2012 Boot Camp–Asking Experts to Translate their Practice
by Elizabeth Long Lingo
One of the challenges in offering a creative practice boot camp is helping experts translate their everyday practice into teachable hands-on workshops that can engage participants from all backgrounds–faculty, staff, students–and from all parts of the University. In my research, and as I’ve developed my programs at Vanderbilt I regularly ask “experts” to describe, illuminate, teach their actual creative “practice”—the joys and difficult challenges they face, the complexities and tradeoffs they need to manage, the implicit assumptions that shape the way they work. The “teaching” approach is so different than the request for the typical keynote speech or presentation of information—which often preferences success and final results over process and wisdom gained over time.
As a society I feel we rarely ask individuals to do this, and as a result both experts and “students” of all ages miss out on a wonderful opportunity to translate, reflect, and learn. So, I offer my great thanks to all the presenters for embracing this invitation to share and translate your practice.
Great thanks to this year’s presenters for sharing their knowledge and wisdom, Empathic Interviewing (Jacki Lyden, NPR);Improvisation (Second City Improv); Storytelling (Minton Sparks), Brainstorming (Barry Kudrowitz); Looking/Thinking by Analogy (Kerry Ruef, The Private Eye); and Data Visualization (Eric Rodenbeck, Stamen Design).