Cultivated creativity

Concepts of Creativity

Words and Associations

• Imagination: A key word associated with creativity

• Artistry: Creative expression through art forms

• Originality: Creating something new or unique

• Agency: Individual's ability to act in the way they see fit; relates to freedom and self-expression

• Ideas: Fundamental to creative thinking; allowing formation of different kinds of ideas

• Individuality: Relates to personal creative expression

• Thinking: One of the first identified components of creativity; involves novel thought processes

"We've got a few of them here already. We had imagination, didn't we? We had a sort of artistry and originality."

Divergent Thinking

• Definition: A way of taking what is known and finding alternatives to traditional or common ways of doing things

• The essence of creativity lies in thinking differently about the everyday

• Enables people to think differently and form different kinds of ideas

• Allows people to come up with different solutions to different problems

"So divergent thinking is a way of taking what we know and finding alternatives. Finding alternatives and traditional ways or common ways of doing things. That is the essence of creativity."

Individual vs. Collective Creativity

• While it may seem like individual pursuit, creativity does not occur in a vacuum

• Important principle: A person who is creative is never alone

• Creativity emerges from within a network of relations with others (smaller or bigger)

• Always involves use of cultural resources, technology, and language

• Language often serves as a springboard for creativity

"It is a person who is creative, but this person is not alone... creates from within a network, smaller or bigger of relations with others, and necessarily uses cultural resources from technology to language."

Conditions and Requirements for Creativity

Essential Conditions

• Freedom: Essential for creative expression

• Time and Space: Need for dedicated thinking time free from other responsibilities

• Material and psychological needs: Must be met to provide a platform for creativity

• Psychological safety and support: Space for exploration without constraint

"A Room of One's Own"

• Concept by writer Virginia Woolf from her famous feminist text on intellect and fiction

• "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."

• Broader application: The conditions necessary for women to be creative and intellectual were not in place throughout history in the same way as for men

• Modern interpretation: Anyone of any gender needs both time and space for creativity, free from other constraints

• For Woolf, freedom from constraint comes through money and material security

Creativity Theory Frameworks

Three Areas of Creative Processes (Glavano's Model)

1. Psychological processes

• Involves freedom, time, and space

• Space for ideation: the process of having ideas

• Imagining and associating ideas differently

• Example: thinking of different uses for a paper clip represents associative ideation

2. Social processes

• Group work: collaborative creation is essential to creativity

• Working within group dynamics to create something

• Outcomes of creativity: how animations, films, media, and sound products are circulated to audiences

• How creative work is interpreted and appreciated by communities

• Important principle: connection between creativity and meaning exists within cultural networks

3. Material processes

• Affordances: what we can do with objects; what capabilities things possess

• Living conditions and available resources

• Technological tools and their possibilities

• Medium-specific possibilities (what can be done with animation, audio suites, particular equipment)

• Understanding what tools allow you to do that other tools don't

Testing and Understanding Creativity in Everyday Life

Unusual Uses Test

• Purpose: Test creativity and explore meaning of creativity in everyday life

• Method: Asks people to think differently about everyday items they think they know

• Example provided: Asking participants to think of as many uses as possible for a brick or other ordinary object

• Principle: Creative thinking involves reconceptualizing familiar objects beyond their conventional uses

• Application to creative fields: Same principle applies to creative mediums—rethinking what can be done with animation, particular equipment, or audio suites that hasn't been done before

Module Focus: Cultivating Creativity

Core Question

• How do we cultivate creativity? How do we create creative?

• This is the central question explored throughout the module

Future Discussion Areas

• Will discuss in seminars the conditions that need to be in place for creativity to happen

• Will explore throughout the semester what it means to cultivate creativity

• Will discuss through seminars in more detail about how to develop creative capacity

Program Structure

• Collaborative group work is essential throughout the course

• Students will work collaboratively in groups over the course of the program

• Group dynamics are fundamental to creative practice

• Collaborative work develops creative capacity

Discussion Question

• Why is creativity important? (Question posed for student reflection)

Key References and Sources

• Glavano: Author of an "introduction to creativity theory" cited as a major source; discusses processes of creativity across psychological, social, and material dimensions

• Virginia Woolf: Writer and feminist theorist; proposed concept of "A Room of One's Own" as prerequisite for intellectual and creative work

• Context: Course serves animation, film, media, and fan students; these art forms are the primary context for examples

• Natural to think of creativity in terms of art forms and culture, though creativity theory is much broader

• Creativity theory applies equally to everyday forms of creativity as to artistic creativity


  • Semester A Cohort Composition:

    • The module brings together students across multiple distinct degree programs into a unified mixed group during Semester A:

    • Film and Media: 33 students.

