RR Week 2 – the Creative “Formula” Due by midnight Friday of this week.
1. Read this article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Increase-Creativity-Dramatically---The-Secret-Formula-To-Abundant-Creativity-That-No-One-Talks-About&id=816247
2. Click on "add a comment " to post your response to what the author says - tell us whether you think creativity (or creative thought) can be expressed in this mathematical way. ALSO tell us what makes ups “CM” or “CR” for you.
3. Leap from your response to what this all makes you think of – a time your CM was much bigger or much smaller than your CR for instance – remember to tell us why!
4. Post a URL to something online that reminds you of the creative formula concept presented in this article. Be sure to tell us WHY it reminds you of this article or how it connects in your mind.
PLEASE put your name on your post.
Due by midnight Friday this week - 1/18/13.
I think that "How much you create is how much you want to create minus how much creative resistance you have" is such a valid point. Before i even read the rest of the article I understood exactly what he meant in saying that and agreed completely. Creative motivation can often be hard. I am in Graphic Design and still think it's hard to get motivated sometimes. Most times this is because I am not sure where to start. I find this especially true when the assignment is incredibly vague. I like structure but with creative freedom if that makes sense. I like to know what direction I am going in and having a goal and knowing exactly what I want the outcome to be. This is something I have been working on because there are days I just want to sit down with a project but don't know which one to do. I have to plan and get materials and by the time I do that I am set on a different project. Thats probably my creative resistance. If I actually finished a project I would have a lot more of work that I created and less that I wanted to create. I sometimes think I was more creative before college. Now it feels like a competition...who has the best portfolio and I want everything to be perfect whereas before college I did things for the love of them. http://pinterest.com/vicknasty/design/ this is my pinterest board for design. It makes me think of the formula because it shows wonderful creative ideas and imagery that shows these people took chances and didn't let creative resistance get in their way.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the outcome of your creativity can be explained with this sort of "equation". For me, CM definitely makes me think of that "rush" we talked briefly about in class. If I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and I really feel like I'm doing a good job, I get this huge rush. I don't want to stop. When I encounter a problem, rather than being frustrated by it or afraid of it, I think about it logically and will tinker for as many hours as it takes until I figure it out, because I just really care about what I'm doing and want it to be exactly as I know it can be.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, unfortunately, I think I create a lot of CR within myself. Like Victoria mentioned, as a design major you have to be creative on the spot, often about things you don't care about, often for vague projects you don't quite know what to do with, and always in comparison to at least 15 or so other people creating a solution to the -exact same problem- you are trying to solve. And of course, theirs always looks better to you, almost entirely due to the fact that you didn't do it yourself. It's so odd, because when you analyze it, you know you are capable of executing those same things, but for some reason you feel incredibly insecure about the fact that you didn't think of it right away. Or that you didn't think of it at all, and you wish you had. It's all very frustrating and can be extremely discouraging. I really think it is this insecurity that is my biggest personal CR.
This makes me think about my experience last week in redesigning my resume. Finally, I felt some confidence, and I was really proud of what I had done. I thought, for once, that my work looked "legit," as they say, and like a "real designer" could have produced it. It's kind of weird to me how at some point in your education, you just have to kind of decide that, "No, I'm not just learning to be a ________. I AM a _________." It makes me think of that saying "Fake it 'til you make it," which I personally hate as a quote, but I do think it is sort of how we as college students function. In my opinion, confidence is the biggest key to success (oh god, another cheesy saying -- but it's true) and is usually my greatest obstacle in completely utilizing my creativity.
Yes, I wholly agree that creativity can be put into this formula but in my opinion, I believe the author makes it sound much to simple. On the paper it’s a two part equation, in reality, you can break each of those variables into a myriad of subsets. For example, Creative Motivation, for me would consist of music, coffee, and cigarettes which amplify my energy and some how have an adverse affect on my creativity output. Couldn’t tell you why or how, it just does. It also increases when in the car alone or bouncing ideas off of a peer. Creative motivation can be found in a dark hole or the vast sky. Which draws me to a question I’ve yet to solve. Some, find their creativity motivators in the darkest of corners. Personally, that’s a CR for me. I’m more avid of the daylight.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child my Creative motivation roamed free. A time when creative resistance was not known.
This is a link to Kid Cudi’s song, Day n’ Nite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDPsqCY4PHA
My thought process being, how Day and Night are codependent yet complete opposites. One person may draw motivation from one while resistance from the other and vice-verse.
