Introduction to

CREATIVE THINKING

Creative Thinking
Cristina Ruiz-Poveda Vera, 2019-2020
IDEA BOX
MENTAL FRAME ACTIVITY
MENTAL FRAME ACTIVITY

• What was your creative process like?

• Did you have any reference or
inspiration in mind?
• What was your starting point and how
did you get the original idea?
• What did you modify to get to the final
one?
• Did you “force” yourself to widen your
mental frame?
 MENTAL FRAME ACTIVITY

Meat Love

Jan Svankmajer
1989
 HOMEWORK
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
1920
DISCUSSION
• How was the experience of
watching the film? What did it
make you feel? Why?
• What elements of the film
surprised you, if any?
• Narrative
• Form
• Did you get inspired by the film?
By what aspects of it specifically?
• What creative tools did you get
from this film to put in your
narrative or aesthetic toolbox?
EXERCISE
 EXERCISE
How did this activity make you feel?

Did you have any preconceived ideas?

What did you think the outcome would be?

 HOW TO BE CREATIVE
What are some myths What do you think about
about it? it?
 What creativity is (not)
According to Donald MacKinnon

Way
Mystery of operating
(everyone)
It is NOT a talent

No
Independent purpose,
from IQ childlike
 How to be creative
John Cleese
CLOSED
• Some tension
• Getting things done
• Active
• Purposeful and useful
• Not much humor
• NOT creative
• New ideas are insignificant
• Can be very stressful
OPEN
• No expectations or pressure
• Curiosity
• Playful and exploratory
• Relaxed
• Contemplation
• Wider perspective
• Humor
• New ideas are the goal
 How to be creative
• “Relax and it will come.” –Alfred Hitchcock
• When unexpected events arise, change to open
mode (at least temporarily).
• We need to be on the open mode when we are
pondering a problem, but we need to develop it in
the closed mode.
 How to be creative

CLOSED OPEN
MODE MODE
Common creative block

CLOSED OPEN
MODE MODE
Common creative block
MENTAL FRAME ACTIVITY
Accessing the open mode

Time Space

A “bubble” to play

Humor
Accessing the open mode:
TIME

A “bubble” to play

Humor
Accessing the open mode:

TIME

When does the decision has to be taken?

 Accessing the open mode:

SELF CONFIDENCE

“You can’t be spontaneous within reason” - Allan Watts

 Accessing the open mode:
HUMOR
Seriousness Threat?
vs. solemnity

The easiest door

to the open mode

Once in your “bubble,” you are free to laugh

 Last thoughts
Keep your mind gently around the problem

After some time, reward from your unconscious

People to play with

(trust)
Create juxtapositions
(sometimes absurd)

Use supportive language

Loosen your assumptions
(Edward De Bono)
NEW MEANING
 HOMEWORK
1. Watch Marie Antoinette
(Sofia Coppola 2006)
2. Journal about it for your
idea box
3. Complete the Creative
Type test (link)
4. Journal about the results
¿How can you take
advantage of your type?
 MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006)
• What elements of the film
surprised you, if any?
• Narrative
• Form
• Did you get inspired by the
film? By what aspects of it
specifically?
• What creative tools did you
get from this film to put in
your narrative or aesthetic
toolbox?
WHAT IS CREATIVITY?
CREATIVITY IS THOUGHT

Conscious thinking
Determined
Requires time and space
Can be “performed”
Needs seriousness
As well as playfulness
 MENTAL FRAME
Fluxus art
60s and 70s
Europe, USA, Japan
John Cage

Against traditional art

as a product
Not new language but new
materials and fields
Direct references to
everyday life
WHAT DEFINES CREATIVES?
So you want to be a writer?
-Charles Bukowski
if it doesn't come bursting out of you then wait patiently.
in spite of everything, if it never does roar out of you,
don't do it. do something else.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth unless it comes out of
and your gut, your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
don't do it.
suicide or murder,
if you have to sit for hours
don't do it.
staring at your computer screen
unless the sun inside you is
or hunched over your
burning your gut,
typewriter
don't do it.
searching for words,
don't do it.
when it is truly time,
if you have to sit there and and if you have been chosen,
rewrite it again and again, it will do it by
don't do it. itself and it will keep on doing it
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it, until you die or it dies in you.
don't do it
if you have to wait for it to roar out of there is no other way.
you, and there never was.
STEREOTYPES VS. REALITY
 HOMEWORK
1. Watch Waking Life
(Richard Linklater 2001)
2. Journal about it for your
idea box
3. Journal:
• Do you wish you were a
different creative type?
• If so, which one and why?
• Find 5 ways to cultivate
your type
• With which other types
would you work with best?