Observation from Workshop on IIT Campus

As much as the professionals can be benefited on learning how to be more creative in problem solving, I am passionate and excited to apply this art-based learning process for university education as well.

Watching the students' smile and hearing their cheers and laughers for a few hours was priceless. Feeling their excitement when they pulled their first painting off the water and their appreciation of each other's work were marvelous. The creative smell of the innovative air at IIT was a dream come true.

A few students spoke up at the closing debrief. They shared their positive experience of artistic creativity and the learning process of building up the confidence. Also mentioned were the different perspectives to viewing a problem and the increased Chinese culture awareness.

Some students came up asking about where to get the ink and paper. One suggested that I supply them for sale as most students do not have easy access to transportation. Good point. Up till now, I avoided the merchandising by providing the attendees a pdf file of the supply list. This time, it motivates me to package up some supply for the next group, for the attendees who are excited and want to do more. And I would also provide them with a handout on site.

Most of the students came together and sat together. They got mixed pretty well with a color paper exercise. Then I gave them permission to photograph and video each other during the activities. It was a great ice breaker. They had a natural excuse to exchange email addresses in order to get in touch with one another later on. Some did express verbally that they were pleased to meet new people during the session. However, I spotted a few introverts. They were pretty quite. For future reference, I will give an explicit exercise for them to break their glacial position.

We ended a few minutes early to allow those who needed to leave for meetings. Some stayed and chatted, asked for an autograph and took photos.

Always ready to refine and improve, I look forward to knowing the students' perspective and suggestions. The real feedback comes from them. I am anxious to read what they wrote down and how they rated the session.

Here is the video clip to ensure that I was not hallucinating.

YouTube - IIT Students Painting On Water Workshop

Post IIT Workshop

What a joy to watch a smart intelligent group of 85 future leaders in the process of learning new skill for Creative Problem Solving Technique. Painting on Water™ is a soft skill to compliment their tough drill of technical training.

It is highly possible that none of them will ever make a career of being an artist. It is highly unlikely that none of them will ever paint on water, ever again in their life.

However, it is highly possible that the hands-on experience that they had learned from the workshop will last for a life time. Feedback and comment will be posted in a later day.

Photos from Workshop

YouTube - IIT Students Painting On Water Workshop (2-mins video)

Upcoming IIT Leadership Academy Workshop

Upcoming Seminars for 2009/2010 Academic Year

Painting on Water™

By: Amy Basic

Date & Time: SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lunch will be provided
Location: MTCC Ballroom

Remember this event is only open to IIT undergraduate students.

Program Overview

Leaders, entrepreneurs and business innovators can learn a lot from the artists’ ability to handle adversity and challenge, push the boundaries of imagination, survive transformational change and sustain creativity. Are you ready to exercise your right-mind?

Painting On Water™, developed by Amy Basic, is designed to teach you to think more creatively. This one of a kind, 100% hands-on session will offer you interactive, inspirational and spiritual insights. Be prepared to enhance your awareness and appreciation of beauty and opportunities while you journal your transformation for personal applications. Both relaxing and energizing, the workshop will fluctuate between polarities of meaning, allowing you to learn about the essence of human experience and its relationship to the universe. Past participants have found it to be a fun, unique and a thought-provoking creative experience. Each participant will create their own personal piece of artwork (black & white) as well as collaborate with others to create a group piece.

You will learn to:

• Build your creative confidence
• Expand your understanding of the Asian culture and philosophy
• Enhance creativity by approaching problems from multiple perspectives
• Appreciate interdisciplinary collaboration to problem solving and creativity

Amy Basic (also known as Amy Lee Segami) is both a mechanical engineer and a professional artist. With water as canvas, Segami draws on physics knowledge and Asian cultures to create art. Fluctuating between polarities of meaning, her works evoke the essence of human experience and its relationship to the universe. Since 1989, her unique and distinctive paintings have won numerous awards, featured in exhibitions and permanent collections.

Born in China, raised in Hong Kong, Segami is a naturalized US citizen. She earned a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and studied many traditional Asian art forms. Painting on Water™ Workshop is an experiential program she developed for innovators to enhance creativity and problem solving skills. Segami is recognized for her extraordinary talents in bridging the gap between science and art, combining them with the cultural diversity of the East and West into a rich medium for expression, development, and innovation.

Please register in advance by September 11 for this event by calling 312-567-3945, emailing leadership.academy@iit.edu or registering online (click below).

http://leadershipacademy.iit.edu/schedule.php