After reading this article the authors formula definitely put creativity into perspective for me. Actually the other day I just started crafting again and making jewelry and dream catchers and such. And it had been a long time since I had made anything because I was so bored with the beads and feathers i had and such. Then the other day I made a dream catcher to send to my boyfriend and I started to feel my creative motivation kick in again. I think I stopped making things because of my creative resistance, I never thought I could make something good enough that other people would like. As well as crafting my favorite band helps me with my creative motivation, especially when I'm writing. I've never been a very good writer but I feel when I listen to my favorite band I write better. I would say what you choose as motivation also has a impact on our creative output. Our inspirations will help us with our creative output, or at least this is what I have seen with myself.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of the creative formula is a good way to look at our own creative processes. When we can look at what helps us be creative and what keeps us from achieving our full potential we can find ways to increase our creative output.
ReplyDeleteFor me being creative is something that comes in waves. One day I might wake up and decide I am going to paint or draw a picture. The outcome of that picture relies so much on exterior forces that it could end up in the trash if I just got in an argument with my girlfriend. Or the picture could end up on the wall if everything in my life is going great.
The most common way for me to be creative is to make posters for the Catholic Center on UVM’s campus. When I am making posters, I can go a month without any ideas for the posters and then in one day bust out a month’s worth. Now that I have the creative formula I can be more mindful about what exterior forces are affecting me.
In the video below I feel it illustrates the creative process in how when all the exterior forces are working in unison the objective is completed. However if any of the exterior forces where out of place, the entire thing would have been a flop. That is not to say that he may not have hit a homerun witch is in and of itself an impressive feat, but it is not the goal that was originally set out to accomplish.
http://youtu.be/W8SK0rk5jdE
PS I forgot to add a URL! Here is a hilarious comic concerning how a client can often be a huge CR! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree with what Dan is saying, and that I believe it to be true ("how much you create is how much you want to create minus how much creative resistance you have"), it just seems wrong to me that this is expressed in the form of a mathematical formula. I tend to associate math with concrete, static, lifeless notions—unlike creativity which is most commonly full of life, inspiration, and growth. The two just don't seem to mix, in my opinion. I think expressing the idea of this formula in a non-mathematical way would be more efficient and reasonable. For me, CM consists of many things such as: music, nature, people, self confidence, energy, and the visual arts/works of other creators/artists. CR, on the other hand, consists of: making deadlines, getting a good grade, pleasing others, and other forms of pressure bestowed by peers, professors, and colleagues.
ReplyDeleteAll of this makes me think of a particular dilemma that I'm currently in the midst of. I feel that I'm in a situation where my CR is significantly higher than my CM. In one of my graphic design classes, I'm feeling pretty pressured that my work for one of our projects won't be nearly as good or as high-quality/intriguing as other projects in the class. Sometimes I feel as if I'm not good enough to be in the field that I'm in. I guess I'm worried that people will question why I designed something in a shitty way, or something like that. I suppose this also relates to my lack of self confidence. To get myself out of this rut, a rut that I've been in before, I usually try to gain inspiration from the many great artists that have come before me. And I also think about how I most likely won't be in the field of graphic design for my entire life. There are too many things in the world I want to see and do.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/13/get-out-in-nature-to-increase-creativity/
This article talks about how getting out and immersing yourself in nature can increase your creativity. This is something I can definitely relate to—something that undoubtedly sparks my CM. It reminds me of the ways that Dan talks about increasing one's creative motivation, and reminding ourselves that we ARE creative beings. To me, nature can be awe-inspiring, peaceful, calming, and breath taking. It can take me to a simpler state of mind where I don't have to worry about every day trials and tribulations. It also reminds me how everything in the world was once in this state—undeveloped, untouched, natural, and full of beauty. It allows my mind to sort of start from scratch, with no prior concerns, and create from a new beginning of nothingness.
I will admit, I was skeptical at first. I felt as though Dan Goodwin's introductory paragraph was written specifically for me, because I (wrongfully) scoffed at the concept of having "math" and "creative" in the same statement. While I agree with the concept of "CO = CM - CR" in theory, I feel that (as with everything) it comes down to personal preferences and the style of the individual; I feel that an accurate mathematical display of creativity would be more of a complex, multidimensional matrix than a simple linear equation.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my experience in Brand & Account Management last semester serves as a perfect personal example for what I mean by the creative equation being a matrix rather than a linear equation. First, I am not a designer - I instead choose to refer to myself as a businessman who can comfortably converse with artists. While my chosen career path as a marketer requires me to think creatively, I am very self-conscious about my shortcomings when it comes to putting my ideas into a tangible form. As illogical as it is, this fear of judgement often prevents me from trying to improve my artistic skills, thus perpetuating the cycle. That is, it does in most cases...
