The Soda Shop Message Boards

I was having an interesting discussion with an adult friend of mine (pretty much a mentor to me), and we were discussing my friends who were creative (and myself).

She remarked how it was interesting that I knew so many teens and young adults who had their own businesses or talents that paid them on the side, since she felt it was pretty rare.

We dug deeper into this topic, and the common denominator was AIO. So we asked, “why?”

Something that makes Odyssey unique is its format. It isn’t like traditional media like tv shows and movies. There’s an entire world of Odyssey that exists only in audio, in the heads of the writers and creators and listeners.

This requires a lot of imagination on the listener's’ part, and I believe enhances their imagination even further, inspiring us to be more creative with our talents and hobbies. Would we be as imaginative if we hadn’t been trained to use our imagination so much with this show's unique format? Would the fans of AIO be quite as creative if the show was a tv show?

What do y’all think?

That's very cool! It does stretch one's imagination to try and picture exactly what's happening; also it makes you listen more closely and be attentive.

I don't know if that could really become an actual correlation... but who knows. AIO tends to treat their kids (listeners) as if they were older... and not as if they were just "kids." That give and show kids that they shouldn't just "wait until their older", but that they can actually do things /now/. However... I wonder if being homeschooled is more of a better denominator.

From personal observation, It's not as much Adventures in Odyssey as it is homeschooling. One could also argue that homeschoolers listen to it more and I know I'm probably in the minority here being homeschooled, but "it was interesting that I knew so many teens and young adults who had their own businesses or talents that paid them on the side, since she felt it was pretty rare."--I think the only teens/young adults that I know (of) that have their own businesses or talens are/were homeschooled. *hides* Other thoughts?

Connie, I'm going to agree with you on that. We have several homeschooling families in our church, but only two of them have children old enough to take "jobs." One of them, who works part time at a local fast food restaurant, tends goats with her mother, and helps her make homemade cheese. I mean, they age the cheese and make different kinds. It's nuts. The one from the other family makes professionally-done cakes. As in, something that you would go to a bakery and buy. And, to deepen the conversation, I would probably say it's because homeschoolers (being at home) have more time and more resources close to them to expand their recreational abilities.

A tragic piece of music that has become a hit in 14 countries and sold over seven million copies. (1960)

Exactly, that's what I'm talking about; the Odyssey Fanatic part may be more of an effect than a cause of the homeschooling and the versitility that comes with it.

I really like that Belle! I know what you mean, I've been listening to Odyssey for years and I also find now I have a strong imagination. I wonder if Odyssey has helped. I think when you listen to Odyssey the actors portray their roles so well it does make it easier t imagine Odyssey.

For the most part, the broadening of the imagination through AIO idea makes a lot of sense, but a thing that I'm wondering about is the fact that the thing you're imagining is what the places, things, and people look like. So my question is: does that broaden a person's imagination and creativity that much? You're imagining what things look like. Is that super useful?

I think that being homeschooled helps you be creative because we tend to have more variety in our educational methods. I mean, we have the normal book learning but we also allow ourselves to expand into other areas; as often the only person in our grade we have a more personalized learning experience and our parents let us explore our talents more. That's what I love about homeschooling and I'll be forever glad my parents chose it. Traveling to New York and New Mexico was part of our education. And part of my school was my writing.
I do think that homeschoolers tend to listen to Odyssey (because we're often Christian? Not all Christian homeschoolers listen and not all those who listen are homeschooled Christians... hm....). And I think that it does help imagination, at least, more than television does. With TV and visual media, they feed you the images and the sound; it does all the work. You're passive. But with Odyssey and other radio dramas, like with books, you get to make up the pictures yourself. (For one thing, the way I imagine the AIO characters is a lot different than how they're portrayed officially.) So you're using your imagination, strengthening those muscles. It's just a part of it, I think; there are probably other factors (and more primary ones than listening to Odyssey) that make people creative. I actually grew up without TV (till I was 10); Odyssey was the main media I got from 7-10. TV only at grandparents etc, something special. And I played all kinds of imaginary games. If I had sat in front of the TV during those hours, would I be as creatively inclined now? I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it had something to do with it. Not to say you can't be creative if you watch TV but it shouldn't be the biggest part of your leisure time.

Same here -- I always imagined them looking different from the pointy-chin cartoons of them on the official site! Homeschool probably has something to do with it but of course not all.

Homeschoolers have greater opportunity if dealt with properly. Some homeschoolers do badly because of various reasons. AIO gives an edge obviously to homeschooling and gives a great thing to do in time off that benefits a person. AIO gives valuable life lessons and knowledge. Eugene give those random info tips not to mention the words that expand your mind. AIO strives to make you think and create humor.