    • Film Production: 77 students.

    • Media Production: 22 students (including Marco).

    • Sound and Music Production: Represented within the mixed cohort.

    • Purpose of Mixed Grouping: Semester A is designed to foster collaboration and shared perspectives across different media disciplines before students split into program-specific groups in Semester B.

  • Assessment and Output Requirements:

    • Semester A Output: Work completed during Semester A is strictly an individual activity rather than a group project. It involves conducting independent research into a specific creative individual, studio, or film.

    • Semester B Progression: In Semester B, students transition out of the shared core structure and move into their program-specific module pathways.

  • Class Format and Dynamic:

    • Session Length: 11 hour.

    • Module Type: Core module shared across media programs, operating differently from program-specific modules.

    • Pedagogical Approach: Interactive and reflective discussion rather than a passive one-hour lecture monologue. Students engage with peers in small program or cross-program groups to discuss concepts, creative influences, and preferences.

Creative Conditions and Individual Requirements

  • Definition of Creative Conditions:

    • Creative conditions refer to the environment, atmosphere, and psychological factors required for an individual to achieve peak creativity and imagination.

    • There is no single universal condition for creativity; requirements vary significantly from person to person.

  • Variations in Environmental Needs:

    • Auditory Preferences: Some creators require ambient white noise to focus and generate ideas, while others require complete silence.

    • Visual Stimuli: Visual surroundings play a critical role, such as needing to look out at green natural environments like a garden or trees.

  • The Creative Spark:

    • A primary component of creative conditions is the initial "spark"—a stimulus that activates a creator's imagination.

    • Analyzing creative conditions involves studying interviews with established creators, comparing their personal workflows, reflecting on individual creative habits, and planning ahead for creative work.

Analysis of Creative Work and Cultural Artifacts

  • Case Study: Donald Glover and "This Is America":

    • Viral Context: The music video for "This Is America" was released and achieved massive viral popularity concurrently with the promotional tour and premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

    • Interpretation and Context:

    • Donald Glover explicitly refuses to explain the ending or underlying meaning of the "This Is America" video.

    • Glover asserts that providing context or definitive explanations detracts from the work, feeling inherently wrong to him as an artist.

    • His philosophy is that once artwork is released, it belongs to the public ("for the people"), and viewers should be allowed to interpret it freely and walk away with whatever they individually need from it.

  • Case Study: Production Scale in Solo: A Star Wars Story:

    • Production Culture and Family Dynamic:

    • Joining a major franchise like Star Wars carries significant pressure, but operates within a deeply supportive environment.

    • The production involves hundreds of specialized craftspeople, including costume designers, prop makers, and puppeteers.

    • Producers foster a tight-knit "family" dynamic from the earliest stages, such as arranging initial tours through the creatures' factory to meet craftspeople working at the grassroots level of character creation.

  • Anecdotes and Public Perception:

    • Danny Glover Rumor:

    • A persistent public misconception exists that Donald Glover is the son of actor Danny Glover.

    • Donald Glover confirmed he has never met Danny Glover, though both actors frequently receive questions about the assumed relation.

    • Line References:

    • Reference to the quote from Orlando / Lando Calrissian: "Everything you've heard about is true."

    • Fashion and Costuming Symbolism (Capes):

    • Capes create a perpetual sense of being formal or "dressed up," which prevents them from being mainstream fashion.

    • Wearing a cape in everyday settings (such as a baseball game) draws suspicion, giving the impression that the wearer is hiding something.

    • Superhero Exception: Superheroes can wear capes in public spaces like baseball games without suspicion of concealment, though doing so immediately reveals their superhero identity.

Peer Discussion and Reflective Exercises

  • Group Formation & Setup:

    • Peer exercises are conducted in small groups consisting of 22, 33, or 44 students, organized either by seat proximity or within specific degree program tracks.

    • Findings and ideas are recorded on mobile phones or written down by a designated group member.

  • Exercise Prompts:

    • Personal Introductions: Introducing oneself to peers within the group.

    • Creative Role Models: Identifying individual figures or works admired across media disciplines, such as directors, films, animations, sound recordings, or television personalities.

    • Shared Interests: Identifying common creative themes, aesthetics, or artistic preferences among group members.

  • Debate Prompt on Artistic Intent vs. Audience Interpretation:

    • Question: Is an artist justified in refusing to explain their work and leaving its meaning entirely open to public interpretation?

    • Perspective: Initial counter-arguments suggest a desire for direct explanation from the creator rather than complete ambiguity.