Crea%ve Rhetorics talking about crea/vity Janine Sykes Year Tutor BA Crea/ve Adver/sing
Aim To gain knowledge of the historicism and complexity of crea/vity, in order to be@er understand and ar/culate your crea%ve prac%ce
Objec%ves; It s good to talk • • • •
Clarify how crea/vity is talked about Enable us to talk with precision about crea/vity Develop prac/ce; techniques/defini/ons Poten/ally expand discipline
Threads • • • • •
Introduc%on The blank sheet project Genealogy a history of the term crea3vity Aesthe%cs philosophy of crea/vity Educa%on facilita/ng crea/vity Contemporary global discourses and prac/ces
Different ar/sts oLen have quite divergent concep/ons of what they are doing Harrison-‐Barbet, 1990, p287
Illustrated; The Blank Sheet Project
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Rutger Hauer Sir John Hegarty Renzo Rosso Neville Brody Ka/ Howe 28/11/12
Introducing crea/ve flow
Blade Runner (1982) Ridley & Rutger
Renzo Rosso's Crea/ve Rhetoric
How Rosso talks about crea/vity • Prac%ce-‐based beginning (School of Fashion) studio-‐ pedagogy (supports crea/vity) Arts & CraLs/Bauhaus • Best idea – always next crea%vity 'dynamic' George Dickie (1971) art is beyond defini/on constantly changing (history of aesthe/cs) • Be Stupid – using heart not head expressionist theory – linked to Roman/cism idea that crea/vity is a knowledge-‐ obtaining ac/vity opposi/on to ra/onal sciences • Rosso Roman/c Genius? • Work in teams – crea/ve process Diesel – collabora/ve
A genealogy of creativity
A couple of thousand years & a bit more
Mimesis • • • • • • • • •
Plato s (427 BC -‐ 346 BC ) problem with crea/vity Republic – ideal society (cri/que of democracy) Metaphysics – forms Physical world mimics the real Art imitates an imita/on Art mimics the sensory world Crea/vity merely a technical skill -‐ techne (GK) Denied crea%vity's knowledge-‐producing capability Dichotomy physical not mental ac%vity
Why start with Europe and Ancient GKs?
• Gombrich (1950) The popular view is that Western civilization begins Ancient Greeks • Bernal (1991) argues Classical civilization has deep roots in Afroasiatic cultures - history suppressed since 18c. • Classical Greeks, did not see their philosophy, as original, but derived from the East and Egypt.
Evidence classifica/on of GK Art • Striving to imitate nature be@er: • Archaic • Classical • Hellenis/c
Marbel kouros from Attica 530 B.C. life size
The Victory from Samothrace 190 BC Height 2.4m
Classicism • Roman Art (315 AD) Constantine • Republic period realism (after Gks) Imperial period stylized • Art followed spirit of Gks • Suggesting Greeks reached some sort of apex. • Sentiment found in histories of art Gombrich
Academics talk about Creativity as… • Complex and dynamic concept • Subjects of history of art and aesthetics • Evidenced in Banaji et al (2006) Nine rhetorics of creativity' contemporary review of the literature • Theoretical framework of lecture
Banaji et al (2006) Nine rhetorics of creativity (1) Creative genius (2) Democratic & political creativity (3) Ubiquitous creativity (4) Creativity for social good (5) Creativity as economic imperative
(6) Play and creativity (7) Creativity and cognition (8) The creative affordances of technology (9) The creative classroom
(1) Romantic Genius • Found in aesthetics • Area of philosophy • Term originates in mid 18c • Derived from the aesthesis (perception) • Involves looking at how judgements about art and creativity are made.
• Immanuel Kant • Critique of Judgement (1790) is still hailed as the most influential writings on aesthetics.
Romanticism • Kant wrote about artistic movement • 18c literary and visual • Redefined the role of the artist • Creative genius
Transformed • Movement changed ideas and language about art & creativity • Rejecting Platonic theory, Nietzsche and Schopenhauer (German philosophers) posited art as the most important knowledge-generating discipline.