From the first week of class, my professor and I did not see eye-to-eye. For my first graded assignment, I turned in what I felt was unique idea and an accurate display of my personality and interests. My professor told me that it didn't "speak for itself" and that she was unable to understand what I was trying to convey with it...even when a neutral third party agreed with my argument that it did. I am rarely a competitive person, but this frustration fueled me. The criticism that usually stunted my confidence suddenly changed from a source of resistance to one of motivation, simply because I was so stubbornly set on proving my professor wrong. Throughout the course of working on my semester-long project, I was hell-bent on putting out great work just to silence my biggest critic. The result was just what I wanted: my brand was selected as the best in my section by a panel of local professionals and voted as #2 overall.
Rather than sharing a link that reaffirms the CO=CM-CR concept, I would rather share this inspiring speech that demonstrates how at times great work NEEDS resistance. While it is not always the case for everyone, there are times when Creative Resistance can become Creative Motivation. After listening to an overly-harsh critic (like the one in the following clip), there are some who will want to curl up in a ball and whimper, while there are others who will just want to leap up and exclaim "@#$% you - you're wrong! Watch me create the best damn ______ you've ever seen!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kZg_ALxEz0
Well I believe the formula makes sense because math is all logical. Obviously your creative outcomes are effected by whatever is around you and what is going on in your head. Things that prevent you from being creative are obviously going to prevent you from creating. The real question is whether or not a formula like this could help you. I have been coming up with ideas for a very long time, in the future it will be my future career (Game designer). I think that knowing what makes your creative juices flow better is important but I don't believe you need a formula to figure that out. I think the person who wrote the article is just restating the obvious. Creative motivation can be difficult to find if you are not in the right environment. One of the things I strive to achieve is loads of creative motivation in any situation. I have no idea when I will be asked in my future career to design a game but i need to be able to draw from the environment to come up with these ideas. Of course there are resistances that everyone comes across. Whether you like having music in the background or not. for me I need stuff going on and then silence to finish coming up with the idea. I am weird this way, I need chaos and then peace and that is how I come up with the best ideas.
ReplyDeleteI would say right now my motivation is very high. I am taking game production 2 and my team is counting on me to come up with new and creative ideas for games. Sometimes it is the concept and sometimes it is just a mechanic. regardless I just draw from what is around me (Champlain Campus) and create.
This link is to song I found recently. The lyrics don't mean much but usually upbeat music helps me block out all my resistances and really helps me create. Also a lot of the time I find that music gives me ideas based on what it sounds like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2wkR-jBpuo
I've never thought about putting creativity into a mathematical equation like Dan Goodwin has, but it really does make sense to me. I'm not as creative as most people, but I do like to dabble in creativity once in a while. I get most of my inspiration from going through Pinterest and looking at all of the "made easy" crafts that I could do without much effort. When I do try to get something creative done, it needs to be after I've taken away my resistance - which I've come to notice is my boyfriend. I love him dearly, but when I'm around him all I want to do is cuddle and watch movies. Once he's at work or away, then I can get work, cleaning, and creative tasks completed.
ReplyDeleteOver any school vacation - whether it's a holiday or summer break - my CM is at its MAXIMUM. And, because there is nothing for me to do but sit and stare at my walls, my CR is almost non-existent. This is when I am most successful at being my creative self.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7m9BdeP0cc <--- This video reminds me of MY creative formula because it usually begins with Pinterest. And I love funny videos!
While I never really associated being creative with a mathematical equation, it makes perfect sense! Of course how creative you are going to be is impacted by the resistance you are facing to be creative. I consider myself a creative person, but I am not artistic, no matter how much I would like to be. I love to paint, draw, etc. but it all comes out looking horrible! Mostly I spend my creativity on scrapbooking and other similar crafts. For me, creative motivation is when I am feeling sad (I like to write) or if I had a really good day, then I like to create something fun. My creative resistance is my lack of artistic skills, memories of the last art class I took, and lack of time. I would say a time that my cm was much bigger than my cr was when I was in high school. I was involved in a college prep program and I spent 6 weeks out of every summer living in a dorm and taking classes. During this time, either for my classes or on my own, I wrote many short stories and poems. I always felt relaxed and at home when I was staying there, and it took me away from the craziness that was my life. Ever since I graduated high school, I have not been able to get back to that feeling or level of creativity.
