GS03 Creativity: What “It” Is
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Thursday, October 25
Grand Ballroom
Does creative activity have a biological function? There is something common to everything we call the arts. What is it? This “it” is something Lynda Barry calls “an image”; something that feels alive and is contained and transported by something that is not alive. It could be a book, or a song, or a painting … anything we consider an art form. This definition of “it” can be extended to works outside of traditional definitions of art and into other forms of content, including learning content. In this keynote, we will explore this ancient “it” that has been around at least as long as we have had hands, and the state of mind it brings about that goes well beyond traditional ways of thinking. In this energetic kickoff to DevLearn, we will examine our innate creative ability, our need to work with images, the role our hands play in thinking, and more. You will discover what the biological function of this thing we call “the arts” may be, and how it can transform the work you do.
Lynda Barry
Award-Winning Author, Artist, and Educator
Lynda Barry has been described by the New York Times as “among this country’s greatest conjoiners of words and images, known for plumbing all kinds of touchy subjects in cartoons, comic strips and novels, both graphic and illustrated.” Her seminal comic strip, Ernie Pook’s Comeek, ran in alternative newspapers across North America for 30 years and is widely credited with expanding the literary, thematic, and emotional range of American comics. Ms. Barry has authored 21 books, worked as a commentator for NPR, and had a regular monthly feature in Esquire, Mother Jones, Mademoiselle, and Salon. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, among them two William Eisner awards, the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and the 2017 Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society.