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Blog Archives
Highlights - Creativity / Writing
Creating
to Win – March 1, 2005
Winter seems to be the season of awards. The
Academy Awards were announced last weekend, the Golden Globe and
People’s Choice awards happened earlier this year, a variety of music
industry awards have recently been handed out (and, of course,
televised), the Emmy Awards for television shows will soon be announced,
a raft of book awards were announced just before Christmas, etc.
Awards are ubiquitous in our society. They boost
sales of books, paintings and films, and are often accompanied by cash
prizes, both of which are critical to keeping the arts and artists
alive. They recognize excellence in all aspects of life, which is
especially important in a one-size-fits-all society. I’ve received my
fair share of kudos, both informal and formal. Somewhere there is a
photo of me at age 13 posing uncomfortably in the backyard with a bunch
of awards for academics and attendance (!) mounted on a piece of plywood
by my proud father. Although I haven’t pursued awards as an adult (and
a few times have even declined nominations), I know first-hand the ego
boost involved with being able to put “award-winning” in front of
the word “journalist” in my bio.
So why am I feeling so grumpy? I seldom pay much
attention to the awards announcements or television shows because I
generally have seen none of the nominated films, listened to little of
the music and read few of the books. Perhaps my tastes are oddball.
Actually, I don’t like to be told that I should read, listen to or
view something just because a bunch of “experts” think it’s great.
I’d rather embark on the adventure of deciding for myself, even if
that means wading through some occasional rubbish. Anyway, for me, art
is endangered by competition and the accompanying consumerism. I fear
that so much emphasis on competition can endanger the quality of
artistic expression and communication, with creators consciously or
subconsciously dulling the edges and lessening the risk in order to be
acceptable to a jury. When people compete for recognition, they don’t
share...and I believe that communication and cross-fertilization foster
creativity. Just like memorizing facts in order to regurgitate
them on a test isn’t real learning, writing a novel to win an award
isn’t real creating.
Posted: 2005/03/01 10:24 AM
Pens
and Bytes – January 10, 2005
For almost 20 years I've been using a computer to write articles, books
and poems. Not for me the antique Remington typewriters favored by some
more Luddite-like writers. I like getting my thoughts down as quickly as
they come (thanks for persuading me to take grade nine typing, mom!), then
being able to sort, delete and adjust later. And maybe I like the
editing process as much as the writing. But I’m not totally a wired
writer. I have kept a journal since I was 17. My shelves now hold a
motley collection of cheap spiral bound scribblers, utilitarian
notebooks and elegant hand-bound books, which trace a history of varying
moods and financial states, and record over 35 years of emotion, problem
solving, observations and everyday trivia. Some years, I seldom missed a
journal writing day; other years, there are huge gaps. Some of that
writing, which often happened in cafés, parks or moving vehicles, has
inspired articles, books and poems later composed on my computer.
I
love the portability of my journals, but not being the backpack sort,
have always sought one small enough to fit in my pocket when I walk. And
now I may have found one. I was recently given a little handheld
computer. I’m using it to write this piece, sitting in my favorite café,
picking out letters on a miniscule screen with an equally tiny stylus.
Nestled soundly in my coat pocket, it let me stride full out on my
eggnog whittling power walk. And when I get back to my office, I’ll be
able to upload my musings directly to my computer, giving me a head start on the
editing process.
I won’t be throwing out my journal anytime soon,
because I am already missing the scratch of pen on paper. Perhaps
I’ll end up separating my therapeutic, documenting type of journaling from
my more professional type writing. Regardless, this will be an
interesting experiment in wordsmithing, with the handheld device no
doubt helping my prose become more concise and precise. And
perhaps it will also get me back into that most pared down form of writing,
which has been blocked over the past few months – poetry. One thing is
for sure: I will write, no matter what tools I have at my
disposal.
Posted: 2005/01/10
11:23 AM
Understanding Creativity – December 7, 2004
I have long been interested in creativity – forming a broad-based
definition of the term, understanding what makes some people live their
lives more creatively than others and discovering what conditions and
traits optimize creativity. I believe that, although the “creative
personality” is a complex one and some people have innate (genetic)
talent in certain fields, everyone has the capacity to be creative and creativity isn’t limited to the arts.
Years ago, I began a list of things that I think
nurture creativity. I’ve added and subtracted from it and had
arguments about the validity of some of the items...as well as arguments
about things I’ve left off. The list includes: being comfortable
breaking rules and taking risks; curiosity and willingness to explore,
ask questions and seek new challenges; determination to create one’s
own life on one’s own terms; ability to focus; hard work (which
includes practice and routine); being comfortable with solitude;
and bravery (which includes stubbornness in the face of criticism or
failure). There are other
things that support and enhance the creative experience, like surrounding yourself with supportive people and avoiding
negativity, a “muse”, a stimulating “working” environment
(Virginia Woolf’s room of one’s own), having the necessities of
life, recognition and acceptance in one’s chosen field. But I don’t believe
these things are absolutely crucial to creativity. People who think and live creatively are
found doing all sorts of work, living in all sorts of situations. Some
have found fame in their creative expression; others haven’t...and
many don’t seek it.
I’ve enjoyed and been
inspired by Julia Cameron’s bestselling Artist’s Way books,
including Walking in This World – The Practical Art of
Creativity (2003, Jeremy P. Tarcher). But recently, I discovered Creativity:
Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention (1997, Perennial
Books) by the brilliant author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
He studied 91 creative and influential people, including novelists,
playwrights, composers, musicians, scientists, actors, economists and
philosophers. And he concluded that creativity in any realm involves the
same skill set: dedication, hard work, actively seeking new challenges,
persistence and boldness. Maybe I like this book so much because
Csikszentmihalyi agrees with my thesis: “Each person has,” he says,
“...all the psychic energy he or she needs to live a creative life.”