ReplyDeleteThe image found through the link below makes me think of this article, and the creative equation. It makes me think of it because it lays out the different aspects of creativity, and how motivation plays into that. Also, at the top of the image, there is another equation: resources x motivation x critical thinking skills= creativity in individuals
http://www.google.com/imgres?start=135&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&rlz=1C1CHMO_enUS468US469&biw=1366&bih=639&tbm=isch&tbnid=m_YzpLJezoDVjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.transitioning.org/2012/12/26/is-lack-of-creativity-to-be-blamed-for-our-poor-entrepreneurial-spirit/&docid=aPxtXCPWqCSPUM&imgurl=http://www.transitioning.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/creativity_cme-function_6x4.png&w=432&h=324&ei=Qt75UMmIF7CK0QHQ0IH4Bw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=486&sig=111957949397109689583&page=6&tbnh=134&tbnw=179&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:59,s:100,i:181&tx=58&ty=71
I am going to agree with everyone saying that creating a 'creative equation' was a little strange for me to read. 'Creativity' and 'math' are basically opposites, and although I understand them both equally, it was unusual that Dan put them together. Something else I reacted strongly to in this article was the mere thought of living my life without being creative or creating anything. I actually groaned at the thought of how awful that would be. Hopefully, this means I'm in the right place.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest 'CM' is inspiration. I think there are probably a million things that could motivate me to do something (cupcakes, being yelled at, new shoes, money, etc.), but being inspired gets me to a place where I am truly excited about what I'm working on. If I see a design piece or even a certain color, I will instantly want to create something based on what I saw. My 'CR' is the opposite--if I think the project I'm working on is boring, I'll wait until the last possible minute, probably do a bad job, and drag my feet the whole time. Luckily, if I get any kind of inspiration, that resistance goes away. For example, I had to design a poster for LEAD that reminded sophomores to complete their LEAD assignments. I wasn't particularly excited for this project, and had really just planned to throw the text on a piece of paper and maybe play around with the font or something. While I was waiting for further instructions on this project, however, I saw a picture of a bright teal-colored poster with white text. I knew instantly that I wanted to use the same color scheme because it was bright and eye-catching--perfect for the poster I was going to design.
Whenever I need some inspiration, I'll usually browse through http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/typography. Most of the time I can find something to inspire me, but, since ANYONE can tag their post with 'typography', there are also times when the typography tag is...less than inspirational.
I think creativity can be expressed in this manor for sure! If you put your thoughts out there you will most of the time have the motivation to do something. That being said, life wouldn’t be worth living if there were not some kind of resistance towards you or your thoughts. My CM comes from my ability to see things in a different light. What I mean by this is that when for example I go for a walk with my camera I am able to see things that others might skip over. My CR comes when I feel like I have taken the same picture before and it will look no different.
ReplyDeleteHere is a perfect example of someone who had motivation to speak to people, motivate them, and has met resistance on the way. This video has inspired many people including myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4&list=PL58FBBBD348223922&index=10
Johanna Keller
ReplyDelete"A great way of increasing your creative motivation is to regularly spend time getting back in touch with how much you love creating, how valuable it is to you, and what an essential part of life it is. Once you do that, you'll instantly gain all the motivation you need to create."
This quote really stuck out to me for a few reasons. I am put in the position a lot in school where I need to create videos on various topics. I have the absolute HARDEST time coming up with ideas for these videos. I am usually forced to bounce ideas back and fourth off of my friends to finally come up with an idea that I kind of like. But what I think I need to do is just sit back and like think about what my favorite part of of video production is and start with that aspect. Distractions block me from being creative, but I can not do work in silence. I think that I need to learn to balance silence with background noise to be able to come up with creative ideas!!
I think creativity can be made up by that formula. It makes sense to me! For me, CM can be almost anything. It can be a good idea I have, or the energy to work on a project. It can also be food, or being with the right people who are also motived to do a project or creative thing. CR can also be the same, but the opposite... when I am tired, or can't think of an idea or where to start with a project. CR can also be if I'm hungry, or annoyed with something or someone.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a specific time my CM was a lot smaller than my CR but I do know that when the weather changes and it gets warm towards the end of the semester, my CR is much bigger when it comes to school projects and homework... my CM is almost not even there. Although part of me wants to get the projects done and out of the way, the other part of me is ready for the beach and have margaritas... and the CR (beach and margaritas) is always more exciting.
I can't think of a specific thing that reminds me of the formula... however pintrest and other sites similar with creative ideas and cool arts definitely motivates me.
