Creativity can be defined in countless ways, has limitless impact, and exists within everyone. California Baptist University’s College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design provides students with space to explore and develop their creative minds.
Dirk Dallas, dean of CAVAD, uses his expertise and experiences to delve into creativity. “To me, creativity is a bridge for us to connect with our Creator and connect with others,” Dallas said. “It is a way in which we bring about truth, goodness and beauty.”
Dallas emphasizes creativity’s importance through Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
In the biblical context, “good” is linked to beauty. Good works can be translated into beautiful works, allowing one to express a creative mind.
CAVAD encourages students to create beautiful works with God and faith in mind. “We don’t make or do or say anything without what God has made,” Dallas said. “If I were to paint the mountains, I can only paint the mountains because they exist.”
God’s creation highlights the boundless, beautiful works humans can create. Aracely Muñoz, junior film major, embodies this idea through her studies and film practice.
“Because film is such a visual thing, I think about things more visually,” Muñoz said.
She explains how other creative outlets influence her art. “Music is a big creative trigger for me,” Muñoz said. “A lot of the visuals I come up with are based on the music I hear.”
By exploring various creative mediums, Muñoz has learned that creativity is not meant to be confined. “There’s different ways to find what makes you creative. I feel like once you find it, it’s a lot easier to come up with ideas and be more creative,” Muñoz said.
Ashley Velazquez, sophomore architecture major, taps into her creativity through intricate design and imagery.
“Especially with this major, you have to constantly be thinking of new ideas and inspiration,” Velazquez said. “Every time I go out, I like to take pictures, and that, for me, is a way to be creative.”
Beyond her major, Velazquez finds that creativity shapes her perspective on life. “I think [being creative] opens a lot of perspective for me in life, not just for architecture, but I see things differently,” Velazquez said.
While CAVAD focuses on explicitly creative majors, creativity is not limited to those fields.
“If you talk about creativity as an attribute of God—of who He is—then yes, everyone is creative but it looks different in every single discipline,” Dallas said. “That’s one of the things that I’m actually a big proponent of—I want other people to understand that and to appreciate that.”
Whether working with numbers, drafting business plans or helping people in healthcare, everyone is inherently creative, created in God’s perfect image.
