The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) television studios, UDCtv, provides the Washington, DC area with programming geared to foster health, political and environmental awareness. Dr. Katherine Marshall Woods hosts this UDCtv show entitled “A Healthy Mind” featuring guests from a myriad of professions lending information to promote healthy living and lifestyles. Entries entitled: “A Healthy Mind” share these interviews.
On November 23, 2019, Aisha Densmore-Bey, was invited onto the show to discuss the nature of creativity. Aisha Densmore-Bey has a hand on many facets of creative design and uses her creativity to specialize in architecture, interiors, lighting design, graphic design, film and art. Aisha has dedicated over 20 years of professional experience in the architecture design field. She has participated as a panelist at various conventions discussing architecture and design including Build Boston, and the 2011 National American Institute of Architects Convention. In 2012 Aisha won the American Institute of Architects Association Award and was featured in top reads. By 2018, Aisha wrote, produced, and directed films short; the most popular, Room. In addition, she wrote and illustrated her first children’s book Who Made My Stuff? Miles Learns About Design. Currently, Aisha is a co-founder of the film screening event 100 Minutes.
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Dr. Marshall Woods: “Hello, my name is Dr. Katherine Marshall Woods, adjunct professor at the George Washington University, and your host for A Healthy Mind. The purpose of this video series is to educate and inform the public about mental health and public policy and environmental factors to the various disorders that affect healthy minds.”
“’The use of the imagination or original ideas’ Oxford Dictionary lends us to define the word creativity. Do we all have the ability to create? Or is creativity gifted to only the very few. How does creativity enhance ones life and provide the ability to navigate life and express oneself authentically?”
“Aisha Densmore-Bey is a Boston- based multifaceted designer. Her creative office Aisha Densmore- Bey Design practices architecture, graphic design, interiors, design strategies, art, and film. Aisha recently wrote, produced, and directed an award wining film short titled Room, which explores, love, vulnerability, and ethics within a relationship. She has been featured in such publications as, Design Bureau, Architect Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and The Life Worth Love, a furniture company, Herman Miller. She has been a guest lecturer and design instructor to students on a university level down to kindergarten. Aisha’s first children’s book is titled Who Made My Stuff? Miles Learns About Design. It introduces children and their parents to design all around us. Aisha is a candidate in the Doctor of Design program at Harvard University presently researching artist communities, culture, and gentrification. Aisha, Welcome to A Healthy Mind!”
Aisha Densmore-Bey: “Thank you, Thank you for having me.”
Dr. Marshall Woods: “Of course, we are excited to have you! You do so many different types of things, tell me a little bit about your creative process.”
Aisha Densmore-Bey: “So it’s interesting because, I don’t really have a defined process. It’s kind of whatever feels most authentic at the time. And, honestly because there are so many different things; I think the benefit is that I have to draw from so many sources in order to sometimes create a new process. What I am interested in actually, is looking at the process of other designers and other artistic people just to see, number 1, compare myself; we all do that, but to compare myself and how efficient I am. But then also, just to learn about other peoples processes. So, one project it can be me looking at precedence, uniformed architecture, and talking to the client and obviously figuring out what they need. Other creative pursuits can be me really watching movies and sketching ideas. Especially, strangely enough, the movie CHEF, Jon Favreau, wrote, produced and directed; strangely, I can have that movie on and for some reason it inspires me, even though it’s about cooking, chef culture, and restaurant culture and all of that. But, I think that creativity in that movie inspires me, so I can just have that movie on in the background while I’m doing a graphic design, trying to create a logo, or in some cases doing the illustrations for the book, things like that. Strangely enough, I do not have a set process, I have a process it’s just not set it can change depending on what I need to do.”
Dr. Marshall Woods: “So, of course you’re quite creative, you’re a designer, you’re an architect, you’re an author, you completed your own illustrations, you have produced and written a film, even. How do you get inspired?
Please visit https://youtu.be/BLFZwvYbgJo to see the remaining portion of this interview.