Getting shit done isn't just about having creativity, it's also about psychology and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You can't be motivated until certain things are taken care of: at a surface level, those things include sleep, a need to use the bathroom or not, thirst and hunger; at deeper levels they can include things such as self esteem or safety. Once you break through these levels of need, then you can achieve creativity and other endeavors along the same line. I think this is a much more complicated explanation of what the author of this article was trying to say, but it gravitates to the same point: creativity is found when there is motivation and a lack of obstacles. These obstacles can be both real, such as physiological ones, but can also be mental ones such as procrastination and waiting till last minute. But sometimes procrastination can be considered a motivator for, whereas with others its a definite obstacle.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, many people rely on music to drown out obstacles and distractions as well as fuel creativity, but I CANNOT listen to music while I work because I begin to focus more on the music and lyrics rather than my work. So when I design, I have to watch a tv show in the background for noise that's noncommittal but when I write I need absolute silence in the process of actually writing so that I can get out what needs to be said. I will use music, TV, tumblr and nature though as factors during the "inspiration" phase of creating, where I gather information and make lists and what not, but during the actual creating, there are a lot of things that actually cause a lot of distraction.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Maslow's_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgkzsms1GU1qg0xh0o1_500.png
http://rinpen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/tumblr_m29pm1Ie9U1r1nnoro1_1280.jpg
I think that it is hard to put everything into an equation. In this scenario there are only two factors that are taken into account. I believe that while creative motivation is important to have, and creative resistant’s is not, there can be many other factors in creativity. Sometimes ideas just come to you when you least expect them, this is an example where it does not matter your motivation. You could be having a very crappy day and see something that gives you a great idea, totally unrelated.
ReplyDeleteI was once designing a logo for a friend out in California. He wanted me to combine a movie clapper, an elephant and his initials TF. I had a very hard time with this because everything I tried just wasn’t working. After awhile I became feed up and my motivation went down to the resistance of the task at hand.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creating-in-flow/200907/5-keys-unlock-your-creative-motivation
This is a similar article explaining how to “unlock your creative side”. While the equation took a very mathematical approach to the problem, this article simply states idea that helps different types of people.
I think that this equation for the creative process is lacking in many ways. Getting to a creative outcome is never that simple. There are many factors to consider when creating something. This formula definitely helps someone creating to focus on what they are doing. But in terms of helping them become more creative, I think it is useless. Creativity isn't something that can be put in a formula. There are so many different aspects of creativity. A very important one is personality. The creative process varies from one individual to the next. Everyone has their own method of getting to a creative outcome. By using this formula, everyone could in theory become more willing to be creative, but how that creativity is produced is something completely different. If I had to explain what my CM and CR are I would say that my CM is the feeling of pride after I have finished creating, and my CR is my fear of failing at what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteI would say that a time my CM was larger than my CR was when I was designing a snowboarding magazine last year. I was confident in what I was doing because I knew that I would be able to create a great magazine, which I could then be proud of. The CO of the magazine was great and I did indeed achieve that feeling of pride.
http://visual.ly/creative-process-0
This is a creative process informational cartoon that basically describes how complex a creative process can be. There are many different paths that can be taken. Once the goal has been reached, it is a beautiful thing.
Kayla Hedman
ReplyDeleteI do believe that creativity can be expressed as CO = CM – CR. As we discussed CM’s the other day in class, the two that really fueled my creative motivation was “self actualization and growth” and something along the lines of “positive feedback from others.” If I were to add a third in there, it would be inspiration (from outside sources such as people, films, music, graphics, and literature). As author of the article Dan Goodwin noted, life would be torture without creativity, so I constantly need to remind myself to make time for creativity. This is the exact reason I switched my major from general business to marketing and advertising – I longed for creativity, whether that meant art, or creating a concept, etc.
My creative resistance definitely takes away from my creative motivation. I would say my CR derives from lack of support, inner doubt, my lack of time (within my priorities), and my inner critic is never happy with my results. My biggest CR experience happened here at Champlain as well. As I was switching majors after my first semester freshmen year, I went to a faculty advisor (other than my own) to see if we offered any drafting courses because I had an interest in architecture and design. They said no and that it was probably just more of a hobby for me anyways. I now thank them for convincing me to stay here and try other subjects, but it also targeted my creative passion and led to CR for a while.