The Creative • Romanticism redefined the status of the artist • Valued the originality of work, in terms of reflecting a subjective vision of artist • Artist a creator – not imitator • Artist should stand aside from rules • The artist is rule breaker & definer
Crea/vity • Through creating, artists create new rules • Own master & owner of the discipline • Romantic model of the artist empowers the artist and creativity • Through creativity the borders and boundaries of art itself are visualised and transcended • Expanding the discipline • Dynamic
Hegarty talks about Creativity...6.20
Facilita/ng crea/vity
(9) The creative classroom • The Survival of Creativity (2000) • Traces history of state-funded Art & Design Education. • First Academies of Art in Italy 14c • Classical rules perspective, orders of architecture etc. • Scholarly activity fine • 16c French Academy & Atelier • 19c British Art Schools, Arts & Craft: LCA
(2) Democratic & political creativity empowering properties - groups
Creative Advertising and Online Collaborative Creativity
FutureEverything 2012 •
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Abundance research new media profound change on creatives & citizens. people can collaborate…across networks to create…or participate in social revolutions
Art and Design Education changed • Brown (2012) digital technology, event horizon • Epistemological shift. • Global community created the cloud single body of knowledge. • Ownership of content has changed implications A & D Education • One- to –many outmoded • Inverted many-to-one • eStudio
eStudio • Online extension studio • Mimics the professional studio in its online form and creative collaborations • Year tutor; curriculum development
Abstract • Art & copy teams (collaborative) concurrent practice-based orthodox UK Art Schools 50s. • For some, new media prompting changes at the heart of the discipline; models of creativity -evidence teams are expanding in volume & online • Facilitating students working online and collaboratively facilitates a type of creativity of value to industry Bennett (2003) • Empowers learner online flattening/equalising effect traditional f2f roles tutor/learner Master/apprentice. • Study explores such claims
Primary sources • 49 completed/valid questionnaires • 32 learners and 1 tutor – ascertain impact • 16 Professionals - 7 top ten UK agencies
Findings • 75% (P) agreed that that new media has given rise to a new type of collaborative creativity. • 81% (P) agreed that discussion forums and chat rooms are supportive to idea generation. • 87% (L) and 93% (P) agreed that working online in teams was a valuable skill for undergraduate creatives to practice.
Further findings • Majority of learners value practising OCC early stages of the creative cycle (PA & R ) and less in the active (I). • When asked Do you agree that the discussion forums and chat rooms are appropriate spaces for supporting ideation? 49% (L) agreed 81% (P). • 32% discrepancy between how OCC is valued among (L) and (P) significant. • 65% (L) agreed there was a link between online conversation and flow compared 100% (P).
(3) Ubiquitous creativity Communities of Practice
Little c Creativity Banaji (2006) • Creativity as a basic skill to find solutions to problems in 21st life, being resourceful, flexible – contributing to society. • Society (crowd) made up of online Communities of Practice VCOP Group(s) of people, which have an interest in the same topic and are engaged in an activity of sharing their opinions on this topic (creating the cloud). Website Wiki Blogs Social Networks Microblogging
VCOP life-cycle /creative cycle 1. Potential finding people with interests forming online relations 2. Coalescing forming identity & discussing values loose network to common sense of purpose. Start engaging . 3. Active dynamic engaging generation of new knowledge takes place. 4. Dispersed members at periphery & then core loose interest in the topic. Influx of knowledge reduced. Less attractive. 5. Memorable tales and anecdotes live on. People still associate with part of their identity.
Successful VCOP • Experts / facilitation plays important role • Stimulus when discussions cooling off • Provide meaningful dialogue to sum up debate • Presence of experts doesn t = success • Level of engagement e.g. story telling important aspect (enjoyable, entertaining) way of sharing knowledge
SHOWstudio ...a way of being creative Est: 2000 Inspired by the … verb 'to show ...opens up the studio of designers and artists, allowing everyone to not only witness the creative process, but to respond and contribute creatively SHOWstudio blog (2012)
• Interdisciplinary • Need to update the blog list of collaborators; • John Galliano, Kate Moss, Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen... SHOWstudio has also worked with pop culture icons and crea/ves from the world of art, music and film including Tracey Emin, Björk, Brad Pi@ and Lady Gaga.
SHOWstudio Founder Nick Knight (Fashion photographer) has worked with the world s most sought-‐ aLer filmmakers, writers and cultural figures to create visionary online content, exploring every facet of fashion through moving image, illustra/on, photography and the wri@en word.
(4) Creativity for social good Only The Brave Foundation
Brave Actions For A Better World (2008) mission to fight social inequality and to contribute to the sustainable development of less advantaged areas and people throughout the world http://www.otbfoundation.org/about
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) • Only The Brave Foundation can be seen as CSR • David Jones CEO Havas (2012) Brands today find creative ways to be socially responsible • In this sense CSR fits with the Rhetoric of creativity as a social good; • involving co-operative activity and as socially and personally empowering (Banaji et al, 2006 p25) • Why? What society wants and demands. • D&AD Student Awards: Unilever open brief link campaign of brand to a social or environmental issue
(5) Creativity as economic imperative • Digital Britain (2009) Report • Creative skills particularly important to UK economy • Facilitating creative skills particularly important to economy • Today s most innovative companies... succeed by designing their organisations to maximize collaboration (Sawyer, 2008 xiii) • Google & Ideo (dominant creative models) • Creative teams practice improvisation (on & offline) • Good improv involves deep listening skills – working as one, idea goes places wouldn t as an individual
(6) Play and creativity • Divergent thinking activities • Image surfing • Brainstorming • Improvisational theatre • 100 –mile-an-hour thinking • Free- thinking • Creativity as a type of thinking
(7) Creativity and cognition • Csikzentmihayli (1990) Flow • Psycho-cultural perspective of creativity: • Refers to psychological condition of being creative. • Enjoyment changes perception of time loose-one sself • Occurs when challenges & skills are high • Sawyer (2008) posits flow essential ingredient to creativity • Most common place flow experienced is when one is in conversation. • Creativity is (and always has been) collaborative
Flow illustrated by working methods Studio Ghibli Director Hayao Miyazaki talking about how narrative award winning film Spirited Away (2001) collaboratively & incrementally
…a principle that I adhere to when directing is that I make good use of everything my staff creates... animation is a fundamentally developmental process for Miyazaki, it is also, no less crucially, an eminently collaborative effort (Cavallaro, 2006, p134)
(8) The creative affordances of technology Covered OCC new model of creativity (industry) Influenced creative curriculum (9) Creative classroom Flattening social hierarchies, empowering and connecting creatives. • Communities of practice across disciplines & geography asynchronously or synchronously • New initiative launched next summer connect D&AD community richer deeper engagement education and industry • New and exciting opportunities for creatives • • • •
CHI expands global network with Bates Asia joint venture (2012) • Article about ad agency Hornby also said "This new merger, a new structure • Links to Rhetoric (5) Creativity as economic imperative • Johnny Hornby global executive chairman (CHI) new model network with deep roots in Asia and world class creative credentials".
