Humed Hidden Gem - Daindra Harrison

Throughout the past decades, the world has become increasingly globalized. The new and enhanced technologies are solutions in response to problems that have been raised but how did we know there were problems in the first place? That is easy – creativity and innovation. The creative world raises questions that prompt more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields to find solutions to. Creativity allows us to view and solve problems more openly and with innovation. It broadens perspectives, allowing people to be more open-minded. There are more creative and innovative related fields today in comparison to a decade ago as society has come to the realization of the importance of innovation.

The faculty of Humanities and Education (HumED) at the University of the West Indies, Mona, has several hidden, creative gems who are adding color to the world one day at a time. Twenty year-old Daindra Harrison, a first-year Integrated Marketing Communications major, takes no shame in expressing herself creatively. The outgoing and multi-faceted young lady is a budding actress, poet and performer. As someone who loves to have insightful conversations with others, she was interviewed and provided a perceptive outlook into her life as a creative.

 
Getting Creative with Daindra!

Q: How would you define creativity and what does creativity mean to you?

A: “I would define creativity as your imagination coming to life. Creativity means freedom to me. It is like having your own little ‘Narnia’ where you can get lost and forget about the struggles of life.”

Q: At what age or time in your life did you realize you were creative?

A: “It was in grade ten (10) in high school. It was more of like an ‘Oh! This is where I belonged all this time!’ kind of moment.”

Q: What in your life influenced you to choose this path instead of one that might've offered more stability and security?

A: “It is really because it makes me happy and I am always going to follow what makes me happy.”

Q: What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?

A: “I simply remind myself why I started. I remind myself of the journey I took to be here now and I visualize where I want to be.”

Q: Were you ever discouraged? If so, how did it affect your creativity?

A: “Admittedly, yes, I have been discouraged a few times; However, I do not ever allow it to affect my creativity. I wash my face with some water, listen to some good tunes, dance the stress away, give myself a pep talk and GET CRACKING.”

Q: What or who inspires you?

A: “There are many people in the industry. I do respect quite a few creatives and their work but no specific person inspires me really. What truly inspires me though, is the vision of where I see myself and where I want to be.”

Q: If your creative work were edible, what would it taste like?

A: “Haha! Red peas soup for sure! Don’t ask me why, I just know it’s that.”

Q: Do you think creativity is a part of human nature or is it something that must be nurtured and learned? Please explain your answer.

A: “I do think that it is a part of human nature for sure. I believe that creativity cannot be taught: it can be capitalized on by other people feeding into you, but I am a firm believer that it cannot be taught.”

Q: What is your favorite creation? Please explain why you selected this one.

A: “My favorite creation is a poem I wrote a while back when Peter Phillips had stepped down from being the head of the People’s National Party because he had lost the election.”

Q: What is the ultimate message in your creative expressions?

A: “It is something that varies. Sometimes I just want to spread positivity and other times I want to bring attention to societal problems. There are times where I simply want to make people laugh, therefore it depends.”

Q: How do you think you differ from other creative people in your genre?

A: “I JUST DON’T CARE. I write and perform what I feel. Whether the topic is controversial or not I am going to say what I need to say because I believe I am entitled to express myself using my own opinions.”
Q: Do you believe that creativity and genius go hand in hand?

A: “Yes, I believe creativity and genius go hand in hand. I would like to think I’m a genius myself (*wink wink*).”

Q: What do you think about the commonly-held notion that creativity is linked to madness.

A: “I mean come on man, we creatives say, do, and create some crazy things sometimes. I can definitely understand where the notion comes from.”

Q: What advice would you give to other creatives and people who are considering pursuing this path?

A: “Honestly my G, I am no great and excellent person at what I am doing right now because I am learning as I go by, but I certainly love it. My advice to you is to keep doing what you do even if you believe you are not being seen or acknowledged. If you love it, do it and do it GOOD and pray about it too because trust me, your time? SOON COME!”

As spoken from one our very own creative gems, creativity has no limits and it knows no boundaries. As long as you are doing what you love and you are doing it well! Creativity and innovation are all about learning – you learn as you grow. What will you create and learn today?

Stay in touch with Daindra:
Instagram:@daindraharrison
@daindra_speaks