Instructor Spotlight: Tapping into Creativity and the Personal with Tara Labovich

Tara Labovich began their educational journey at Colorado College as a pre-med student. But after taking a poetry class at the end of their first year, they switched to English and Philosophy. In a last effort to stay in the sciences, they proposed an independent study major: the psychology of storytelling. While the psychology department was not open to collaborations between the arts and the sciences, Tara was later given the opportunity to co-teach poetry with one of their professors upon graduation. This changed Tara’s initial plan of doing publishing and editorial work because they decided teaching was exactly the kind of work they wanted to be doing. It was engaging, challenging, and involved problem solving.

Afterwards, Tara joined the MFA program in Creative Writing and Environment at Iowa State University, where they began teaching as a graduate TA. At this time, Tara’s interest in the psychology of storytelling had sparked questions such as: “What is the construction of creativity? What do we bring to storytelling? Why is it so important?” So when it came to teaching Foundation Courses, Tara wondered how to invite students to experiment with art and composition, especially if they don’t consider themselves creative.

As for their pedagogical approaches, something that Tara has picked up is Dr. Jane Hilberry’s process of creative inquiry, which takes an academic or artistic text and asks students to respond with a creation of their own. For example, if students are reading a poetry collection for class, Tara might ask them to take one of the poems and write their own poem using only the language presented in the original book. Through creation, students come to understand the rhetorical choices of the authors at a linguistic level and are able to speak about the organization and structure of the argument. Tara noticed that in class, non-English majors were able to reach the same analytical conclusions as senior English majors. Students are always doubtful when Tara introduces this approach, but by the end of the semester, they are very excited about it, which Tara finds energizing.

Tara’s experience as a freelancing creative consultant also informs their teaching. Their projects range from helping someone create branding language for their business that really represents who they are, to creativity coaching, which is their favorite. The one-on-one conversations with clients about creative struggles help Tara determine which concepts and skills are most relevant to teach their ISU students. Creativity coaching allows Tara to think about universal communication challenges that all humans face.

For instance, Tara’s method of dealing with a creative or writer’s block varies a little for everyone, whether student or client, but essentially involves naming the problem first and figuring out where the block specifically is. Next, it is important to find the root of the problem, which oftentimes is based on something completely outside the project, like not getting enough sleep or having a struggle in their personal life. It can also be a mentality issue, such as not feeling confident enough or not thinking that they have the skills. Once a writer understands what the block is and what’s contributing to it, it is easier to find a solution. Tara’s approach allows both coaching clients and students to become more confident in problem solving.

In addition to Foundation Courses, Tara has taught an honors course called “Contemporary Poetic Forms and Practices.” Emphasizing the composition process, they created this course so that anyone, regardless of their background in English or poetry, could get closer to what is happening in the poetry world right now and how they write poetry.

Outside of their work at Iowa State, Tara is currently working on two poetry collections, a collection of short stories, and a series of craft essays. With one poetry manuscript done and another in progress, they have learned a lot about their writing process through revision and publication. Tara’s writing about Midwest ecology, relationships, and queerness led them to co-facilitate a nature writing workshop series with local writer Amie Adams, in the hopes of getting people out into the Iowa prairies. Each month, they lead a workshop in a different prairie across the state and partner with a local guide who introduces them to the place and the ecology, wildlife, or weather systems. Then, they go through a guided writing process to allow people to connect with the land.

A piece of advice that Tara shares for all instructors is to find a sweet spot when the workload seems overwhelming. By connecting with the topics and processes instructors are most passionate about, they can highlight the intersection between course learning goals and real-world application. This results in a classroom where instructors are excited to be there, and that energy radiates out into the students’ work. This applies to student projects, too: Tara encourages their students to use assignments as a way to dig into their values and interests, what they are curious about, or what they have questions about.

Ultimately, Tara believes that the English classroom is a place where students get to practice life. Through the structures of rhetoric, composition, and creativity, students build a lifelong bridge between themselves and the world. Students find this personal connection as a core motivation, and leave the classroom realizing just how valuable an English education can be.