Being a psychology major, “Shakespeare Behind Bars” is extremely appealing to me. Watching people transform themselves, forget who they are and what they’ve done by losing themselves in character is one of the most thrilling things I have seen in a long time. The inmates are given the chance to live another life, and see firsthand the power of change. Watching the documentary reminded me of a student I once knew in high school. He was a year younger than me, passed along from home to home, and with a rather impressive juvenile record. Many people thought there was no hope for a future, barely a chance to even earn a high school degree. However, he truly transformed his life through creative design and made a future for himself despite all odds.
Growing up in a small, somewhat rougher town comes with much misfortune. Peer pressure is inflated astronomically, along with drug and alcohol use, early sexual endeavors and the ongoing fear of not fitting in with the limited social crowds available. Although many children are able to escape these trials during their development, many cannot. This boy was sadly one of the few who could not. But after what seems like a miracle, my fellow student found a passion in duct tape design and pulled himself out of his dark epoch. He started by designing a wallet for himself which drew attention from his friends and those around him. They all started asking him to make one for them. His small entrepreneurial business soon grew to girls asking him to make them duct tape prom dresses and other outlandish endeavors. He lost himself in his creativity, finally found something dependable to love, earned a high school degree, and now owns a small craft store in my town.
The power of creativity is obviously extremely powerful. People are able channel their imagination in a positive fashion and progress beyond all odds. I am not sure of the exact psychology behind these amazing stories, but I can imagine that creativity allows you to become someone that no one else knew you could be. It allows you to not only show other people, but yourself, that you can do something that’s interpreted as good and beautiful. My fellow classmate is forever indebted to what creativity did for his life. It would do our society wonders if we could incorporate an aspect of creativity into other places where people unknowingly desperately need it.
