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Spring break has hit Columbia College Chicago, and believe me it’s the right time. We’ve got one full week with no classes. The temperature is rising, and the snow is melting. Chicago is a great place to be right now.

I plan to take advantage of the few extra hours I have this week. Now I’m not thinking of dropping everything and running off to Florida. This is a time to reflect, catch up, and do something a little different to help keep those creative juices flowing.

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As far as reflection goes, I have been thinking about some recent projects where I challenged myself creatively. I’m doing this to see how I can apply those techniques to future films. Most recently I compiled a stop motion film called “Banana Bread.” This was my first attempt at animation. (I consider stop motion animation.) I took individual stills and placed in order in my computer’s editing software. In total I used about 1000 images for a two minute film. Although the process was incredibly time consuming I see how this can enhance other projects. So in reflection I came up with a new process to move forward.

Also I am catching up. There are scripts to rewrite and projects to story board. In case you are not aware, a story board is an illustrated representation of your movie told in a series of frames. It looks similar to the art work you would see in a comic strip or graphic novel. When you draw like I do, basically stick figures and circles, you need the extra week to tweak your art.

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Now I want to try something a little different over break. So what have I done? What boundaries have I broken? Baking! I just made a mean carrot cake with homemade Nutella cream cheese frosting. And it’s not about cooking, it’s about creating. What a rush! You create then eat.

So that takes me back to the real question. What is so important about Spring break at Columbia College Chicago? It’s a break that allows us to interpret and apply the lessons we’ve learned.