so it was three of us so we all faced the same challenges right out of high school.


5.) Abyss/Infinite Despair-
DR: What would be the greatest challenge you would have to face during your career?

Ms. Jones: Being that now I am a parent. My greatest challenge would probably be having to leave my 3 years old daughter if I’m required to take a tour overseas. That would probably be my greatest challenge being that I’m a single parent.


6.) Rebirth/Reward & Road Back-
DR: How could you overcome that challenge?

Ms. Jones: I think the only way that I would be able to overcome is to have faith and know that my family would take care of my daughter if I’m forced to have to take another tour.


7.) Atonement-
DR: How has your career ultimately affected you?

Ms. Jones: My career has changed me as a person, it has changed my attitude, it has made me humble. It has made me caring, a more caring individual about others and their needs. And I believe it just made me a better person from what I was 12 years ago.


8.) The Return-
DR: How have you used your new knowledge to encourage others?

Ms. Jones: I use my knowledge to encourage others because I tell them what their possibilities are. To be optimistic about what they're facing and the challenges that come before them. I like to ensure that they build resilience within themselves and allow them to look at the situation, or look at their life from a different angle.


DR: Thank you again for answering these questions for me. Thank you!

References:

"Star Wars: Clone Wars, Season 6: Episode 12: Destiny" 

Harlie, The Omega Adaptor

In my second action project this year, the second unit, "FROM/TO," discovered what it takes to survive in not so friendly environments. Population's class is becoming clear as we roll through our second Action Project. My animal is such a beautiful organism. This assignment was quite interesting because we got to study Mars. The climate of Mars was a bit hard to research because of its complex environment; I didn't think any animal was fit to survive there. I chose this animal to live on Mars and you will learn a bit more on why below:

Since my animal will be living with humans, we will assume that my animal is provided things like water, food, and oxygen. I chose the Husky breed of dog.

PAWS. "Harlie," (2014) Web. fox.com 

My Collected Data (Age In Years): 1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,4,4,4,5,5,5,6

DNR. Box and Whisker Plot. (2014) 

I chose my Husky off of Paws. Her name is Harlie and she has a sister that she is tied to, mentally.

The standard deviation for this sample was 1.83 with a group with an average of 2.93. This means there's a decent difference in the age of each of these animals. There was no distinct outlier in my data. Although, there was one number that came up only once, which was 6. Harlie is 5 years old, which is 1.13 standard deviations above the average of 2.93.

The Two Ants and The Magnifying Glass

In my second action project this year, the second unit, "Lessons," provided us information on how to create the perfect fable. We discussed the structure of dialogue and how to use sensory language. My fable was really fun to write. I love writing stories, especially those with a moral. The visuals I created were supposed to look like a merged photo and I did a pretty nice job transitioning to the next photo. This unit was right up my alley because of my love for story making.

DNR. Magnifying Glass. (2014)  

DNR. Ants. (2014)

The Myth of Cloudashe

In my very first action project this year, the first unit, "Creations," talked about how things came to be through stories. We discussed how etiologies are stories that explain the world. The name of the class is also called, "Stories," and it's ironic since, that's all we talk about. My story was well thought-out and really fun to write. Creating the visual was not easy. I had problems representing the story as a visual and coming up with the story itself. This unit was full of interesting and surprising myths and stories that I enjoyed reading.

DNR. Cloudashe. (2014)

Once upon a time, there was a goddess named, Cloudia. She was the nicest of all the gods. The gods feared Cloudia as a vulnerability to the gods, like a weakness. Cloudia didn't have parents. She was born from the sky. No god, not even the prophecy, had an explanation on why she fell from the sky. It was believed that mother nature sneezed or dropped one tear and Cloudia was created. Others just said that she was a blessing from the heavens. Either way, Cloudia was worshiped throughout all of Greece for her kindnes.