I love Jimmy Fallon, so I will relate almost anything back to the work he does. This video makes me think of the creative process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgmj3tAYf4 First of all – motivation can come from nature (he climbs in his tree to think about things…). Then he’s also really good at leaping from idea to idea (partially to editing). Creative resistance comes from frustration and self-doubt – but he still tends to turn that frustration into motivation. I think I could start to do that too – use CR to my advantage and prove people wrong, including myself. Then I'd have to change the formula to CO = CM + Kicking Creative Resistance's Ass.
I feel like this is a logical way of expressing the creative process, but creativity isn't always logical and so to me it isn't necessarily accurate. It is true that upping your creative motivation and decreasing or dealing with the creative resistance may help in the creative process, but I don’t think that those things are always a factor. Most of the times when I have a creative idea it’s out of nowhere with no motivation, and usually what I would actually classify as resistance. Sometimes you may have all the creative motivation in the world and little resistance, yet you can’t create because creative ideas just aren’t coming to you in that moment.
ReplyDeleteBut for me creative motivation usually involves having an actual project whether it be a self-made project or one in school. My friend and I wanted to have a project to work on outside of class so I came up with an idea and now we’re starting to work on it. I also tend to get motivation from different medias as well. My creative resistance is becoming overwhelmed. When I become overwhelmed with an idea I have then it tends to get lost. I think since coming to college my creative motivation has been much larger than my creative resistance as compared to when I was in high school. I just feel that I have much more reason to create now and a lot less resistance to doing so.
The website that reminds me of this formula is http://www.stumbleupon.com because it is just full of random sites and random things that often become motivators for creative ideas.
I think that this is a very interesting and accurate way of expressing creativity. It doesn’t seem mathematical once explained, but yes I think it is an accurate and clear way of expressing the concept of creativity. In my case, CM is definitely mostly comprised of people. People are what drive me, what motivate me to be creative and who inspire me to do what I do. Emotion also is definitely one of my motivators. I think that one of my biggest creative resistors is laziness or procrastination.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think about how my CM and CR both come in waves. I will get in moods when I have no creative resistants and a ton of creative motivation. I get a ton done and wear myself out while I can. Eventually, resistance comes back and slows me down but I know that one will outweigh the other one again soon. I enjoy scrapbooking and usually I’ll get motivated by things around me (especially pinterest or other people) and I will get a ton of ideas and a ton done at one time.
http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/60939401177781918_LV4TdzTR_c.jpg
This quote definitely connects in my head to the creative formula. I think that it shows that to be creative you need to surround yourself with creative motivators and make sure to stay away from creative resistance.
Personally, I find it extremely hard to place creativity into a mathematic equation. With that said, I don't believe this authors explanation was supposed to be "mathematic." I believe what he was trying to do was come up with some sort of way to measure the way people can be motivated or resisted from their creativity or creative spaces. I find motivation to be a key role in creating. With that said, I find resistance to be somewhat helpful, but it has to be organic. It cannot be something you make yourself resist in order to create. Same goes for motivation. For me, motivating is a huge huge aspect of my creative process. If I'm stuck sketching ideas or just spinning my pen, I immeidieatly turn to creative people in my life or out of my life (such as famous designers across the globe.) What this does for me is 1. gives me a break from my own projects, and 2. opens up my eyes to something that may be a whole new take on a project. It's such an easy task that I believe many people should follow up on.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest role models right now is a man named Erik Marinovich, a letterer/designer in San Franciso. Along with looking at his blogs and websites I follow him on a numorous amount of social media outlets to keep up with how he works and what he does. Here's his website.
http://www.erikmarinovich.com/
I never thought I could think of creativity in any type of mathematical format. With this being said, after reading the article by Dan Goodwin, I found myself agreeing.
ReplyDeleteWhen he says; "How much you create is how much you want to create minus how much creative resistance you have," was when I started thinking not of the equation, but the actual thought of this process ringing true.
The CM (Creative Motivation) for me would be music and nice weather (sunny, spring, summer, or autumn). The CR (Creative Resistance) for me would be interruptions, and bad weather (rain, coldness, or snow).
Talking about this formula brings me back to the past, while I was doing a painting outdoors. I was having a very creative experience. I was in a great mood, painting a scenery piece of the mountains and landscape view from my back deck. I was halfway through when it started to drizzle, followed by an immediate downpour. I went inside, sitting by a back window, which shared the same view I was painting. I suddenly had no inspiration or urge to finish my painting. My creative outcome was shattered by the negative weather that had been brought on. With that I was finished painting for the day.
