Creating custom name tags was a fun and interesting way of introducing myself to the class and get to know my fellow classmates. Unknown to my classmates and I at the time, we were all using a creative learning tool we would learn about later in the semester: Analogizing. By relating my name to something drawn on the name-tag, I was creating a connection to aid my classmates in remembering my name.

Creating a tessellation was one of the exercises conducted while studying the module forming patterns. Before participating in this activity in class, I had never heard of tessellations and found them to be quite aesthetic and interesting to look at. Creating tessellations was one of my favorite in-class activities conducted! This activity shed light on patterns in ways I had never observed or noticed before.

At some point throughout the course the class was asked to draw the amount of creativity they felt throughout their lifetime. After a minute of reflecting I attempted to depict how I felt creative as a child, had a lull of creativity through my early teenage years and now feel a rebirth and growth of creativity in my life. After looking at the works produced by my peers, I had the realization that it was not too uncommon to feel a decline of creativity as a person ages but it is also not too late revitalize creativity in my life.

While studying the module of abstracting, each student was asked to choose their favorite animal and abstract it by successively drawing it with fewer and few lines. Participating in this exercise taught students how to focus on critical features of objects. This activity was a good introduction to abstracting objects and covered some of the topic's basic fundamentals.

While learning about the importance of being able to recognize and form patterns, students had to demonstrate their ability to utilize these tools by finding a pattern out in nature that mirrored a pattern found in the classroom. This exercise helped the student learn to scan their surroundings for patterns. This exercise also demonstrated the ability to connect two seemingly unrelated objects.

While completing the first ten days of the thirty day challenge I wrote a poem inspired by four random words given to me by someone else. Writing this poem re-sparked my affinity for poetry and was the deciding factor for which activity I would conduct for the next twenty days.

Developing a children's learning tool prototype was definitely one of the most exciting and interesting projects I have ever worked on. The assignment comprised of large amounts of collaboration between team members and an introduction to the skills of laser cutting and 3D printing. After completion of this project I felt that I had a better understanding of what Innovation Academy is really about and acquired a basic understanding of some new skills (3D printing and laser cutting). In addition, I felt that this project helped me get involved with and get to know some of my fellow IA constituents much better.

Learning how to operate and use the laser cutting equipment at the Fab Lab was very exciting and interesting. Prior to the Thirty Day Challenge I had an interest in such crafting techniques but never had an opportunity to explore or familiarize myself with such equipment. After the completion of my children's learning tool, I felt I had gained experience with a unique and interesting skill set.

During the first phase of the Thirty Day Challenge students had to explore a multitude of different creative activities. One of the activities I conducted was drawing what reminded me of home. This reflection made me think about what at home I love the most.

The compilation of poems that I have created as a result of the Thirty Day Challenge are significant to me since they are what revived a dying creative aspect of myself. These poems serve as a reminder for the biggest lesson I have taken away from the Thirty Day Challenge: I should make time everyday for my passions and what I enjoy doing. Because of this lesson and the multitude of others I took from this assignment, the Thirty Day Challenge was a period of great growth for me.