--- title: Dordt faculty member embraces a renewed commitment to creativity date: 2026-10-14T06:50:00-05:00 author: Jennifer Vermeer canonical_url: "https://www.dordt.edu/news/dordt-faculty-member-embraces-a-renewed-commitment-to-creativity" section: News --- [ View Dordt News](https://www.dordt.edu/news) [Notable](https://www.dordt.edu/news?category=notable) Oct 14, 2026 # Dordt faculty member embraces a renewed commitment to creativity Assistant professor of English, Sara de Waal embraces creativity with "Making: A Practice" challenge and presentations. ![](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/IMG_2130.JPEG?mode=crop&pos=center-center&w=66&h=57&f=webp&c=ce042faf&v=5a70cce60b2ba67500c6522a3e30d433d0e25fbe90943f0fdb5f6c62f9589c9d) ![]()Over the summer, [Sara de Waal](https://www.dordt.edu/people/sara-de-waal), assistant professor of English at Dordt University, dedicated time to a more intentional practice of making. For 10 days, de Waal set out to create something each day, using the experience to expand her understanding of creativity—for herself, her students and the broader community. While the project initially grew out of a speaking engagement de Waal was preparing for, she quickly realized that there was a disconnect between what she said about creativity and how she practiced it herself. “While I was still encouraging my students to create, aside from curriculum, I wasn’t doing much making myself,” de Waal says. “I had all kinds of good excuses: I was busy helping students and planning classes; I didn’t have the bandwidth for a major creative project; many of my ideas didn’t feel like they would become a publishable project, so what was the point?” Rather than letting those barriers stop her, de Waal made them part of the project. “The goal of the project became not only making art and writing for 10 days, but converting those excuses and reframing them as reasons to create instead of reasons not to create,” De Waal says. A lack of time, resources, or talent, for example, can become an opportunity to practice creating within the constraints of everyday life. The feeling of having “nothing to say” can become an invitation to listen more carefully, with art emerging as an artifact of that listening. And the fear that something will not be good enough can be reframed as an opportunity to practice. ![](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/IMG_1933.JPEG?mode=fit&pos=center-center&w=57&h=65&c=cdce096d&v=332290743b1490753ee56b6ca5fa986d97bf5cd5bee45339ae21e013e1d975e3) Ultimately, the 10-day project revealed to de Waal that the challenges and joys of making often mirror the challenges and joys of everyday life. “Making helps me to practice my humanity intentionally so I can be more responsive, generous, and attentive, both on and off the page,” de Waal says. As an assistant professor of English at Dordt, creativity is not something she encounters only in her own writing; it is part of the daily work of teaching and learning. “Teaching is a creative act,” de Waal says. “You have to practice not-knowing-how and showing up to do the work anyway. That is what becoming a writer is, and that is what teaching is like, too.” “What creativity, teaching and writing have in common is resilience,” she adds. De Waal has recently shared her experiences and insights on creativity in a variety of settings, including Dordt’s Summer Seminar series and a keynote address at North Central Texas College’s Creativity Awards—a weekend celebration marking the launch of the literary magazine *Sonder*. In November, she will also present at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha for its 4th Annual Conference on Teaching Creative Writing at the Community College. Across these presentations, De Waal explores creativity not simply as a means of producing art, but as a way of engaging with problems, interpreting information, deepening learning, and understanding the world around us. “To me, creativity is the quality you develop when frequently presented with problems that don’t have automatic solutions—problems that require patience and nuance and iteration,” de Waal says. “Creativity isn’t just about output—what you are producing; it’s also about input—what you are taking in and how you are arranging it.” De Waal hopes her presentation will encourage students, educators, and the broader community to reconsider how we define “creative.” The practice of making, she says, is not limited to artists, writers or other traditionally creative professions. It is part of being human. “Most kids are creative and are naturally makers, and most adults wonder where that all went,” de Waal says. “I want people to feel emboldened and refreshed—to see the ways they are already creative and already makers, and to imagine how they might ‘make more’ without adding another thing to their plate.” Through her own 10-day experiment and her work with students and community audiences, de Waal hopes to help others rediscover the joy of making—not as one more obligation, but as a practice that can deepen the way they listen, learn, work, and live. --- **About Dordt University** As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt offers undergraduate and graduate programs that help students live their faith in every area of life. Through rigorous learning, meaningful relationships, and whole-person formation, students gain the practical wisdom to serve God and neighbor through their work and in their communities. Dordt has been named among the nation's leading Christian universities by *U.S. News & World Report*, *Niche*, and other national publications. --- [Previous Article ![Four people in black clothing sing into microphones, holding sheet music on stands, performing together on stage.](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/jazz.jpg?mode=crop&pos=center-center&w=56&h=33&f=webp&c=cfdcf8a2&v=958cbb6341d33d8e13d4d25cd652afe040019b1d8e9ef0585c5a97818a42f304) Events Music Oct 14, 2026 ## 4th Avenue Jazz Band to perform concert during Defender Days During Defender Days, Dordt University’s Music Department will present a free concert featuring the 4th Avenue Jazz Band and Campus Community Band. Read More ](https://www.dordt.edu/news/4th-avenue-jazz-band-to-perform-concert-during-defender-days) [Next Article ![](https://d3evso2dxyohou.cloudfront.net/generalUploads/MattPotoHeadshots2026-3141.jpg?mode=crop&pos=0.4699-0.2158&w=56&h=33&f=webp&c=a575d83c&v=863b36bfa73b49cb84501ea54db7addaa10eac0bcaf46815f509ec247c5dc8fa) Music Oct 12, 2026 ## Matt Poto joins Dordt University music department as campus community band director Dordt University’s Music Department has recently announced that Matt Poto will serve as the new director of the Campus Community Band. 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