Everyday Creativity with Dewitt Jones

Rating ***** (5 out of 5)

Initial Thoughts
It's official. I'm an Everyday Creativity with Dewitt Jones fanboy. This film is the kind of motivational and inspirational video that I wish I could make. It's well shot, well scripted, and well edited. It's got good learning points that are backed up with great analogies from Dewitt Jones' career as a photographer with National Geographic.

And it's not only well made, it's beautiful. Even without the narration, the images are inspiring enough to make me want to tackle creativity and think outside the box. But add the narration and I have some really good ideas on how I can actually do it!

The Pros
Dewitt Jones is a photographer by trade, so this video is STUNNING. Each shot is well framed and beautiful to look at. Even his "so called" mistake photos are better than what most photographers could come up with.

The learning points are really solid. Jones suggests that finding the extraordinary in everyday life is all about perspective- it means finding more than one right answer, not being afraid of mistakes, breaking the pattern, reframing problems as opportunities, and training your technique. I especially liked how he makes it clear that creativity means making A LOT of mistakes and that it takes a lot of work, too. So often, people think that creativity and extraordinary is only for people who are "Naturally Creative." They forget that it takes years of practice, practice, practice. Mastering the world we live in- whether it's taking photos, or writing screenplays, or making the best burgers we can- is hard. But it's also worth it.

The production is solid and that's a big pro.

The Cons
The video moves a little slow so anyone with a short attention span might find it a bit boring. But, it's such a beautiful show that even those with a short attention span will probably be mesmerized by the imagery.

It might have been nice to highlight the learning points with some text. I have the advantage that I'm watching the show online with the learning points printed out right below the video box. But not all viewers have that luxury. Those who really like to see the words printed out would be at a loss (although a good trainer would provide a handout with the points pre-printed on it).

Who Would Want It
Anyone, really. This is a very inspirational show and it's not only for creative folks. It could be used with a general audience, too. Find the extraordinary in the ordinary is a really good idea no matter who you are and the concepts could be applied to janitors, salesman, tax agents, and sculptors alike.

The Bottom Line
This is a must have for your library. It's a really amazing program that can be used in a LOT of different types of training programs. Get it. Watch it. Love it!

Check it out here: Everyday Creativity with Dewitt Jones