Innovation happens at the intersections. That powerful idea was discussed in one of my favorite TED Talks. Sometimes two interests converge in surprising ways, fusing together into something completely new. Sometimes two passions intertwine themselves, each reinforcing the other, resulting in something distinctive and powerful.
I know I'm a better teacher--being able to go with the flow, think on my feet, deal with the unexpected, and work well with what's given to me--because I spent so much time doing improv comedy in college. My background in art and illustration also help me break down a foreign language and make it more accessible and memorable. That may look like an interactive whiteboard presentation where students touch and fiddle with words, shapes, and images to figure out a structure. Or, it might mean getting students to build something that gives a meaningful context in which to explore a grammar point. Or, on rare occasions, likely close to Halloween, it may involve painting my face as the Cheshire cat, teaming up with a headbanger teacher named Alice, and creating a tea party in Wonderland to teach polite requests starting with "I would like..."
I don't know who first decided to put peanut butter and jelly together--or for that reason, peanut butter and marshmallow. Each part has such different origins, textures, and tastes. But the result is amazing and inseparable. In the same way, in Brazil, we eat Romeo e Julieta ("Romeo and Juliet"), which is goiabada, a super-sweet candied form of guava that looks nothing like the original fruit, and a soft, moist, white cheese from the state of Minas Gerais. The combination is a surprisingly perfect balance of very sweet and slightly savory.
Surprising combinations or unconventional uses of common items that not only add flavor to life, but spur innovation and even help solve problems.
Restaurants draw excited customers with unusual combinations (think whiskey + barbecue sauce on a burger with bacon), and revolutionary inventions are made when two disparate things are put together (think cell phone + touch screen computer = smart phone).
One of my favorite stores in the U.S., Ten Thousand Villages, sells fair trade artisan goods that come from communities all over the world. I've collected many things from them over the years, but some items that always catch my eye are made from scraps of recycled sari cloth that's been cut, twisted, sewn, woven into different forms by artisans in Bangladesh. The flower that sits on my desk, the little bag that my students draw paper prompts out of, the potholders in my kitchen, and even baskets, bookmarks, journals, and wire trees have been constructed out of these small pieces of fabric. Someone got the idea to use them for something other than their originally intended purpose--to take seemingly useless, flat, two-dimensional shreds of cloth, and make them into something sturdy and three-dimensional, something that serves a completely different purpose. This innovation now helps many earn a sustainable living.
I was going to write more this week about the Learning Creative Learning course I took, and discuss a fun combination of bottle cap and motor, technology and art, but I will leave that for another post, soon to come. As the semester ends, my mind needs a little space.
And so, rather than leaving some profound thoughts or weighty words, I will leave you with some Klingon Kitties. These drawings came from a time when I was bored, and watching lots of Star Trek. A cat lover and a Trekkie, when the idea came to me, I was surprised to learn that it wasn't already a thing. But it just seemed so right! A noble warrior and an agile, aloof ball of cuteness, not to be messed with!
And then, naturally came the Fur-engi, ready to do drastic deeds to earn a profit.
And the Kitty Borg...simultaneously formidable and lovable...resistance is futile!
What are some of your favorite combinations? Where have you seen innovation at the intersections? Share your thoughts, and come back again on Monday for the last #MakerMonday post of 2017!
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