Against the Anthropocene

that advances design pedagogy and practice amid the messy, inarticulate amusement park ride that is creativity and design education today. Designers and instructors alike can feel lost in the rapidly degrading environment and digitizing world in which we are focused on quickly arriving at “the correct answer.” Here Professor Robertson asks us to slow down and take the time to find out for ourselves what the most important questions and problems are and what answers and options are available for solving them. Emeritus Professor Robertson gave tirelessly to develop and test practices in creative thought and expression throughout his tenure in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington. He has used his masterful skills in collage and wordsmithing to wrap up his knowledge and experience in this reflective and expressive text, including the beautifully crafted collages and notes that adds authenticity and a unique textural quality to our relationship with the author. Art, iteration, and play are too easily overlooked or even lost in our rapid simplification of design methods and processes, but ironically, they are critical to success. Professor Robertson’s book begs for a revolution. Throughout these pages, Professor Robertson encourages us to break the rules, color outside the lines, and ultimately enhance our life and our learning through an authentic and creative design process. After surviving colliding and multifaceted crises over the past few years, the idea of working to develop more “fluid” or “sovereign” minds may seem elusive to many educators. In these challenging times, Cultivating Creativity comes as a rare and timely gift from an expert in both mindfulness and whimsy. Design leaders and educators would do well to keep this book on hand for discovering endless ideas and opportunities for enriching group and classroom experiences, student learning outcomes, discussions, and personal creative and design identity.