Finding Creativity Through Constraint
In her first-ever writing workshop, Samantha introduced the concept of "constrained writing," explaining how limitations or rules can ignite creativity.
Drawing inspiration from the French literary movement Oulipo, she led the students through a series of writing exercises, including constrained, creative, and expressive writing. Rules and constraints can be powerful tools for channeling creative expression, especially for youth. Parameters can serve as guiding lights during our artistic journeys.
The constrained exercise pushed students to compose within specific boundaries, while the creative exercise invited them to collaboratively create fictional dialogues based on a painting. The students embraced this imaginative prompt with enthusiasm.
Finally, in the expressive exercise, Samantha encouraged students to free write about their loves, hates, or desires—emphasizing that sharing was optional, providing them a safe space to process emotions through unfiltered writing.
She was deeply moved by the students' enthusiastic embrace of experimental writing techniques. Initially hesitant about sharing their work, by the end of the workshop, many students proudly presented their creative pieces.
This experience not only marked significant growth for the students but also boosted Samantha's confidence as a facilitator. Her workshops at The Alley Project are not only empowering young minds to explore photography and writing, they are also instilling a culture of recreational and safe critique.
In Samantha's words, it is about "waiting in excited anticipation for what is going to be given to you, by your peers, or people who you enjoy, about how to improve what you're doing." This approach helped to reduce anxiety around feedback and fostered excitement for artistic growth.