And what is the difference between those who use that energy and those
who don’t? In my 25 years of observing kids who have educated
themselves without attending school, I have noted that their lives are
more conducive to nurturing creativity than those whose days are spent
passively being told what to do, think and learn.
Posted: 2004/12/07
11:23 AM
Finding Nature – September 28, 2004
Every morning I take a long walk before settling in at the computer. We
live at the edge of a large city, right along the waterfront. I could
walk on sidewalks between office towers and beside not-yet-opened
storefronts. And some days I do that, in search of a jolt of urban
energy (and perhaps a latte from one of the numerous cafés). But, more
often than not, I choose to walk a path by the water, which changes from
boardwalk to wharf, to marina edge and grassy garden, then back to
boardwalk. There is something about the water that calms and centers me,
no matter how busy the day ahead promises to be. And I cherish the early
morning smells and sounds as I wind my way through the spectacular
little jewel of a garden that’s just down the street.
This morning, I returned to my tiny office to find
an email from a friend quoting Rachel Carson, the author of Silent
Spring. Carson perfectly captured the benefits of spending time in
nature – even if you find it between the cracks of a city sidewalk:
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of
strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is a symbolic as
well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of
the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance
that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. The lasting
pleasures of contact with the natural world...are available to anyone
who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea and sky and
their amazing life.”
Posted: 2004/09/28 10:30 AM
The Benefits of
Boredom – May 19, 2004
Many religions and philosophers
(not to mention mothers!) have feared and even damned boredom. Danish
philosopher Soren Kierkegaard called it “the root of all evil”.
Wordsworth described it as a “savage torpor”. To centuries of
Christians, it was a sin. If nothing else, it was definitely to be
avoided at all cost. I, however, prefer the comments of writer F. Scott
Fitzgerald, who wrote: “Boredom is not an end product, is
comparatively rather an early stage in life and art. You’ve got to go
by or past or through boredom, as through a filter, before the clear
product emerges.” Many times while writing I have found myself
lingering over the keyboard, considering some new procrastination
tactic, feeling bored and uninspired with my work and unable to write
another word. But I pushed on through those feelings, past that
situation, because I am a writer...and thus motivated to write (partly
because I love the process). Actually, as I think about it, I did more
than push through boredom; boredom allowed me the space and time to
rest, to clear my mind and refocus. Sometimes I’d go for a walk or
clean the kitchen. But I didn’t stay bored for long, because I began
to look around and notice things I hadn’t seen before – including
new thoughts. The unfocused time had somehow allowed my mind to rest and
my subconscious to scan the horizon for a new perspective. Soon I was
back engrossed in productive work.
Psychologist
and author Mihaly Csikszentmihaly would say I was back into the flow.
Csikszentmihalyi is chiefly known as the architect of the notion of flow
in creativity. People enter a flow state when they are fully absorbed in
activity during which they lose their sense of time and have feelings of
great satisfaction. He describes flow as “being
completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away.
Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from
the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and
you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
In his book Beyond Boredom and
Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play Csikszentmihaly examines
motivation based on a study of a half-dozen groups of people involved in
pursuits like rock climbing, composing, dancing and playing chess. He
chose these groups in an effort to understand more fully what motivates
people to stop watching boring television shows and instead, engage in
activities that are extremely challenging or offer few external rewards
(like writing a poem, as I was just trying to do). He found, simply (and
these are my words – he seldom writes simply), that the answer is in
the high they get from experiencing “flow”. This theory applies
equally to all sorts of work and learning situations as well as leisure
pursuits. At some point, our society engaged in the Puritan Work Ethic
and decided that work and learning must be, by definition, unpleasant
chores. Csikszentmihaly believes, on the other hand, that people can
live richer, happier lives by learning new skills and increasing the
challenges they face each day.
I remember as
an only child being bored sometimes. Inevitably, my mother would nag at
me to “do something”, then she would create some busy work to try
and alleviate my boredom. It seldom worked, possibly because I was
stubborn enough to reject her suggestions on general principle and
possibly because I would eventually grow bored with being bored and find
something new and interesting to do. I’m glad that I didn’t turn
into a passive person waiting for someone to entertain me. Still, I was
left with a long legacy that made me feel guilty every time I found
myself disinterested, disengaged or not busy.
So I didn’t
worry if my daughters occasionally looked like they might be bored. I
knew that being free to experience and actively learn from whatever
challenges arise each day puts boredom to work pretty quickly.
Posted: 19/05/2004 6:30
PM
Laziness
– April 20, 2004
Few
things seem to trouble parents more than the possibility their kids
might be lazy. I guess it’s the legacy of that old Puritan Work Ethic
(and you don’t have to be part of any particular religion to suffer
from it!). Like our current style of schooling, which is based on
it, the belief that hard work makes you a better human being dates back
to the Industrial Revolution. It might have been a useful tool for
factory owners trying to make their employees productive, but it can
actually be counterproductive today. Those who can work smarter and more
creatively often get further ahead in today’s workplace. And they
certainly live happier, more balanced lives.
The Puritan Work Ethic is
especially damaging in terms of education, where work for its own sake
just doesn’t make sense. Students are often asked to put in long hours
in the classroom and doing homework, experiences that seldom produce
much real learning. What we call “play”, on the other hand, often
results in a great deal of learning and other creative activity. The problem for many adults is
their lack of trust in children’s innate ability – yes, their drive
– to learn. As a result, they mistrust what seems like inactivity,
forgetting that our brains can be very active while our bodies are at
rest.
Oh, and that fear of growing up
lazy? Kids who are able to pursue the results of their own interests and
passions work harder than those who are made to do meaningless work.
That just makes people aimless and unproductive.
Posted: 4/20/2004 1:56
PM
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