In the Spotlight: Intro to Creativity
“Society doesn’t want us to be creative ... My goal for this class is to get the students to recognize their inner voices that they’ve been ignoring.”
By Melanie Jarrett
Willie Baronet’s Introduction to Creativity class is
held in what might very well be the least creative
space in the Owen Arts Center. Blank, windowless
white walls surround faded, olive green stadiumstyle
seating – chairs that, on this day in particular,
squeal with the strain of 50-plus undergraduate
students interested in advertising as a major.
The setting is in stark contrast to Baronet’s lively
demeanor and buoyant energy.
His opening words create a spark in the drab confines:
“Your fear is welcome here.” And during the
50-minute class students discover that, yes, fear
is in fact welcome. Vigorous debate over the controversial
documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop
precedes an exercise with a visiting artist wherein
the students frost cupcakes – yes, cupcakes – to
symbolize their hidden anxieties. The lighthearted
interaction between students and professor belies
a more serious purpose to the entry-level class,
which is to introduce students to the advertising
industry and the creative track in particular.
“The class is really kind of an industry literacy class
– it sets the tone for what advertising is and why
certain ads break through while others don’t,” says
Steve Edwards, chair of the Temerlin Advertising
Institute. “It gives you perspective on how to solve
problems, and how to apply the aspect of being
creative to anything that you’re going to do in
the industry.”
Baronet says his take on the class is about dispelling
the notion that some people are creative
and some are not. “A lot of the class is just them
discovering that everybody is creative if they’re
willing to take the risk.”
Risk, in fact, is a key theme in Baronet’s life. The
visiting executive-in-residence is the former owner
and creative director of GroupBaronet (now
MasonBaronet), a successful ad agency he sold
in 2006 to pursue other interests that include
art (he earned his M.F.A. from UT-Dallas in 2011)
and now, teaching. Baronet’s ongoing art project,
We Are All Homeless, has garnered attention
for its focus on dispelling preconceived ideas
about the homeless population through the collection
and display of their handmade signs.
Baronet’s art plays an integral role in his approach
to the Intro to Creativity class, which represents a
crossroads for advertising majors ready to declare
their specialty. His spin on the creative industry or,
more accurately, on the process of being creative,
has inspired a record number of students to apply
for the design track.
“Society doesn’t want us to be creative; it wants us
to follow the rules,” Baronet says. “My goal for this
class is to get the students to recognize their inner
voices that they’ve been ignoring. I want them to
learn to say, ‘to hell with it – I’m doing it anyway,’
whether that’s making a painting or wearing a
goofy hat or dancing in the middle of a fountain.
“They have to realize that the people who are
successful at creativity are not necessarily more
talented. It’s that they’re willing to take risks and
keep trying and screw up, and keep trying and
screw up and keep trying.”
It is a strategy that has had a powerful impact on
his students.
“I’ve heard so many people say that they’re not
creative, but obviously they haven’t taken his class
yet,” says junior advertising major Meredith White.
“This class is a way for us to explore our own thinking
process and the thinking processes of others;
it pushes us to see ourselves in a way we never
have before.”
Baronet has a sparkling résumé to rely upon as
he guides students through their introduction to
the advertising industry. Beyond the success of
his agency, he’s had advertising and design work
featured in a long list of distinguished industry
publications and has received numerous medals
and awards both locally and nationally. And his
art – a passion he long hesitated to pursue – has
been showcased in a number of group and solo
exhibitions. He says that each choice he’s made,
each achievement he’s garnered, informs the way
he approaches teaching, whether it be a 10-person
portfolio class or a larger seminar such as Intro
to Creativity.
“There was a time in my life when I was making
decisions based on what other people wanted me
to do. But not any more,” says Baronet. “I want
students to figure out for themselves what makes
them bounce out of bed and get excited. And then
I want them to go do that.”