Creativity Theories and Quotes

 Creativity by amhammond

Quotes and Relevance:

"If creativity is not inherent in human mental powers and is, in fact, social and situational, then technological developments may well be linked to advances in the creativity of individual users.'

(Banaji, Burn & Buckingham - 2006)

This point could be argued against to some extent as some may be born with a significantly better creative ability that derives from biological and genetic background. However, I would personally agree with this statement, as social and environmental elements will always have an impact on a persons ability to successfully produce a creative product to a certain extent. For example, the cost of certain technologically advanced software may mean that some people have limits placed on their potential. What is available to an individual user, from a research point of view, may also be limited and may therefore restrict their creative abilities. All of these things show that technology very much has an impact on the creative ability.

"Creativity results from the interaction of a system composed of three elements: a culture that contains symbolic rules, a person who brings novelty into the symbolic domain, and a field of experts who recognise and validate the innovation."

(Csikszentmihalyi - 1996)

 Again, this point may be argued against as an individual user, with the use of technologically advanced software and equipment, can quite easily produce a media product themselves. However, outside opinion and feedback from others, especially experts, can prove to be extremely valuable within the editing and further improvements stages. Also, bringing 'novelty into the symbolic domain' refers to the idea of understanding, conforming to and challenging media conventions.



Question on Creativity

How creative have you been in your AS and A2 productions?
Use the marking criteria for G325 to help you:

• Explain what you did and analyse the extent of your creativity.
• Give examples from the texts you created to support your points.
• Use terminology e.g. media terms, creativity terms.

Remember:
Level 1 = limited, descriptive
Level 2 = simple, basic
Level 3 = straightforward, clear
Level 4 = complex, articulate

Throughout all the coursework within AS and A2 I have been creative in all elements leading up to and including the production of my final products. In both sets of coursework I had a brief that I was required to work to, for example, as AS I had to create a music video. Although there were elements of the coursework that required me to make creative decisions, such as the genre of music I based my magazine on, to tailor and change this brief to my own ideas I had to be creative, and in some cases challenge conventional ideas. Picking a genre adds further constraints to the work as it meant I had further conventions to negotiate, these include colour schemes, layouts and featured elements within the magazine. Due to this I had to be creative in my decisions regarding these areas and whether or not to conform or challenge conventions to make the product realistic and convincing as well as different and unique as an overall product. Choosing the pop genre allowed me to take influence  and inspiration from the many existing pop genre texts and re-create elements, recycling these ideas allowed me to take something that is already proven to work well and adjust it using my own creativity and originality to make a new version. I also chose to use a distinctive and strong 3 colour pallet, a common convention within music magazines that is not limited specifically to the pop genre, this helped me to create a convincing product as well as a theme and sense of branding throughout the product. Layout of all three areas of my final product - the cover, contents and double page spread - was very much entirely my own decision, however conventions would suggest the use of certain effective layout patterns such as the rule of thirds. This layout pattern was one I decided to use within my work as it created a strong, clear and easily accessible style for the reader.

Within my A2 coursework project there was similar constraints due to the task itself and the choice of genre. Similarly to my AS coursework my product was based within the pop genre, I was again restricted by certain conventions of the genre, however, in the production of these products I challenged many more conventions and pushed more towards an original and unique style that would further push my creativity. The product overall stood out as product due to the decisions I made and conventions that I challenged, I was also less afraid to think outside the box and take inspiration from other genres, such as with the use of hand drawn images within my digipak and advertisement that were inspired by indie genre style artwork. Although these elements all allowed greater creativity through a lack or restrictions but instead conventions that could be negotiated and manipulated, there were elements that provided rules and restrictions within my coursework. For example, whilst creating the digipak I was restricted to size and other industry requirements such as the regulatory inclusion of legal/copyright information. Within my AS coursework, similar restrictions where in place, however their were fewer, for example, only the inclusion of the barcode, price and date on the cover were deemed compulsory. Many sizing requirements, however, were equally restricting within both coursework projects with the AS magazine restricting me to an A4 cover, A4 contents and 2 A4 pages for an article and the A2 advertisement restricting me to an A4 page. Although these were elements that controlled my work and provide rules, they also helped me to push my originality and creativity in order to produce a layout that worked well within these size restrictions and made the best of the space I had to work with.

Overall, I feel that I was more creative within my second, A2, coursework project as I took more ideas from outside-genre influences and did not rely on conventional ideas as much. For example I chose to use a theme with a strong image, the americanised 1950's era gave me much more to work with from an image and branding perspective. It also provided with ideas for styles of typography and colour schemes that fitted the theme as opposed to the genre. This use of a rememberable era as a theme also provided inspiration regarding the artist's style and branding as well as a whole range of old texts and products that I could draw inspiration from. 

