BIQ Conference Report (Part 2)

The regular program still is not where I would like it to be. That said, I think it was overall very successful this year. From a glance at the evaluations and direct feedback to me or relayed to me, people were generally pleased with what they got from the conference, both in content and in mixing. Some of the happiness, to be fair, was from seeing the children and/or teens thriving, but some of it was from presentations. "How can we get him to be more actively involved in research?" "If they can put together that kind of program, why can't we?" "I think that presentation has changed how I think about things, how I approach life."

There were requests for more or different, as well - more about the writing process, deeper into one or more strands, less focus at times on an individual member's issues and more on the overview and broad issues. And "but if this is at that time, then I won't be able to see it! I thought it was going to be at a different time." This was, of course, because it was going to be at the other time, but the speaker was running late. I, of course, am responsible for this because I know that that speaker has that issue and I meant to remind him. But I am not solely responsible - the speaker, too, is responsible. And it is very clear we prefer to have him over giving up because he is sometimes tardy.

We had some old speakers and some new. To an extent, the old speakers spoke about old topics, but not totally. In fact, 35% of all presentations were by people who had never presented at BIQ before. 70% of presentations were new - either new topics or a deeper level of an old topic.

I find both of those numbers to be pretty remarkable.

OTOH, we did not get the "Read this before coming to this session" trick off the ground this year. I think I need to delegate that task to somebody else.

My first presentation went remarkably well, considering how woefully underprepared I was. I think I can do a better job - and I DO owe my attendees a bit of a write up - if and only if they send me a note seeking it! We went beyond the usual level of conference Dabrowski stuff - with nobody asking for or getting a primer. I think that made a difference.

My second presentation was rapid-fire learning styles with a bunch of the YAs, most of whom I know, though not only from prior BIQs. Son of a former roommate, for example, was one attendee. A couple were Voyagers kids, but in a different venue. It was interesting to work with them at BIQ - and different from how they were on a regular basis.

My final presentation was the keynote on Sunday. I had hoped, until the last minute, to be able to lure a mystery keynote from the southlands, but that was not to be. So, I did it. My topic was the Creativity/Emotion Interface. I talked about Creative Problem Solving vs. Creativity and the notion that there is, somehow, a 'template' for greatness, as one book on the topic suggests. I talked about the idea that all creativity should be to address a problem - sharing, among other things, experiences I had in my first course on the subject, at Boston University in 1979.

I explored the notion that being artistic requires production, rather than mind/worldview - and the thought that I am an artistic person, a musical person, even though producing either is generally beyond my talents. How do the messages we send to our children, to ourselves, influence creativity, nurture it or deny it? How best might we support it - or lend it support that does not come from us? What questions can we ask, what steps can we take? How do we make such determinations?

I probably provided some answers. I really don't remember what all I said. Maybe somebody who was there at the time will...