Have people always talked about creativity this much? I mean the details of it — craft, process, practical wisdom. My memory says “no,” but then, my memory is short.
Everybody’s been pointing to Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on the culture of creativity and genius.
Ze Frank has been thinking out loud about creativity and collaborative projects.
Imogen Heap sits in her home studio in vlog after vlog and talks you through her creative process — insecurities and all. (This is my favorite example because it’s not just reflective, it’s real-time.)
Argument: It is the responsibility of the artist in the 21st century to speak and write like this. Sure, you can still lock yourself in your studio and indulge in the agony and ecstasy of isolation if you want, but that’s sooo 20th century. The new world favors the public artist, the artist brave enough to speak plainly not only about ideas and inspiration, but about fear and hesitation as well.
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And indeed, Gilbert’s (ancient) notion of the genius as an external force helps w/ this approach. B/c suddenly your daily writing blog isn’t just “blah blah I am such a great writer” and/or “SHOOT. ME. NOW.” Instead it’s sorta like citizen journalism; you’re just reporting on the creative daemon in the corner.
Not sure I’m 100% sold on the paradigm — it’s awfully Amelie, you know? — but I’ll mull it over a while.
This idea seems to be an extension of your “design as performance” post from earlier.
With that in mind, would anyone find it interesting if I started posting V Logs documenting the design process for A couple of my shows?
The two that would probably be most worth logging that I have coming up: set and lights for a play called Vigils at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, and lighting for an outdoor production of The Tempest at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
It would probably be less compelling than Imogen Heap. But my posts would also be shorter.
YES! That would be amazing, Andrew.
And sure, Imogen Heap is cool, but we all already kinda know what music production looks like. On the other hand, I have literally *no idea* what your work looks like, or what you have to think about as you’re doing it. It would be insanely cool to get a glimpse!
“My novels are a lot less compelling than Tolstoy’s. However, they are a lot shorter.” 😉
All right. I’m working on this.
I should have a first installment posted this weekend.
But if I run out of time, the video may just be me reading from Anna Karenina.