course_outline

Making Things (aka Creativity) 101: Course Outline

Course Overview

This 3-hour course teaches practical creativity skills for making things, focusing on the essential techniques and mindsets that enable anyone to bring their ideas to life. Designed for complete beginners with no prior creative experience, the course provides the vital 80/20 knowledge needed to start creating confidently across various mediums.

Target Audience

  • Adults with little to no formal creative training
  • People who believe they “aren’t creative” or “can’t make things”
  • Individuals looking to develop practical creative skills
  • Anyone wanting to overcome creative blocks or fear of starting
  • Learners seeking a structured approach to developing creativity

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to: 1. Overcome common mental barriers to creativity and making 2. Generate and develop ideas using practical techniques 3. Understand and apply basic design principles 4. Select appropriate materials and tools for different projects 5. Create simple prototypes to test and refine ideas 6. Develop a sustainable creative practice 7. Complete a self-directed creative project from concept to finished product

Course Structure

Introduction: Welcome to Making Things 101

  • Demystifying creativity and the making process
  • Understanding the “good enough” approach for beginners
  • Setting realistic expectations and overcoming perfectionism
  • Establishing a creative mindset
  • Overview of the creative process

Lesson 1: Idea Generation - Finding Your Creative Spark

  • Breaking through “blank page syndrome”
  • Practical ideation techniques and exercises
  • Capturing and developing nascent ideas
  • Distinguishing between idea generation and evaluation
  • Building an idea bank for future projects

Lesson 2: Creative Constraints - Working Within Limitations

  • Understanding how constraints fuel creativity
  • Setting productive boundaries for projects
  • Working with limited time, materials, and skills
  • Adapting to unexpected constraints
  • Using frameworks to guide creative work

Lesson 3: Visual Thinking - Communicating Through Images

  • Basic sketching for non-artists
  • Visual note-taking and idea mapping
  • Using simple diagrams to plan projects
  • Creating mood boards and visual references
  • Storyboarding to plan sequential work

Lesson 4: Material Exploration - Understanding What You’re Working With

  • Introduction to common creative materials
  • Selecting appropriate materials for different projects
  • Basic material properties and behaviors
  • Improvising with available materials
  • Sustainable and accessible material choices

Lesson 5: Prototyping - Making Quick and Rough Versions

  • The purpose and power of prototyping
  • Creating low-fidelity prototypes
  • Testing and gathering feedback
  • Iterative improvement techniques
  • Knowing when to move from prototype to production

Lesson 6: Design Basics - Making Aesthetic Decisions

  • Fundamental principles of design
  • Color theory basics for beginners
  • Typography and text fundamentals
  • Layout and composition essentials
  • Making confident aesthetic choices

Lesson 7: Creative Problem-Solving - Working Through Challenges

  • Approaching creative blocks constructively
  • Troubleshooting common making problems
  • Adapting when things don’t go as planned
  • Learning from “failures” and mistakes
  • Developing creative resilience

Lesson 8: Finishing Techniques - Completing What You Start

  • Overcoming the “90% done” syndrome
  • Polishing and refining your work
  • Knowing when something is “done enough”
  • Presentation and documentation basics
  • Celebrating completion and sharing work

Capstone Lesson: Putting It All Together - Your First Complete Project

  • Planning a personal creative project
  • Applying all learned skills in sequence
  • Managing the full creative process
  • Troubleshooting and adapting as you go
  • Reflecting on and learning from the making experience

Supplementary Materials

Checklists

  • Idea generation process checklist
  • Project planning checklist
  • Material selection guide
  • Prototype evaluation checklist
  • Design principles quick reference
  • Problem-solving framework
  • Project completion checklist
  • Creative process self-assessment

Cheat Sheets

  • Creative prompt collection
  • Common materials and their properties
  • Basic color combinations and meanings
  • Design principles visual guide
  • Troubleshooting common creative problems
  • Finishing techniques by material type

Templates

  • Idea development worksheet
  • Project planning canvas
  • Visual thinking starter templates
  • Prototype feedback form
  • Creative project reflection guide

Interactive Elements

  • Timed idea generation exercises
  • Material experimentation challenges
  • Design analysis activities
  • Prototype feedback exchange
  • Creative problem-solving scenarios
  • Project sharing opportunities

Visual Elements (Suggestions)

  • The Creative Process Cycle: Visual representation of the making journey from idea to completion
  • Materials Selection Matrix: Guide to choosing appropriate materials based on project requirements
  • Design Principles in Action: Before/after examples showing application of basic design concepts
  • Prototype Evolution: Illustration showing progression from rough to refined versions
  • Problem-Solving Flowchart: Decision tree for working through creative challenges
  • The Creativity Mindset Shift: Comparison of limiting vs. enabling beliefs about making

Assessment Methods

  • Practical exercises with self-evaluation criteria
  • Project-based demonstrations of skills
  • Reflection questions to assess understanding
  • Peer feedback opportunities
  • Before/after comparisons of work