Aryna Ryan - Creativity: The Ultimate Teen Guide

It Happened to Me

Series Editor: Arlene Hirschfelder

Books in the It Happened to Me series are designed for inquisitive teens digging for answers about certain illnesses, social issues, or lifestyle interests. Whether you are deep into your teen years or just entering them, these books are gold mines of up-to-date information, riveting teen views, and great visuals to help you figure out stuff. Besides special boxes highlighting singular facts, each book is enhanced with the latest reading lists, websites, and an index. Perfect for browsing, there are loads of expert information by acclaimed writers to help parents, guardians, and librarians understand teen illness, tough situations, and lifestyle choices.

1. Epilepsy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay and Sean McGarrahan, 2002.
2. Stress Relief: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Mark Powell, 2002.
3. Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette and Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2003.
4. Making Sexual Decisions: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by L. Kris Gowen, 2003.
5. Asthma: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette, 2003.
6. Cultural DiversityConflicts and Challenges: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2003.
7. Diabetes: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Katherine J. Moran, 2004.
8. When Will I Stop Hurting? Teens, Loss, and Grief: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Dealing with Grief, by Ed Myers, 2004.
9. Volunteering: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2004.
10. Organ TransplantsA Survival Guide for the Entire Family: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz, 2005.
11. Medications: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2005.
12. Image and IdentityBecoming the Person You Are: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by L. Kris Gowen and Molly C. McKenna, 2005.
13. Apprenticeship: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette, 2005.
14. Cystic Fibrosis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Melanie Ann Apel, 2006.
15. Religion and Spirituality in America: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2006.
16. Gender Identity: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cynthia L. Winfield, 2007.
17. Physical Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Denise Thornton, 2007.
18. MoneyGetting It, Using It, and Avoiding the Traps: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Robin F. Brancato, 2007.
19. Self-Advocacy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle and JoAnn Augeri Silva, 2007.
20. Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Suzanne Buckingham Slade, 2007.
21. The Military and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2008.
22. Animals and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Gail Green, 2009.
23. Reaching Your Goals: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Anne Courtright, 2009.
24. Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kelly Rouba, 2009.
25. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Natalie Rompella, 2009.
26. Body Image and Appearance: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2009.
27. Writing and Publishing: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz, 2010.
28. Food Choices: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Robin F. Brancato, 2010.
29. Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tatyana Kleyn, 2011.
30. Living with Cancer: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Denise Thornton, 2011.
31. Living Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2012.
32. Social Networking: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Jenna Obee, 2012.
33. Sports: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Gail Fay, 2013.
34. Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide, Revised Edition, by Suzanne Buckingham Slade, 2013.
35. Bigotry and Intolerance: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2013.
36. Substance Abuse: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Sheri Bestor, 2013.
37. LGBTQ Families: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Eva Apelqvist, 2013.
38. Bullying: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Mathangi Subramanian, 2014.
39. Eating Disorders: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Jessica R. Greene, 2014.
40. Speech and Language Challenges: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Marlene Targ Brill, 2014.
41. Divorce: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2014.
42. Depression: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz, 2014.
43. Creativity: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Aryna Ryan, 2015.

Creativity

The Ultimate Teen Guide

Aryna Ryan

It Happened to Me, No. 43

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Published by Rowman & Littlefield

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB

Copyright 2015 by Aryna Ryan

All rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ryan, Aryna M., 1952

Creativity : the ultimate teen guide / Aryna M. Ryan.

pages cm. (It happened to me ; 43)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8108-9223-1 (hardback : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8108-9224-8 (ebook) 1. Creative ability in adolescence. 2. Creative abilityProblems, exercises, etc. I. Title.

BF724.3.C73R93 2015

155.5'1335dc23 2014039268

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

To the teens whose views are in this book,

to the teens this book may help,

and, of course, to Stephen

Contents

Acknowledgments

F or many years Ive known Id write a book, but I never had the yen to pen the great American novel. For giving me the opportunity to write my first book, all kudos and lots of kisses go to my brother Steve. (I owe you 9,573 1/2 foot rubs.) We may not agree about tenniseek!but we both love books.

Its been said that no one writes a book alone; not until I wrote this did I understand that statement. There is so much that an author does not do, and I must give so much credit to my editor, Arlene Hirschfelder, whos been a peach. The week my book proposal was due, her home was hit by Hurricane Sandy and she simply carried on. Arlene has been knowledgeable about the book-making process and over-the-top kind and encouraging to a new author. I hope, if I ever write another book, I have the wonderful blessing to have her expertise and positivity again. Thanks also to her friend Julia Breer for sending me creativity questionnaires filled out by teens.

Very special thanks to Rosemary Mallett, who sent me the first questionnaires filled out by her own (and other teachers) students. Thanks to Lisa Blue at the Winter Park Public Library for allowing me to distribute the questionnaire at two events, and to Dion Fletcher for her sons input and help finding more teens for the questionnaire.

Thanks to all the teens who filled out the creativity questionnaires and returned them with permission slips. Every bit of your input was greatly appreciated.

Thanks to the Bookends and Between the Liners for all the book sharing weve done. A great big hug to Carrie Morgan, gal novelist, for the writing program.

Thank you, Mom (Anne, the artist) and Dad (Jack, the writer), for the creative blend. A kiss to Amy Ryan-Rued for the Vision Boarding tips. A tip of the fedora to both artistic grandfathers, particularly John L. Ryan, who complimented me on grammar and punctuation in my preteen letters to him, and to Marguerite (grandma).