Do you know what the opposite of anxiety is?
Hint: It isn’t calm.
It’s actually creativity! According to Harvard-trained sociologist and New York Times bestselling author Martha Beck, when we are deeply focused on creative problem-solving, it becomes impossible for our brain to be anxious. And I think it's safe to say that we could all use a little less anxiety in our lives. But how do we start living more creatively? Well, according to Dr. Beck, one sure way to spark creativity is to learn how to be curious.
Here at The CCC Project, we couldn’t agree more with Dr. Beck. In fact, the three C’s in our name stand for creativity, curiosity, and community, because we know that supporting tweens and teens as they develop these core values supports them in turn as they express their unique identities and begin to live their fullest, most engaged lives.
Creative Youth Collective member, Zoe, age 11, sharing an excerpt from her novel, Farewell
And that’s why we’ve created our Summertime Sparks series. Our goal is to help alleviate some of the anxiety teens and tweens are feeling this summer by sending out an inspirational spark every other week. We want to keep teens and tweens engaged in their own creative practice, whether that’s poetry, prose, photography, or visual art.
So please share this series with a young person in your life who could use an extra spark; or if that’s you, please jump right in! Check out the spark below, create your piece, and share it with us for a chance to be featured in our next dispatch as well as our Summertime Sparks anthology!
Summertime Sparks
Dispatch #2
The Hero’s Journey
What do Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games have in common? They’re all great movies, of course, but they also follow the same plot structure: The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell famously wrote about this narrative structure in his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
No hero’s journey is the same. Luke Skywalker was initiated into his adventure by a hologram-toting robot named R2D2, when he was suddenly asked to accept his role as a central figure of the Resistance. Harry Potter, on the other hand, may have been the Chosen One all along, but he didn’t fulfill his destiny until he was seventeen. Despite their differences, both heroes are united by their desire to overcome seemingly undefiable odds and transform themselves in the process of serving the greater good.
This week, we’d like you to share your interpretation of the Hero’s Journey with us!
Submissions are due by July 26th, at 11:59 PM PST
Need some inspiration to get you started?
If you could use a little more direction to kickstart your creative process, we’ve got you covered. For a detailed overview of the Hero’s Journey, check out this special comic that our intern Eloisa made for you!
And if you’d like some ideas about how you might explore the Hero’s Journey in different media…
Don’t forget to share your work with us! Submissions are due by
July 26th, at 11:59 PM PST
Summertime Sparks Shoutout!
Thank you to Alicia for sharing her spark in response to our first dispatch, July’s Midsummer Mysteries.
“Shakespeare may compare one to a summer day
and yet nothing is quite like it:
the light’s gold and
the effervescence and
the peach sunrise and
the sweet-salty bite and
nothing is quite like it.”
Curious to learn more about Dr. Beck’s take on the relationship between creativity and anxiety? Check out this instagram post. Give us a follow while you’re there!