Spark Forum:
“Think about times when you have needed to channel your own creativity. What did you do to foster this and did it change the way you see things” (Falmouth University 2020)?
A blank page or canvas is something I spend a lot of time staring at, and I can find the same difficulty when staring at a problem with no immediate solution. Very often, the answer is to put it down, do something else and come back to it later – but what if there is a looming deadline?
In my final year of Creative Writing degree at The Open University, inspiration ran dry halfway through my short story (6,000 words, for my last piece). We were taught free-writes (writing anything that comes to mind and waiting for inspiration to appear on the page), what-if statements, mind maps and many techniques that I blitzed through. I picked up my old favourites books, read poetry and sat there uninspired with half a story not going anywhere. To channel my creativity, I had to step away from obsessing about words, books and stories and do something completely different. My photography tutor once told me, “when you are in the middle of a blind panic, and you can’t think of what to do, just take a walk. So much inspiration happens on a walk” (Warburton 2018). And so I did, I took my camera out at the same time and tried not to think about writing for a good few hours until I got back. Then when I got back, I started the same process, a free-write about my walk, a mind map about emotions I felt on my walk, how those emotions linked back to the past. I threw away most of what I had written already and started the story again.
The walk changed my perspective. I saw my problems and the solutions clearer. I needed a bigger story to fill meet the word count, and sometimes it’s worth starting again. The story was called ‘Burying Bandit’ and the same themes, imagery and metaphors were still running through my work, so I didn’t disregard all my progress. I just needed to start back at the beginning.
Replies to my post on the Spark Forum:
The power of subconscious problem solving is amazing. There have been countless times when I have tried to solve a problem with very little success. This might span days or weeks until, either in the shower or on a walk the answer just pops straight into my head. I think your post will resonate/help a lot of the cohort. (Parker A replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020)
“Completely agree on the mobile distraction technique as a way around problems or creative blocks. For me it’s going on a bike ride, it’s distracting enough that I’m no longer focused on the problem but also simple enough that I have room for thoughts to appear ‘why don’t you just do x?’ (Lörtscher replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020).
“Thanks for your post, I can totally relate to this issue. What I realised is that I am not the person who sits down and thinks, I need to get up and walk around, go for a run or go to the gym” (Griffiths replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020).
“Hello Sarah, I enjoyed reading your post. A big fan of walking meetings at work. A little harder to do now so we agree to stand up when having a virtual meeting. Movement is vital for thinking. Nothing like a change of scenery to get a different perspective” (Parker L replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020).
Just want to add my own voice to the positive response – this is great advice! (Brough replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020)
A discussion on creative process:
“I have a counter-argument to the above statement. I think it is very important to establish what is meant by ‘Creativity’. To me it is not merely ‘the application of imagination’. It may be brutal but I don’t think everyone is creative by definition. To me ‘Creativity’ is going beyond, into uncharted territory otherwise you would just be getting to where others have already got, which to me is not memorable, and is not innovative” (Neale comment on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020).
The cohort was full of useful advice and techniques for fostering their own creativity. I have picked out a few that were particularly relevant to my own practice and made me rethink ideas on imagination, creativity and the application of both as a process.
The discussion on creativity was a particularly interesting one for me, as I’ve always considered myself a creative person. I wholehearted agree that ‘it is very important to establish what is meant by “Creativity” (Neale 2020). Neale (2020) also goes on to say “I don’t think everyone is creative by definition”, an interesting idea that I wholeheartedly disagree entirely with – I think everyone is creative. Neale often offers an alternative viewpoint to the mainstream and as a highly imaginative and creative person, presenting different ideas and arguments is a creative process in and of itself.
Petrillo and Parker, L (2020) offer practical advice in visual problem solving and creativity in time-sensitive environments. Joanne Petrillo mentions the value in communication with clients as a creative process and talks through step by step how she achieved her wonderful logo redesign.
Laura Parker’s advice also really struck a chord with me – especially where she discussed inevitable creative failures. “We all fail sometimes and the world can be less than forgiving about it. I don’t know, you’ve just got to put that stuff behind you and move on with a fresh perspective” (Parker L 2020). Imposter syndrome is something women are more likely to experience and it’s important to be critical and forgiving to yourself when reflecting.
Re: A logo redesign
I love your redesign (here), and the repeat of your process communication, brainstorming, analysis and reflection amongst a disconnect and thinking time. We often see the end of result of something, but I’m enjoying hearing about the differences and variety of ways of getting to that wonderful end result (By Author 2020).
“Hey Sarah. Thank you! Actually, your post about your process with writing inspired me to think more about how I keep the momentum going in a creative project, and to appreciate the value of those disconnected thinking times. I agree, I always find it interesting, and often inspiring, getting insight into how different people work through creative projects” (Petrillo replying to Author on Week 2 Spark Forum 2020).
Redundancy and pattern recognition? How to Foster for Creativity
Professor Tanya Krzywinska discusses redundancy, pattern recognition and how to foster creativity. Tanya Krzywinska “has published many articles and books on screen-based and interactive media fiction” is president of the Digital Games Research Association (2006) and “currently writing a monograph, Gothic Games, for Palgrave and developing a ‘ludic’ fiction entitled The Witch’s Room for the iPad” (Falmouth University 2020). “Tanya, alongside Dr Brown, was instrumental in setting up the Games Academy at Falmouth University” (Falmouth University 2020).
How does ICEDIP techniques relate to my own practice:
- Inspiration
- Clarification
- Evaluation
- Distillation
- Incubation
- Perspiration
I find myself often too excited in the ‘inspiration’ phase of ICEDIP. How we see what we expect to see and how we need to recognise the psychology of our own humanity to push original and out of the box thinking. The better we understand ourselves the more creative we will be.
Reflection
Week 2 Creativity has been a positive week, I’ve really enjoyed reading and discovering the processes for creative thinking techniques. Some expressed their creativity through programming, photography, collage, found objects and the list goes on. I was especially impressed with my colleagues that thought of out of the box and original ideas for creativity, like an encrypted poem or game terrain inspired by our natural materials.
What is creativity and how to accomplish such a thing is always an interesting topic. This week the discussion forum buzzed with answers and my perspective and insight into this word ‘creativity’ changed. Informed by my cohort from both Indie Games Development and User Experience Design, the word is a far more complex and ever-changing thing than I previously thought.
Seeing the result of creative processes like Petrillo’s logo redesign demonstrated their own steps through ICEDIP. I had to re-think my own processes. I often linger in the ‘inspiration’ phase, enjoying the research and observation of other work. My focus on this course will be on enhancing and fostering my creativity through to the end result.
References
BROUGH, Josh. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 29. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
Falmouth University. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth Flex [online]. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/pages/week-2-introduction?module_item_id=44795 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
GRIFFITHS, Paul. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
KRZYWINKSK, Tanya. 2020. ‘Week 2: What is Creativity?’. Falmouth Flex [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
LORTSCHER, Eliane. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
NEALE, B. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
PARKER, Alcwyn. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
PARKER, Laura. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757 [Accessed 27 September 2020].
PETRILLO, Joanne. 2020. ‘Week 2: Spark Forum’. Falmouth University Discussion Board [online] September 20. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/872/discussion_topics/17757. [Accessed 27 September 2020].
WARBURTON, Helen. 2017. Telephone call to the author re: Photography Assignment One support, 18 March 2018.
