thinking about the box

reconsidering creativity
 What we typically teach in art courses

elements and principles

disciplinary studio skills
problem solving
creativity
work ethic
studio citizenship
perception/acuity
critical self reflection
social production/collaboration
aesthetic theory
communication skills
art historical context
social context/ visual culture
 What we typically teach in art courses

As important as all of these knowledges and skills may

be, this long list can be reduced to 4 traits that predict
whether or not a student will be successful in their art/
design degree

elements and principles

disciplinary studio skills
problem solving
creativity
work ethic
2
studio citizenship
perception/acuity
critical self reflection
1 3
social production/collaboration
aesthetic theory
communication skills 4
art historical context
social context/ visual culture
 predictors of student success

1 curiosity
 predictors of student success

1 curiosity

2 work ethic
 predictors of student success

1 curiosity

2 work ethic

3 critical self reflection

 predictors of student success

1 curiosity

2 work ethic

3 critical self reflection

4 creativity
 predictors of student success

curiosity
work ethic
critical self reflection
creativity
Any one of these is not
sufficient. While not
causally dependant, these
traits are entailed &
entangled with each other.
 predictors of student success

We will address them as a

single complex we will call

Creativity
 creativity is a complex
Creativity is studied in several fields using numerous perspectives.

•  clinical
•  behavioral
•  developmental
•  economic
•  educational
creativity •  evolutionary
•  historical
•  organizational
•  social
•  cognitive

No less than eleven creativity perspectives identified by Runco, 2006

 creativity is a complex

Clinical

cognitive Behavioral

Developmen
Social tal

Creativity is:
A kind of intelligence
Organizatio
nal Economic

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 creativity is a complex

Clinical

cognitive Behavioral

Developmen
Social tal

Creativity is:
Innate cognitive style
Organizatio
nal Economic

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 creativity is a complex

Clinical

cognitive Behavioral

Developmen
Social tal
Creativity is:
An acquired set of
behaviors
Organizatio
nal Economic

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 creativity is a complex

Clinical

cognitive Behavioral

Developmen
Social tal
Creativity is:
A set of learned
techniques, tactics or
strategies
Organizatio
nal Economic

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 creativity is a complex

Clinical

cognitive Behavioral

Developmen
Social Creativity is: tal
Developmental—
A product of
childhood experiences
Organizatio and environment Economic
nal

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 creativity is a complex

Clinical

Cognitive Behavioral

Creativity is: Developmen

Social tal
Adaptive—
A product of current
organizational
structures and
Organizatio
nal environment Economic

Historical Educational

Evolutionary
 can creativity be learned?

The degree to which an individual believes that creativity is learnable

depends upon their perspective and understanding of creativity.
 two primary approaches
creativity
In order to make students more creative, instructors
can use two approaches:

Teach cognitive Use adaptive

strategies strategies

behaviors permission
techniques safety
tactics encouragement
strategies modeling
mental habits expectations
 Adaptive strategies
creativity

I will provide & you should take advantage of a

learning environment that promotes creative
thinking.

Adaptive strategies:
permission values experimentation & a variety of solutions
safety freedom to fumble & fail & look “stupid” along the way
encouragement supportive of real effort and accomplishment
modeling instructor demonstrates creative values and techniques
expectations sets & communicates clear and constant goals
 Cognative stratagies
creativity

Cognitive strategies:
mental habits recognize conventional thinking, creativity blocks
behaviors think with process
strategies shift paradigms, synaesthesia
tactics x-ternalize thinking, visual research, role play, x-ray vision
techniques divergent, convergent
creativity

mental habits
 conventional thinking
creativity

mental habits

unconventionality
age
Numerous studies over the years have established a strong correlation
between age and conventional thinking. Your cohort is currently near the
bottom of the “creative valley”. Your thinking tends to be highly conventional.
based on Piaget, 1970,1976; Kohlberg,1987; Johnson 1985
 conventional thinking
creativity

mental habits

but take heart:

the studies were randomized. as art students you have already “skewed”
the sample” so this is less predictive for this group.
also, there are, of course, individual variations. your results may vary.

