Week 20 - Creativity - Part 1

"The problem of creativity is beset with mysticism, confused definitions, value judgments, psychoanalytic admonitions, and the crushing weight of philosophical speculation dating from ancient times." Albert Rothenberg

This topic is a hard one and as such, and because we have been given several weeks to work on it, I have decided to take things a step at a time, and the first step, I've decided, is to look through the links given to us and make some decsions. As well as answer the first paragraph of questions.

Robin found this for me,

creative
adj 1. having the ability to create
2. imaginative or inventive
> creativity n

She also sent me this: -
Robyn's idea of creative;
The rabid plot bunny that decided it would be a good idea to multiply, then attack.

I have to agree with the above statment, creativity is equal to rabid plot bunnies and pictures that want to be drawn and sit in your mind screaming at you until you do them, or models or sculptures that want to be made and give you the 'patented Kaiba Death-Glare' until you find some materials.

As both an author and an artist, creativity is a strong point for me, the only problem is getting it out. But how does one discribe creativity? You can give dictionary answers till the cows come home, it doesn't give your opinion on the matter.

For example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity goes on at great length about explaining how creativity effects different medias and jobs and how to measure creativity but I don't really think that helps to make up your own mind.

I belive creativity is not hindered or enhanced by technical restraints, someone who really wants to see thier plans go through will find ways of working it so what they want to create can be achieved through alternate methods. For example, if you're working in clay and can't fit it all in the kiln as one piece, you do it as parts and find some way to join the pieces together later on.

As regards to who 'does' creativity, really anyone can, writers, artists, anyone who has an idea and can work on it, the art director helps the process along and gah! How do I explain it? Creativity isn't something people 'do' in the manner that most people mean when they say that, it's something that flows out of people and onto paper or into a computer, and it's something that you don't think about, it just happens.

So that's the first paragraph of questions answered, more to come later on...

Joey