by Carlo Padilla

July 5 marked the beginning of a fun-filled July as “The Total U” officially begins with the first event called “The Creative U.” The event was greeted by more than 100 participants across all departments of PUNP Tayug in an attempt to discover their creative side. The host for this event was our very own Mr. Romeo Padilla III, a graduate of UST College of Architecture and an entrepreneur with his booming online business, “Synopsiiis.” 

The event was divided into three different activities specifically designed to bring out the creativity in a person. The first activity was a warm-up exercise called Free Create where the participants were required to create something from a piece of paper. Some of the participants opted to create origami, while some decided to draw. The second activity, which was also the most challenging, was called “Time Stamp.” In this activity, the participants were required to draw three different objects within a given time frame. Each participant had to recreate the three objects in 10 seconds, 30 seconds, and 60 seconds. Mr. Padilla explains that “this activity essentially forces you to think on your feet and create something within a certain time limit.” 

The last activity dubbed as the “U experience,” combines the first two activities where the participants are required to either create or draw their experience with PUNP. For three minutes, the participants created their most memorable experience with PUNP in the most creative way possible.

Mr. Padilla reminded the participants that creativity does not come naturally for most. He said that, “many people have a tendency to self-edit and pause to wonder if something is a good idea. The activities we did today forces you to think fast, forcing you to experiment with ideas without rejecting them.”

To the surprise of many, Mr. Padilla informed the participants that he will select the best creation among the participants based on their explanation of their creation where the winner will receive P500 worth of load. Ultimately, the title of the “Most Creative U” was awarded to Mr. Jordan Saguisi for his drawing depicting his “U experience” with PUNP. Mr. Saguisi explained that creativity is important because “being creative directs your attention to the mind, the imagination, and, more importantly, to ourselves.”

Through the series of creative exercises that the “Creative U” entailed, the participants were able to fully appreciate the impact of creativity and its application in their everyday lives.