One day, a man named Aeos, was so hot that he couldn't bear working outside. He had to work really hard for his family, as he was a peasant. He was one of Cloudia's favorite. The day was extremely hot. Hot like summertime in Grandma's oven. Over 102 degrees°, clouds weren't discovered, no wind, Aeos sat down one day during work and got severely punished. He was whipped until he couldn't yell anymore. His family was forced to watch. After his punishment, he contemplated giving his life to Cloudia, he told him, "young child, your offering is a pleasure, but I will not accept your body because you have not yet finished your path and I do not want to interfere with the prophecy."

Cloudia was in fact, so pleased with Aeos' request that she pondered ways to repay him. After awhile of thinking, Cloudia granted Aeos one lightly covered cloud. At first, she had no idea what to name this creation. This blessing from Cloudia was more than convenient, it was something that Aeos had to share with a lot of his friends. A couple of days passed and Aeos went around bragging about how his family was nice and cozy under his very own cloud. Everyone questioned what a cloud was and how they could get one. Once Aeos told them the story of how Cloudia gave him the cloud because of his worship to her, they were enraged. They thought the god was being very selfish because they also had to suffer the harsh heat. The people of Greece complained for days. Cloudia had to take action. Those were her people and she was their Goddess.

Not too long after Aeos revealed his secret cloud to his people, Cloudia gathered enough energy to create a full sky of clouds. Everyone, all over Greece were ecstatic about the warm weather. So happy in fact, it attracted the attention of Hera, the meanest of all the gods. She feeds off fear and sadness, it makes her happy, she is the devil.

When Hera heard of this catastrophe, she immediately looked to punish Cloudia for her kindness. It took Hera quite a while to come up with the appropriate punishment for Cloudia. She thought and thought, and she came up with something brilliant, evil but brilliant. "Since you like clouds so much, you will now become one and be banished off my planet to your very own," Hera said while laughing obnoxiously.

And so it was done. Cloudia was summoned to a new planet as her own creation.

This other planet was not the same. It had clouds, a lot of them. It was almost as if all the planet was just full of clouds. It was. Clouds surrounded the whole planet like it replaced the sky itself. The whole planet had not but one animal. There was a large abundance of sheep. Beside the animal, Cloudia did not come alone. Hera was not yet finished. She saw out all the people in Greece that worshiped Cloudia. She sent them all to this planet, including Aeos.

Life on this planet was not easy, but was functional. They created their homes and tools from the rock, founded all around the planet. The weather was always chilly, but Cloudia still watched over them as a cloud. She tried her best to create moderate weather for her people, but the planet would not give in.

This planet was their new home. They had to adapt. Cloudia kept peace and harmony within the planet. She continued to be nice, since she was aloud to speak to everyone, just in cloud form. They lived awkwardly, happily ever after. 

My Tarsier

In my very first action project this year, the first unit, "IN/OUT," we discussed the taxonomy of some animals and organisms as a whole. The name of the class is also called, "Population," and it isn't exactly clear how our discussions relate to populations but, it becomes more and more clear as we progress through the course. I had an interesting time researching my crazy looking animal. The math for this course is quite difficult but I'm not bad at math so it comes naturally as easy. This unit was full of fun and exotic creatures and I enjoyed learning about the Tarsier.

DNR. My Tarsier. (2014) 

                     

DNR. Organism Venn Diagram. (2014)

Taxonomic Level	My organism’s group	Key characteristics of group
Kingdom	Animalia	Has more than one cell. Eats things.
Phylum	Chordata	Has a visible backbone. The spinal cord is housed within its backbone.
Class	Mammalia	The possession of hair, three middle ear bones, mammary glands (organ that allows females to feed milk to offspring), and a neocortex (a region of the brain).
Order	Primates	Lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment. Most primate species remain at least partly arboreal.
Family	Tarsiidae	Tarsiers are mainly seen alone.
Genus	Tarsius	Several bones of the heel (tarsals) are longer than those of any of the primates.
Species	T. tarsier	Lacks adhesive toes.

Below is some elements of my organism, that I observed as interesting, stated in Set Notation:

DNR. Set Notation Evaluation. (2014)