this is not meant to impugn your creativity, rather it is meant as a challenge

and a check: suspecting that your thinking is not as original as it may at
first seem to you is key to unlocking your creativity.

based on Piaget, 1970,1976; Kohlberg,1987; Johnson 1985

 creativity blocks
creativity stress
Stress is not only a distraction which drains energy which could otherwise be used
creatively. It is bad for one's health. Creativity is Play!
routines
mental habits Routines or set ways of performing tasks have their uses, but they can limit the range of
responses available and can lead to the development of the anathema of creativity, the
"bureaucratic mind”. "The will to a system is a lack of integrity." –Nietzsche
goal directed behavior
Overly focusing on goals rather than process limits perception and blinds us to possibility.
A straight line is the scalpel with which we excise opportunity.
beliefs
Having a strong belief in something not only limits our response options, but causes us to
limit the way in which we perceive and process information from the outside world. We may
"filter out" information which contradicts our belief, and end up in our own "reality tunnel",
blissfully unaware of much that occurs in front of our very eyes.
ego
One must be humble before one's subject. Having a strong ego identity with a particular
belief exacerbates the realty tunnel. This is not to imply that one must have no beliefs,
merely that one needs to be very aware of one's beliefs and consequent limitations.
fear
Fear of self expression and of the judgment of others can severely limit one's creativity.
self criticism
Negative thinking and self criticism are also limiting factors of an individual's creativity.
creativity

behaviors
 think with process
creativity

behaviors I hear: I forget.

I see: I remember.
I ido:
hear: i forget.
I understand.
i see: i remember.
i do: i understand. Chinese proverb
chinese proverb
 think with process
creativity

behaviors I hear:
the 500ms. I
delay forget.
even for simple volitional acts consciousness lags half of a
I see: I remember.
second behind readiness potential. we have made our decisions
and have initiated our actions before we consciously decide to
act. I do: I understand.
readiness
potential 2
act
-0.5 s. Chinese proverb

readiness conscious
potential 1 wish
-1 s. -0.2 s.

"the role of consciousness in our decisions is greatly overestimated"

-tor norretranders

based on Libet, 1979; Keller and Heckhausen, 1990

 think with process
creativity
rapid cognition
behaviors I hear: I forget.
malcolm gladwell's blink, (2005) makes the case for "thinking
without thinking" citing numerous studies and examples that
I see: I remember.
reveal how subconscious processes that he calls "thin slicing"
allow us to make better decisions and more accurate predictions
I do: I understand.
for problems involving several variables or multiple dimensions
with little conscious decision making.

Chinese proverb
 think with process
creativity

rapid cognition
behaviors 500 ms. delay

preconscious perceptivity & creativity are

reactive. try to put put consciousness in
charge of planning the strategy and allow
the preconscious to evaluate progress,
readjust tactics and resolve the problem.

thinking with process = preconscious "thinking" = visual thinking

 think with process
creativity

behaviors I hear: I forget.

rapid cognition
500 ms. delay
I see: I remember.
I do:
when in doubt I understand.
do something
the point is not to think less, rather to think differently.
Chinese proverb
avoid a "plan and execute" division of process
the journey is the destination.
in creative works problem finding is more critical than
problem solving.
process is a collaborator– "our actions think louder
than words"
creativity

techniques
 convergent thinking
creativity

techniques

attribute listing

bug listing (seinfeld whine)

problem reversal

force-field analysis

change perspective
 divergent thinking
creativity

techniques

lateral thinking

associative thinking

bisociation (forced analogy)

creativity

strategies
 shift paradigms
creativity

communication model
strategies
machine model

mapping model

catalyst model

force/field model

diagnostic model

pointing model
 shift paradigms
creativity

communication model
strategies

what does the artwork say?

what do I want to say?

standard model

meaning artwork meaning

artist viewer

encode transmission decode

medium
 shift paradigms
creativity

communication model
strategies

what does the artwork say?

what do I want to say?

corrected communication model

meaning
meaning artwork meaning
artist viewer meaning

encode transmission decode

medium
“noise”
 shift paradigms
creativity

communication model
strategies

what does the artwork say?

what do I want to say?

deconstruction/feminist communication model

meaning
meaning artwork meaning
artist viewer meaning

transmission
medium
“noise” “noise” “noise”
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies machine model

what does the artwork do?

what do I want it to do?

