Sunday, November 16, 2008
I have choreographer's block. I've spent 5 hours in the studio today alone, and I can't get more than 30 seconds worth of movement solidified.
How does one cultivate creativity?
This has been a common topic of discussion throughout my college career. In recent semesters, my professors have been pushing the issue, wanting more directed answers than "just wait" or "clear your mind" or "you can't force creativity". The new question has been added: "What if you HAVE to create immediately? What if you have a deadline?" Silly professors. That will never happen.... We would find answers to appease them and ditch the subject.
Hello....
I am performing my solo tomorrow night. Regina Spektor's "Lady" is 4 1/2 minutes long. I have already cut 30 seconds, making it only 4 minutes. As of right now, I have 2 1/2 on my body. Nice. 8PM the night before tech rehearsal and I can't think. All I want to do is go play and enjoy my night of freedom. All I can think about is other music, other pieces I'm in, my costumes, what my friends are doing on my night off... Not my dance. Not "Sink" (title of my piece).
I have recently made a great new friend. He is extremely uplifting, well spoken, creative, and candid. I must admit, my favorite passtime as of late is chatting with him. Of course, our schedules do not permit much of this. Still... Good things.
Anyway, this friend produces music, and has been pursuing this art for about 11 years of his life. I've heard bits of his work. Talented man. The other night, he mentioned that he often gets bored with his style, gets in a rut, etcetera, and has difficulty breaking out of it and starting fresh. I asked him his methods of finding his creativity. We talked briefly about that; I'd like to interview him further on the matter. He seems an intelligent person, able to clearly express himself, and it would be interesting to hear what a person with no formal "creativity" training has to say. How do people force creativity when they need to? The anthropologist in me gets so excited at this subject. Creativity is adaptation. It is how mankind evolved to the point of Adam. In order to survive, we adapted. Ever so slowly, we began to make tools that would allow for distanced kills of large, meaty animals. The meat provided necessary protiens for our human brains to develop fine-tuned skills such as communication, which allowed us to begin working as families, teams, units. The rest is history. Once we established that "no man is an island", things began to progress rather rapidly, all thanks to creativity and eating meat. Vegetarians. Ha.... (my apologies to all my vegetarian and vegan friends... no offense).
So creativity...
Oh! Wait!!!! I have ideas!!!! GOTTA GO!
4 comments:
I had to write too much on this topic for a comment box, since I did a thesis on it. See your email.
But by the time you read this, your creation will already have a life of its own.
I'll see you on Saturday!
"It is how mankind evolved to the point of Adam. In order to survive, we adapted." I'm confused about what you're saying here...
Study anthropology. Man evolved through stages and species such as Austraelopithicus Afarensis or Africanus by using tools, working in groups, and creating familial societies. Evolution. Cool stuff. God is pretty much brilliant. :)
The way creativity usually works for me is someone starts by saying something like, we're going to make a -----" or "I own ----- and I need a ------" or "there is an exhibit on ------" and it's like I am instantly smacked upside the head and see something. The challenge is to remember it long enough to get it out. As it gets out, it transforms and things are added and sometimes it's totally different.
Occasionally, there's no moment or I'm not into the job for whatever reason, but I still have to be creative and come up with something. So, I look at other work, think about it and go to bed. As I wake up in the morning, something is sketching itself in my head. This seems to result in the work people like the most.
Or, if that fails, I just start with the tiniest of ideas like "yellow" or "colored pencils" and I just begin. Before I know it, I'm making something and forgot what time it is.
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