Bubbles: round, transparent spheres of careless joy which drift around indifferently, changing shape and disappearing as they please. Bubbles allow each other to be big, little, misshapen and colorful, unbound to a predetermined form. Why can’t we all be like bubbles?

It’s hard to develop as an individual when this tight knit community has its own expectation of what each individual can and cannot do, especially when it comes to creativity. The categorization of another’s ability to create makes no sense because of the complexity of one’s personality.

Many students’ personalities are actually simplified further during the school year as the academic overshadows the holistic, leading to challenges when it comes to understanding the abilities of peers. At times, our own true personalities are lost among the tests, essays, and projects.

Luckily, summer break is just around the corner, and those few weeks provide the perfect opportunity to shake things up and embrace our creativity and complexity: our luminescent and ever shifting bubble.

Rather than embracing an identity that doesn’t take creative risks simply because our art skills are limited to stick figures, we should shut out those voices and begin searching for ways to embrace new artistic, eccentric and creative personalities.

Creativity is not a number, measured by a perception that someone is a better at [fill in the blank] than we will ever be. Instead, creativity is an idea anyone can embody in a personalized and unique way.

Exploring creativity doesn’t require attending super swanky classes, purchasing multiple plane tickets, or bringing a huge group of friends. Being creative can mean finding weird ways to stay active, discovering new art forms, or picking another quirky project to pursue over the summer, near home, without lessons.

Try activities this summer that don’t have to be stereotypically artsy, that don’t have to involve canvases, musical instruments or power tools (even though they can). Be creative by coding, designing a science experiment, building a backyard roller coaster, or writing a short story.

New activities potentially allow the discovery of hidden talents and passions, and in the process there’s a chance to fall over, get embarrassed and possibly experience failure. And that kind of failure is precious and valuable: not succeeding at something is by no means a waste of time and is actually one of the best ways to learn, not only about the new endeavor or skill but also about ourselves.

Shying away from new challenges comes largely from fear of judgment, so take advantage of alone time to try things that may not be audience or group ready. Why not try laughter yoga, barefoot running or tai chi? Why not try spray paint art in the back yard or redecorate a bedroom?

That’s a great thing about summer: there’s no one to witness failures, unless we invite them to join in.
Celebrate dorkiness, act childish, invent games no one else understands and, most importantly, do it creatively, because there isn’t a metric.

Step out of the comfort zone and expose a whole new world of possibilities, knowing that we may not instantly love Zumba class and we may not have a secret knack for knitting Star Wars figures, but that’s okay.

It’s time to blow bubbles, to watch them float, change, and pop. It’s time to see our creative selves reflected in their shiny exterior and dream of what might exist inside.

If learning to laugh at failure and shutting down that internal judgment is the only mastered skill that comes out of next 10 weeks, that sounds like one pretty successful summer.
So, what will you be doing over Break?