After going through the thoughts on creativity, including the motivations and resistances, I found a few creativity boosting sites, including mind games and others, helping to boost creative thought processes. Here's a link to one of those:
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/busadmin/entre/teacher/creative/stimulate/index.htm
When I hear anything involving math I start to freak out because me and math never really got along. Then take something I actually thought I was okay at like being creative and I think the worse. After reading the article though I had a change of heart and agreed with this idea of increasing creativity by decreasing certain resistances in your life. Maybe a huge part of it was it not really being mathematical. One of my favorite quotes is when the author states "Picture your life without a single act of creativity". All I can think is how boring and how uninteresting life would be. Life would be dull and even harder to accomplish without some of the great inventions that creativity helped create. This simple idea of taking away the stress and distraction to improve the creative surroundings is simple yet effective.
ReplyDeleteFor me I know that i have to push myself in order to be creative and outside influences help me do this like music internet or even the people around me.
Creatitivity can be drawn from this formula for sure, as long as your motivation is higher than your resistance theres no doubt creativity will grow from that. Creative Motivation for myself is pretty simple, from just hanging outside to being active among my friends or looking at a magazine these sorts of things push my motivation to be creative. I feel like the strongest motivation overall for me would be music. Unless its writing then music usually distracts me but music pushes me to be creative among a lot of things. Creative resistance could in some senses be some of the same stuff depending on how distracted I am that day, or if I don't feel good theres potential that I won't really want to be creative. I feel like resistance has a lot to do with your mood and whether one is in the right mood to push themselves creatively.
ReplyDeleteThere have definitely been many times where my motivation has been much higher than my resistance, for instance while I'm skiing with my friends at a new park or on new features, listening to music and thinking of what sorts of tricks to do on the new stuff my motivation is through the roof and theres really no resistance.
This link really kind of shows what kind of person I am in terms of how i get my creativity and also where I get most of it, just being with my friends having the most fun is where my motivation stems from. The way he describes it I couldn't agree with him more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4eUvMElcKU
In essence, I think that the creative process can in fact be weighed out mathematically, as the article suggests. Without the push & pull, give & take, from the motivation and resistance I don't believe that creative thinking would come full circle. What I mean by this, is the idea that we as human beings need positive and negative energy to create.
ReplyDeleteMy creative motivation usually stems from nature and music. When I'm outside, the possibilities are endless. Music makes me think in all different sorts of ways and can influence my art heavily at times. Creative resistance can occur when I'm tired, or when the weather is bad. Together, the two form a lethal combination for creative block.
A time in which my creative resistance out weighed my creative motivation: One day my friends and I woke up around 8:00 am to go to the mountain. Usually, when I'm at the mountain snowboarding, it's a creative breeding ground for me. Being out in nature and doing something I really enjoy, makes for great idea flow. Only this one day, it was the complete opposite. The weather was windy and visibility was terrible (you could barely see 10 feet in front of you). On top of the bad weather, I had only gotten 4.5 hours of sleep because I had to work the night before. The combination of my tired body and the bad weather resulted in me being the most cranky I've ever been at the mountain. Needless to say, that day didn't last very long. Before I could count to 10 I found myself heading for my car and taking off for home.
The link below is a cool video that I found, that reminds me of my creative process. The lyrics speak true to what happens when I come up with an idea and plus, I just really enjoyed the aesthetic content of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xZcXEbU_Uw
I can agree with what the article states about Creative Output equalling Creative Inspiration minus Creative Resistance. There are things going on around you all the time that provide inspiration and resistance. Though i feel like a situation could possibly arise where there are more things providing resistance to your creativity than things providing motivation, yet you could create a piece of artwork. One that might not necessarily be your best work, but its still something that has resulted in Creative Output.
ReplyDeleteMy creative motivation depends highly on my mood. When im in a bad mood, i usually cannot create. Though creativity seems to be able to strike at any time. Whether im tired and grumpy, or awake and active. I am creatively motivated when I procrastinate until the last minute. I feel like under pressure, my mind is forced to think creatively to solve a problem in a short amount of time.
One of the most effective ways of gaining creative motivation, for me, is to look at other peoples art to get ideas. I enjoy blogs where artists explain their own creative process. Sam Kieth is one of my favorite artists and updates his blog every couple days. What I enjoy most about Sam is that he often writes about his own creative process in his posts.
http://samkieth.blogspot.com/
It's so clear to me that this formula accurately describes how creativity works that I don't think it's at all negotiable. For me, creative motivation is all about having something to write for. I love having produced writing, but the actual act of writing is very hard for me, so I usually need some external reason to force myself to write, whether it's a deadline or an upcoming reading or whatever. Creative resistance for me often takes the form of distractions, but what really keeps me from writing most of the time is my crippling inability to generate ideas. I'll often just stare at a blank page for 45 minutes or something before giving up because I can't come up with anything.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I can remember when I didn't need an external reason to write was sophomore year of high school, when I was working on some kind of epic fantasy something-or-other. It was garbage, obviously, but the important point was that I wasn't writing for anyone other than myself, which hasn't been the case for the last five years, and I have no idea why. Everything I've written since then has been written for the purpose of being shared for something.
