Class activities:
I arrived a bit late and joined the divergent side for our structured debate against the convergent team. We prepared opening points, examples, and counters. As a class we concluded that both modes are necessary and equally important, though I argued that, today, divergence deserves extra emphasis to avoid technological and social stagnation. After the debate we watched several short videos (a reminder to take better notes next time). To close, we split into groups by sock color - white, black, and mixed. With dark blue socks I joined the mixed group. Our task was to define creativity; we chose a poetic frame and coined the metaphor: “Creativity is the photosynthesis of ideas.” A graphic representation is due next class, then we’ll merge outputs exquisite-corpse style.
Personal reflection:
Arguing from the divergent side felt natural and energizing. Still, the debate exposed a blind spot: I can undervalue convergence even though selection, pruning, and synthesis give ideas their shape. The sock-color exercise nudged me toward a balanced view; our “photosynthesis” metaphor helped reconcile intuition with process - light as attention, nutrients as constraints, growth as iteration. Not recalling the video content was a wake-up call about capture habits. My biggest challenge was landing one sharp rebuttal instead of stacking many. Key takeaway: creative progress comes from rhythm - divergence to expand possibility, convergence to forge coherence - and the real skill is switching deliberately between them without bias.
Personal application:
This week I’ll run work and study in two beats: a 12-minute divergent sprint (≥6 options or hypotheses) followed by a 15-minute convergent pass (pick one with a single success metric). To counter my bias, I’ll “steelman” the convergent case in one paragraph before proposing explorations. I’ll design the “photosynthesis of ideas” graphic - inputs, light/exposure, chloroplasts as constraints, glucose as deliverables - and share a draft before the next class. To improve recall, I’ll log five bullet notes within ten minutes after each session. Success looks like a posted graphic, a tighter debate summary, at least one solution I wouldn’t have proposed without the divergent sprint, and faster decisions thanks to an explicit convergence criterion.