model network will use our big ideas process to put together bespoke multidisciplined teams across geographies. It will be a nimbler, faster, more modern alternative to the big networks."
Beattie (BMB) ECD • Internet is the biggest idea since the wheel • Enables lots of small ideas to circulate • that combination of a trillion little ideas is in itself the biggest idea there is...I think we are at the most interesting point of communications history ever... • Digital media enabled convergence on a scale not seen before opens up opportunities for creatives. • E.g Moon
Visualising Creativity • Creative affordances/possibilities technology; • Capturing creativity in real time SHOWstudio Carine Gilson's Flora LiveStudio (5th Dec, 2012) • Creativity is now massive, open and online • The Blank Sheet project – objectives to expose creativity • D&AD new initiative Making Your Mark similar thinking • VC topic commission at Liverpool Biennial 2012 (largest contemporary arts event in UK) The Source Doug Aiken • Installation help to summarise the threads of the lecture
Talking about creativity • What is the source of a creative idea? • Installation collaboration with David Adjaye • Visitors enter a pavilion with screens projecting artists; Jack White, Tilda Winton (actress) and others discussing the roots of their creativity with Doug Aiken.
How do you talk about your Creativity? • Residues of Mimesis may remain. • Contemporary literature suggests creativity is spoken about by creatives as a thinking and knowledgegenerating activity. • OCC sits in opposition to the Creative Genius rhetoric, where creativity is an innate aptitude for individuals. • The has led to a dualist perspective of real individual creativity against a communal other. • Consequences; any form of collaborative creativity is considered of inferior value to independent practice • Sawyer (2008) and others argue the opposite that collaborative creativity is a superior type that increases innovation and suits the contemporary networked economy.
You are not a gadget • Practicing OCC could potentially diffuse the dualisms that have existed in the rhetoric of creativity. • Creative practicing does not necessarily entail replacing a focus on the creative sovereignty of the individual. As Lanier explains, You have to be somebody before you can share yourself (Lanier, 2010, p.1).
Bibliography (see handout) •
Bennett, R. and Broadfoot, O. (2003) Design Studios: Online? Comparing traditional face-to face Design Studio education with modern internet-based design studios’. Apple University Consortium Academic and Developers Conference Proceedings 2003, pp 9-21 (online http://omnium.net.au/assets/downloads/papers/2003_auc_designstudios.pdf accessed 2/03/2010).
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Campaign (2012) CHI expands global network with Bates Asia joint venture (Online- http:// www.campaignlive.co.uk/bulletin/campaign_daily_fix/article/1162944/chi-expands-global-network-bates-asia-jointventure/?DCMP=EMC-CONCampaignDailyFix – accessed 05/12/12
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Great Britain. Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2009) Digital Britain Final Report (online http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm76/7650/7650.pdf - accessed 05/01/10).
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D&AD The Blank Sheet Project
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Banaji, S., Burn, A. and Buckingham, D. (2006) The rhetorics of creativity: A review of the literature Creative Partnerships Arts Council England (online - http://www.creative-partnerships.com/literaturereviews -accessed: 03/03/10).
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Bernal, M (1991) Black Athena Rutgers University Press Gombrich, E. H. (1950; 16th rev. ed. 1995) The Story of Art London : Phaidon Hafeez, K. and Alghatas, F. (2007) Knowledge Management in a Virtual Community of Practice using Discourse Analysis Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management Volume 5 Issue 1 pp. 29 – 42 (online http://www.ejkm.com/volume-5/v5-i1/Hafeex_and_Alghatas.pdf- accessed 30/10/10). Only The Brave Foundation (online -http://www.otbfoundation.org/(accessed: 11/11/12) Harrison-Barbet (1990) Philosophy an Introduction Dickie (1971) Introduction to Aesthetics New York, Pegasus Sawyer, K (2008) Group Genuis The Creative Power of collaboration New York, Basic Books Csikszentmihalyi (1990) Flow, the psychology of optimal experience NY HarperCollins
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