A LOOK IN THE MIRROR BY JAZMIN TANGI

Bright colors, curvy designs, and funky patterns are the first images that come to mind when I hear “creativity.” That is the first right answer and when thinking past that I come to discover creativity as a mindset and a process. It is a way of becoming an expert on problems to develop innovative solutions. 

Creativity was the missing link in the search for my purpose. I stumbled haphazardly into the world of entrepreneurship with the brightest eyes and bushiest of tales, eager to take on the world. I was shaken by the large mirror placed in front of me. To be great in the world, you must develop the greatest you. This point of personal reflection in the academic setting provided the much-needed coaching and mentorship to align me with the best parts of myself. 

I have found my best ideas come when I put down the sharpie and post-it notes and walk away from the wall filled with little yellow boxes. When I have cleared my head of all of the ideas I have heard before, the ideas that could work, and the ideas that are simply silly. When the first right answers have all been laid out, I am able to move beyond, to find the second right answers to the problems at hand.