Essay revision strategies and best practices

Laura Mikuseviciute

The Land of Not-so-Creative Freedom

America is a land of dreams and freedom. In a democratic society such as ours, people have the right to express their views, thoughts and critiques in whatever form they wish. However, it is not so simple when it comes down to our own properties and housing. The day we purchase our very own piece of land, it surprisingly comes with a big book of rules and regulations, offering a crash course on what may and may not be done to our very own homes. One might feel that the outside world has great control over the small things surrounding us. This should make us want to stop and think, what kind of world is it where freedom comes with a manual of rules?

Let's begin with the example of condominiums. The idea of condominiums is that every single house on a particular street looks identical. In some of those houses, the architects will take things to such an extent that they not only make the outside of the house appear similar, but also make the interior of the house look similar. Some may argue that they know exactly what to expect when they purchase these types of housing. However, is it control of "visual pollution" or somebody's idea of the "perfect neighborhood"? Living as apparent identical robots seems odd, and even a little creepy. How far is too far to take this idea of identical surroundings? We start by buying the same houses. We plant the same trees because somehow the street looks prettier that way. What's next? Are we going to include the same cars as our neighbors because they "go" with the design of the street?

New paragraph as a New York Times reporter wrote, "When my husband placed a swing set for our young son, our backyard neighbors objected. Following zoning regulations, they placed the swing set well inside their yard, shielded by trees and bushes. But the neighbors complained they could see it from their bathroom window. 'We like to think of your yard as an extension of ours', they said, voicing an increasingly common attitude" (398). For generations people have purchased houses with backyards with one goal in mind: for kids to have fun and play in it. If the freedom of having fun with swings and toys is taken away, what is the point of a backyard? It should not be for our neighbor's enjoyment.

In the book "[ ]," the author discusses [first name] Weitz by saying, "Weitz contends that the very use of the term art and the history of its use demands that the concept remain open. Art cannot have necessary and sufficient conditions for its correct use, but finds its ostensive definition only through a complicated network of overlapping similarities or family resemblances. Weitz contends that the concept of art must be flexible to accommodate new creative efforts in the shifting art world" (4). Perhaps what Weitz is saying is that art should never be put in the box, but left alone outside it's walls. It doesn't matter if we are trying to be creative with our housing, or painting a masterpiece. Art is just like beauty - it is seen in the eye of the beholder. The only way for one to grow creatively is to not be afraid to experiment or push the boundaries that have been set. If society puts a definition on what is and is not art, how can one ever grow creatively?

An artist should remember that not everyone interprets or visualizes one's work with the same open-mindedness that a work has been created with. Having said this, one should remember that an artist loses his right to creativity once given a set of rules to encompass his process. [Deleted Restriction] Right to free thinking should not be controlled. If this had been the case, then we would be forced into believing the world is not a sphere and other scientific progress. [I don't understand this. You could potentially end the paragraph with the "right to free thinking" sentence].

I believe any form of creativity is a work of art. Art and innovations go hand-in-hand to explain our progressing world. When given the freedom to choose and express, we often bring about individualistic products. With monotonous thinking we tend to create and repeat the same structures and this restricts us, leaving no place for new thoughts. Hence, when an artist creates, he or she should be given the respect and freedom to do so but at same time, the artist must respect our regulators, as they only want a well-organized society and not an un-disciplined one.