In this model artworks do not create meaning, they create effects

artwork
artist viewer

inventor machine consumer

effects
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies machine model

what does the artwork do?

what do I want it to do?

applied arts such as advertising, interior & product design most

often use a machine model– the machine is a “tool” used to alter the viewer

artwork
artist viewer

“tool”
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies mapping model

What relationships does the artwork show?

what do I want to show?

key

territory & mode of

Investi- filter artwork
terrain gation artist viewer

scale representation
important features
level of detail
style
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies mapping model

What is the territory?

How do I know what to look for?
What are the landmarks?
How are they related?
key

territory & mode of

Investi- filter artwork
terrain gation artist viewer

scale representation
important features
level of detail
style
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies mapping model

What style of representation is appropriate?

At what level of detail (resolution)?
Have I provided a key?
key

territory & mode of

Investi- filter artwork
terrain gation artist viewer

scale representation
important features
level of detail
style
 shift paradigms
creativity

catalyst model
strategies

What reactions does the artwork create?

What reactions do I want?

artist

viewer viewer

artwork

viewer viewer

effect
 shift paradigms
creativity

catalyst model
strategies

focus on creating social change or interaction

rather than communicating meaning

artist

viewer viewer

artwork

viewer viewer

effect
 shift paradigms
creativity

catalyst model
strategies

The artwork can be an object or design but often it is

performative or an event

artist

viewer viewer

artwork

viewer viewer

effect
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies force/field model

What forces & fields are displayed?

Upon what influences, powers & spheres should I draw?
What agencies, authorities & domains are in play?

forces perception filter artwork

analysis viewer

domain scope “flow chart”

important features
level of complexity
style
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies force/field model

In the “weak” force/field model the artist perceives,

processes and encodes domains for display to the viewer

forces perception filter artwork

analysis viewer

domain scope “flow chart”

important features
level of complexity
style
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies force/field model

In the “strong” force/field model the artist is not an

observer, The artwork is an effect of forces at work on
the artist. The reception of the artwork is an effect of
the forces at work on the viewers.

forces forces

artwork forces
forces forces
forces forces
domain
 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies diagnostic model

What is the artwork a symptom of?

What does the artwork indicate or reveal?

meanings
intended artist artwork viewer
meaning
decode
symptoms

unintended meanings symptoms

 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies diagnostic model

in this model the artist’s intended meanings are the primary

focus during creation, but are only of secondary importance
In the reception

meanings
intended artist artwork viewer
meaning
decode
symptoms

unintended meanings symptoms

 shift paradigms
creativity

strategies diagnostic model

artworks are” read” for clues or evidence of of underlying

forces or conditions at work in the the artist or in society

meanings
intended artist artwork viewer
meaning
decode
symptoms

unintended meanings symptoms

 shift paradigms
creativity

pointing model
strategies

what discovery, experience or concept does the

artwork share?
how do I present my interest so that the viewer
shares my experience?

artist viewer

artwork
 shift paradigms
creativity

pointing model
strategies

this model represents the fundamental function of all

artworks: to redirect the attention of viewers. It is not so
concerned with communication per say, rather it is an
attempt toreplicate the artist’s experience, curiosity, or
enthusiasm in the viewer

artist viewer

artwork
 shift paradigms
creativity

pointing model
strategies

Although all artworks “point” in this way, by focusing

on the pointing model artists make an important shift
from making work that is “about” a concept or
experience to work that participates in the concept or
experience as much as possible

artist viewer

artwork
 synaesthesia
creativity

strategies medically: involuntary linking of 2 or more senses

artistically: translation of one sense into another
 synaesthesia
creativity

strategies There are the “traditional” smell hearing

5 senses, but also other
bodily sensations such as
balance, tension, arousal, taste
hunger, etc.