Creativity Task

Pete Fraser's CD Cover Task:
http://petesmediablog.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=creativity

Artist Name: Lubanki
Album Name: Disastrous and the Unpalatable
Picture:

My Cover:

An Introduction to Creativity

Dictionary Definition:
Originality, imagination, inspiration, ingenuity, inventiveness, resourcefulness,creativeness, vision and innovation.

Quote from Pete Fraser, chief examiner for OCR Media Studies:

"One of the possible areas you could be asked about in the exam is creativity. The projects you have undertaken will hopefully have felt like an opportunity to display your creativity, but you will need the chance to discuss what you understand by creativity and what it might mean to be creative.

The assignment options at AS and A2 all offer constraints for your work, whether it be making pages for a music magazine, the opening of a film or the packaging for an album; one of the reasons why you aren't offered total free choice is because people often find that working within constraints gives them something to exercise their creativity, whereas total freedom can sometimes make it really difficult to know where to start. It's why genre can be interesting- how has something been created which fits with certain structures and rules but plays around with them to give us something a little bit different?

The word 'creative' has many meanings- the most democratic meaning would really suggest that any act of making something (even making an idea) might be seen as a creative act. In more elitist versions of the term, it is reserved for those who are seen as highly skilled or original (famous artists, musicians, film-makers etc). An interesting third alternative is to think about how creativity can be an unconscious, random or collaborative act that becomes more than the sum of its parts."

5 Statements from his quote:

• Working within constraints can encourage you to be more creative and force you to think  outside the box
• The most interesting pieces of creative work are often made when trying to fit structures and rules and yet also challenge and change them
• Making of something, even an idea, can be seen as creative
• Creativity can be an elitist term used for highly skilled or original ideas and products
• Creativity can also be an unconcious, random or collaborative act

5 Keywords from the Statements:

• Constraints
• Brief
• Genre
• Original
• Collaborative

5 Keywords in relation to my coursework:

• Constraints: Within my AS and A2 coursework there were several constraints in place that put limits on what we could do. For example, within both sets of coursework we were limited to a certain media type such as the music magazine at AS and the music video, digipak and magazine advertisement at A2. There were other factors within the creation of my coursework that showed constraints, such as being a student, which meant that both budget and access to equipment was limited, as was the time limit and deadlines that we had to work to. Although these factors may have created difficulties within the creation of the coursework it also encouraged innovative and imaginative thinking to create ideas that would overcome these problems.
• Brief: Within both coursework projects we had a brief to work to, as well as putting constraints on what we could achieve as a final product this also meant we had set structures and rules that had to be followed. This encouraged creativity within my coursework as it allowed me to think outside the box and see how far the rules and structures could be pushed or challenged.
• Genre: For both the AS and A2 coursework we were required to pick a genre, in both cases these were within music. Choosing a genre placed extra structures and rules onto the coursework through the conventional ideas created by the genre. Throughout the coursework I was therefore forced to decide what conventions I would conform to or challenge in order to make my work different and unique as a new product, that also still fits clearly within it's genre.
• Original: Within both pieces of coursework originality was required in order to create a new product, originality was also required in order to make these products stand out as a whole. Within the A2 coursework, I had to be original within all areas, to create a new, different and intersting set of products that were all also distinctive as a brand.
• Collaborative: Many of the areas within our coursework required some sense of collaborative work, for example, we asked for feedback from both teachers and peers in order to see where improvements and changes could be made, as well as what worked well. Asking the opinions of others allowed me to work with others to collaborate an idea in order to make my final product better. Within the A2 coursework I had to work within a pair.

Section A: The 5 Areas Table

The 5 Areas of Section A by

Hyperreality

Definition:

WEB: 

Hyperreality is used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced post-modern societies. Hyperreality is a way of characterizing what our consciousness defines as "real" in a world where a multitude of media can radically shape and filter an original event or experience. 

• Hyperreality uses post-modern philosophy to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy in a technologically advanced culture.
• Characterises the way consciousness defines what is real
• Media can radically shape and filter an original event or experience - this is hyperreality

One easy to understand example of hyperreality is the McDonald's "M" arches create in the eyes of the viewer, the huge foodchain that it is known as today, when in "reality" the "M" represents nothing, and the food produced is neither identical nor infinite. (Shown in simulacra and simulation)Marshall McLuhan who created the phrase ‘the medium is the message’ heavily influenced Baudrillard’s idea of hyperreality. Marshall’s phrase basically means that the way the message is presented becomes more important than the meaning of the message itself.

