This seminar is built around the idea that creativity begins with perception. Seeing, listening, and paying attention are skills you can develop, and the more you practice them, the richer and more interesting the everyday world becomes. In this course, you will sharpen how you notice, interpret, and respond to what’s around you, and use those skills to begin your own creative process. For this class, you are an artist, whether or not you have ever thought of yourself that way.

You will learn a shared vocabulary of perception and explore how artists across disciplines use attention, observation, and curiosity to create work. The course introduces you to professional artists working in dance, music, film, theater, and visual art, and invites you to experience a wide range of visual and performing arts both on campus and in the city.

Much of the course is hands-on and participatory. You will experiment in studio-based activities that lead to making new work, whether visual, aural, or performative. Some learning happens through discussion, but much of it happens through doing, moving, listening, and trying things out. No prior artistic experience is required, just a willingness to participate and explore.

This course is ideal for students interested in the visual or performing arts, as well as those who are simply curious about creativity and want new tools for thinking, making, and problem-solving. Class activities include visits to art galleries, artist studios, and Seattle performance spaces, along with guest visits from working artists. Short lectures and conversations introduce the science of perception and its connection to creative practice, but most class time is spent actively developing your perceptive skills and turning them into creative expression.

If you’re curious about how creativity works and want to start your UW journey by seeing the world in new ways, this course invites you to look closer, listen harder, and make something new.

Learn about the instructor of this course:

Associate Professor Jeffrey Fracé, Co-Head of Acting, UW School of Drama 

To sign up for College Edge and reserve your spot in this course, click on the "register now!" button below.