balance
becoming consciously aware
of our physical responses &
tapping into sense memories
tension
provide important resources touch
for generating creative
solutions to visual problems
that are less prone to be
based on cliché symbols... arousal
teach:
synaesthesia
creativity
Symbolic approaches to depict “death”
strategies
black

coffin

skeleton

grim reaper

blood

ghost

black rose
 synaesthesia
creativity
synaesthetic approaches to depict “death”
strategies
acrid, sweet stench of moldering flesh; the smooth,
or serene aroma of lilies. what does death smell
like?

does death have the tension of rigor mortis or the

repose of release? what does death feel like?

is death as solid and weighty as packed earth, as

open and airy as a picked carcass, or as ephemeral
as a cold breath on your cheek? What is the tactile
quality of death?

does it sound like a hushed and empty silence or

have the stretched, rounded sonority of a funeral
dirge? What does death sound like?
creativity

tactics
creativity

•  externalize your thinking: keep a journal

tactics
creativity

•  research: the easiest way to get out of your own

tactics head is to get into somebody else’s
creativity

•  game 1: always assume that you are wrong…

tactics
this will test your thinking and push you on to
alternative solutions, conceptions & perceptions.
creativity

•  game 2: habitually play “could be…what if…”

tactics
look at things not just as they are, but what they could be

airplane
Mccroskey (showing map): what do you make out of this?
Eugene: This? I can make a hat, or a broach, or a teradactyl!
mccroskey: gimme that!
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics
x-ray vision is the awareness
of seeing into or trough
something. it is different
from transparency in that we
are aware of the surface and
the depth simultaneously.
for example, usually a
windshield is transparent-
we see beyond it w/o seeing
the glass. however if the
glass is dirty or it is raining
we can see the glass AND
beyond it simultaneously. in
an x-ray we typically see
traces of exterior structures
simultaneously with the
internal structures.
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics
for the purposes of
creativity x-ray vision has
two uses, one metaphoric
and the other literal

well…

i believe it is literal, but if it

helps, you can think of it as
metaphoric also…
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics
as a metaphor x-ray vision
refers to the ability to hold
two frames of reference
simultaneously and thereby
reveal new aspects and
relationships that were
previously “hidden below the
surface”

frame 1 (surface): 1950’s stock photo image of girls

gossiping or sharing a secret.
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics as metaphor

frame 1 (surface):: 1950’s stock photo image of girls

gossiping or sharing a secret.

frame 2 (depth): “encountering the double” (doppelganger;

evil twin; ka; subconscious; id/ego;
inner voice, inspiration)
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics as metaphor

the key concept is to hold two frames of reference simultaneously

creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics literally

imagination & expectation play a big role in regular vision. the

mundane fact that we seem to see things when we can
physically only see light hints at how much imagination is
already involved in “normal” seeing. X-ray vision takes many of
the projective activities in which our preconscious brain already
engages and attempts to put them under conscious control.
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics literally
a common example of x-ray vision occurs in figure drawing
classes. typically students learn anatomy, especially bones,
major muscle groups and insertions (where and how muscles
connect to the bones). students use surface clues on the
model such as boney landmarks to trigger projections of the
internal anatomy which help them to draw the figure more
accurately
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics literally

other common examples of projective vision (what we are

calling x-ray vision) include rorschach tests, kuleshov effects in
film, constellations and, of course, “undressing with the eyes”
creativity

•  develop x-ray vision

tactics literally
many will argue that x-ray vision is as described here is not
literal–that it’s not “real”. it is a point well taken, but real or not
x-ray vision is a useful creativity tactic.

a final thought for doubters: are your dreams real? the vision
that you experience in dreams IS real (in the sense that it really
happens & can be verified with eeg and pet scans) even though
it only simulates external events & is not caused by them.
creativity
mental habits
summery

behaviors

techniques

strategies

tactics