Apr. 27, 2016

A cartoon robot with rocket trails fuming from its feet decorated the auditorium projector screen at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday, April 21. In red block letters the slide asked, “Is creative concentration contagious?”
The collage of images and text covered a yellow legal pad background and introduced renowned author, cartoonist and self-proclaimed “near-sighted monkey" Lynda Barry.
Goddard hosted Barry as a part of their story lab series. Each story lab features a speaker who discusses a forefront industry topic and is open to the whole center.

Barry is well known for her comic strip “Ernie Pook’s Comeek,” which ran for almost 30 years in weeklies across the country. She discontinued the comic strip in 2008 and shifted her focus to teaching a few years later. Barry is currently the assistant professor of interdisciplinary creativity at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Chief of the Office of Communications, Mark Hess, heard an interview with Barry on the National Public Radio program “Bullseye with Jesse Thorne.”

“Learning about Barry’s approach to creativity, which she says works whether you are a Ph.D. student or kindergartener, inspired me to bring her to Goddard,” Hess said. “We are a creative bunch here.”
Within seconds of taking the stage, Barry admitted public speaking makes her nervous, no matter how many times she does it. She proceeded to sing her summarized life story; something she believes played a large role in shaping her personality and interests.

Barry’s talk focused on her views about creativity, comparing and contrasting inherent tendencies in children and adults. She used personal experiences, humor and wit to convey her ideas about states of mind and how people can uncover their core creative energies.
“Digital devices take away natural feelings of uncertainty and boredom,” Barry said. To Barry, uncertainty and boredom are her students’ allies and these devices are their enemy, stifling most creativity.

After the story lab, Barry taught her three-hour workshop called “Writing the Unthinkable” to 40 Goddard employees. Insisting cell phones, tablets and computers stay out of sight, Barry put her methods to work.
“Do you wish you could write? Do you wish you could draw? I’m not saying I’m a genie, but I’m not saying I’m not,” Barry said. “Wish granted.”

Barry has taught her workshop to a range of people, from graduate students to medium security prisoners in Philadelphia. She uses timed writing and drawing exercises to tap into memories and uncover innate creativity.
“Here they are,” Barry said as she held up her hands. “These are the original digital devices.”