Often, when I need to get in the right head space to write, I'll find performance poems on YouTube to try to get inspired (sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't). This is one of my recent favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7B9x2GxEqU
I personally think this is a simple version of the creative process that can be used to access but not fix a creative problem. The creative motivation for me is music and video production. I love the sounds that are possible out of instruments and the new ways to push the limits, mainly talking about guitar solos and drum lines. The video production is just so interesting how you can film in new ways no one else has before to make it artistic. Creative resistance is my lack of time for everything. I like to do a lot of things so if I was to start something new I would be scared of it cutting into time of things I really enjoy. A memory of mine that sticks out for when my creative output was noticeable was in my film class in high school. We combined the things we love snowboarding and filming to make an epic video. It received an A+ in the class and the students loved it. It was both atheistically pleasing and funny beyond belief. We were having fun the whole movie, incorporating thoughts from everyone and not thinking about what anyone thought about the film. It gave us major confidence in what we were doing at the time because we were just being ourselves and having a great time.
ReplyDeleteThis TED talk really reminded me of the article.
http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html
This connects for me because people are following the rules and by the book which creates more CR in turn lowering CO.
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ReplyDeleteAdam Miller
ReplyDeleteI believe that creativity can be expressed in this mathematical way. Perhaps not how creative something is or is not, but by how much an individual cares about that particular piece of creativity. An example of this would be a dream of mine to start a winter jacket company. There was a time when I had so much motivation that I ignored my creative resistance and began creating jackets to sell to my friends. However the amount of time I needed to create a jacket by hand took longer than I had expected and resistance began to form. I made a few beautiful jackets that I loved, but over time I began to doubt my ability to make this dream a reality.
As for a URL that relates to the creative formula I found a group of kids who built a slip and slide off of their parents’ house. The first belief behind this is that it is really a horrible idea and they will die. But their creativity and desire to prove it could be done proved to be victor. Their motivation to make this a reality outweighed their parent’s resistance, and gave them the output needed to become internet heroes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26aeyVGBUuo
I agree with the concept of the mathematical formula for creative output, C0 = CM - CR. I have never really thought about the factors that lead to creating something. It makes sense though because working on any project requires motivation and there is always resistance. Motivation has always been the way in which I have overcome any sort of resistance I have had while trying to accomplish anything. I often find myself easily distracted when trying to be creative and I find it to be an example of creative resistance. I usually have to motivate myself to stay on task in order to complete a project. In graphic design and audio production course I usually do my projects last minute I have more motivation to stay on task.
ReplyDeleteThis article to me put creativity into a mathematical equation perfectly.
ReplyDeleteCO = CM - CR
Creative Output = Creative Motivation - Creative Resistance
My CO is definitely my CM- my CR. My creative resistances are definitely social media. Facebook, Instagram, Tumbr, Pintrest, are all contributors to my lack of motivation. Although Tumbr, Instagram, and Pinrest are all websites that distract me, they can also help me be creative and encourage me to become more creative with activities, recipes, ideas, arts & crafts, etc.
The formula makes perfect sense. It is simple and concise. I have trouble motivating myself when I am around other people. It has always been this way. If there is running water in the background I can concentrate much more than when there is no sound. I think it has to do with white noise, its calming and in a way it quiets the background noise in my head (all of the stray thoughts that distract me). Music has the same effect on me. “Have you ever heard the saying, 'Music soothes the savage beast?' It's true. Music can calm and revitalize us in ways even a lengthy nap can't. Music holds the power to elevate our moods above our worries and relieve debilitating depression. It can also perk us up if we use it with exercise or dance.”(essortment.com)This quote I pulled from a paper i wrote freshman year lends to the calming effect that I was previously talking about. It points out that music can "pull us up from worries and put us in the mood to do something. Our professor told us the story about how she couldn't solve a cross word puzzle. Once she came back from the store she had a different mind/mood that allowed her to solve the puzzle. The same idea can be applied to the music in my case. It gets in my head and pulls me from the CR of things going on around me and allows my CM to flourish and produce more CO. My creative motivation 90% of the time is- http://www.pandora.com/
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