Who I Am With You (Imagination #10) - Staci Stallings Page 0,195

of courage, find allies, fight enemies. The special world eventually leads the hero to the innermost cave where the ordeal happens. Think Luke Skywalker in the cave fighting himself. And finally, the action shifts into the return act where the hero returns in triumph. He’s slain the dragon, rescued the maiden, and come back to set the world right again.

“This is a pattern followed throughout literature, from the epic poems of The Odyssey and The Iliad to more contemporary works. We will now turn our attention to exploring this journey through several works as we study Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.”

Once again, Greg wasn’t sure he would survive the semester.

“Today we will be discussing the psychology of creativity,” Professor Peters said in psychology as Taylor sat, scribbling notes at the speed of wanting to capture every word. “Who would like to offer thoughts on creativity either from your own life or from your knowledge of life in general?”

“I think it takes someone who has natural talent to be creative,” a girl just behind Taylor said. “I don’t think just anyone can be creative.”

“Interesting.” The professor looked at the others. “Agree? Disagree?”

“I don’t think it’s just talent,” a guy at the back said. “I think it’s a combination of talent, and work, and some luck. I mean, I don’t think you learn to do something just doing it a couple of times. But I also think there has to be something there to work with.”

“Don’t you think everybody’s talented just in different ways?” another girl asked. “Sometimes it’s not even things that people think of as talent—like maybe you’re a good baby sitter or you mow grass really good.”

“It also makes a difference what you’re pushed to do or punished for doing when you’re little. My brother wanted to play for the NBA, but when he was young, Mom and Dad got mad at him for wasting time with that ball and hoop. He tried to tell them what he wanted to do, but they said that was a big waste of time and he should spend time doing something productive, like reading or homework.”

“Learning to do something creative takes time, patience, practice, and perseverance,” Professor Peters said. “I couldn’t count how many hours I spent on a court long before my shot at the NBA came. It’s like you have to fill yourself up with how to do it and then leap into your life’s vision of actually doing it.”

“What’s the difference between a vision and a dream?” Taylor asked.

“Visions are dreams you do something about,” Professor Peters said. “So many people dream their whole lives away but never do anything about it. But some take their dreams, make them a vision, and then work to mold the world around them into something completely new.”

“Have you ever seen Hamilton?” Taylor asked.

Professor Peters crossed his arms. “I have.”

“Did you know the guy who wrote it, wrote all of the songs for it?” Taylor asked. “It’s two-and-a-half hours long and nonstop singing. I don’t know how somebody could come up with all of that.”

“But he didn’t write it in one night,” someone said. “It took him like six years.”

“I think we’re kind of told we’re supposed to be able to be creative on-demand,” someone else said. “Like you are bouncing along and then you get this assignment where you’re supposed to all of a sudden be creative. I don’t think it works like that.”

“I think it’s like the flow cycle,” Taylor said. “You struggle to learn whatever it is, then you have to relax and let it flow—not try so hard.”

“Like when I write a paper,” another girl said. “I am not a writer, so it’s like pulling teeth. I write and I erase, and nothing I write sounds right.”

“We’re taught there’s only one right answer,” a guy said. “One. If you don’t get that answer, you’re wrong.”

“So being creative,” a girl said, and she shivered. “That’s like dangerous because what if no one gets it. What if no one understands? What if you get it wrong?”

Taylor thought of one of the interviews she had watched where they were talking about the elevator pitch for Hamilton. It’s the story of the founding of America told in hip-hop verse with non-white actors playing the founding fathers. Yeah, how’s that ever going to work? “Being creative is such a giant leap,” she said. “It’s like stepping off a cliff that you have no idea how this is going to turn out.”

“It’s why so many