Other Examples:

• CGI Characters within movies
• Coca Cola - associations, connotations and ideals of happiness, christmas, holidays, international, authenticity, style - reality: brown fizzy water

25 Songs On My Shuffle

Here are the first 25 songs played on my shuffle, listed with the song title, artist and genre(s):

1. F**k You - Cee Lo Green - Soul, Pop, R&B, Alternative
2. Boyfriend - Alphabeat - Pop, Dance-pop
3. Do You Think of Me - Misha B - Dance-pop, R&B, Electro-house, Soul
4. Five Colours in her Hair - McFly - Pop Rock
5. Don't Upset the Rhythm - Noisettes - Indie Rock, Funk
6. Time to Pretend - MGMT - Indie-pop, Alternative
7. Strange Clouds - B.o.B feat. Lil Wayne - Hip Hop/Rap
8. Little Things - One Direction - Pop
9. Move Along - All American Rejects - Alternative, Pop Rock, Pop Punk
10. Liquorice - Azealia Banks - Hip Hop/Rap
11. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees - Alternative, Pop Rock
12. Hooligans - Example feat Don Diablo - Dance, Electro-house, Dance-pop
13. Something New - Girls Aloud - Pop, Dance
14. Left Ey3 - Kreayshawn - Pop, Alternative Hip Hop, Electronic
15. Gotta Be You - One Direction - Pop
16. Monster - Lady Gaga - Pop, Dance-pop
17. Fire Burns - Nicki Minaj - Hip Hop/Rap, Dance-pop
18. Sex in the Lounge - Nicki Minaj feat Lil Wayne - Hip Hop/Rap, Dance-pop
19. Down - Jay Sean feat Lil Wayne - R&B, Hip Hop, Dance
20. Walking Disasters - The Wombats - Alternative, Indie Rock, Post Punk
21. No Church in the Wild - Jay Z and Kanye West feat Frank Ocean - Hip Hop/Rap
22. Bloody Shirt - To Kill a King - Alternative, Rock, Indie Pop
23. Nobody's Perfect - J. Cole feat Missy Elliot - Hip Hop/Rap
24. Kings & Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars - Alternative Rock, Progressive Rock
25. Hey Ya - Outcast - Alternative Hip Hop, Funk

Definition of a Paradox

Paradox can be revealing about human nature and the way that we speak. A statement such as "I'm a compulsive liar" is a paradox because it is self contradictory and you can not say whether it is a definite truth or lie. A paradox also often contains two statements that are both true, but generally, cannot be true at the same time, an example being whether or not someone can be a compulsive liar and tell the truth at the same time.

Examples of Recycled/Remixed Music Samples

Kanye West - Stronger
Kanye West's single 'Stronger' features a sample from the song 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' by Daft Punk who in turn took a sample from 'Cola Bottle Baby' to create their song. Below is the original sample from 'Cola Bottle Baby', Daft Punk's 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' and Kanye West's single 'Stronger':

Kanye West - Gold Digger

Another example is Kanye West's single 'Gold Digger' which takes a sample from Ray Charles' 'I've Got a Woman':

Azealia Banks - 212

Azealia Banks' Single '212' features a sample from Lazy Jay's 'Float My Boat':

Azealia Banks - Liquorice

'Liquorice' features a sample taken from 'Pineapple Crush' by Lone, this sample makes up the entire backing track to the song:

Flo Rida - I Cry
Flo Rida's single 'I Cry' [0:15] features a sample from 'Cry (Just a Little)' [0:51] by Bingo Players, who in turn took a sample from Brenda Russell's 'Piano in the Dark' [1:21]:

Section A: AS and A2 Coursework

AS Coursework
For my AS coursework I produced a music magazine cover, contents and double page spread. The magazine I created was based on pop genre music and had a target audience of 15 - 30 year olds, and predominately females. Below are images of my final products:

The evaluation questions for this coursework were:

1. In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions from real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
7. Looking back at your preliminary product, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

A2 Coursework

For my A2 Coursework I produced a music video, digipak packaging and a magazine advertisement. The artist I created was a pop genre artist, and her, the music and my media products were aimed at 15-30 year olds, and pop music fans. Here are my final products:

The evaluation questions for this coursework were:

1. In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions from real media products?
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Bricolage

Definition:
Refers to the creation of work from diverse range of things that happen to be available, taking something that already exists and using it for something new. Being creative and resourceful with whatever is at hand. For example: 'God Save The Queen' - Sex Pistols Album Cover - this album cover caused great controversy when it was released in 1977.






My Bricolage
Here are examples I have created of my own bricolages where I have taken Andy Warhol's 'Soup Can' and put it on modern day supermarket shelving.

Post Modernism

• Aimed at a literate audience as they exhibit many traits of intertextuality
• Post-modernism rejects and subverts these narratives eg Andy Warhol - Soup Cans
• Sophisticated visual puns used in advertisements can be described as post modernist
• Follows shift from a industrial society into a information society
• Post-modernism culture involves opposing hierarchy, diversifying and recycling culture, question scientific reason, and embracing paradox
• employs a range of techniques such as bricolage

Modernism

• Characterised by constant innovation, moving forward, the new and being current
• Beliefs support a utopian idea of life and society (politics, religion, law, etc...)
• Began around 1850 and ended around 1960
• A lot of modernist art concerned itself with the grand narrative - love, death, war, religion and science

Section A: The 5 Areas

Digital Technology

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS6
• Adobe Premiere Elements 11
• iMovie
• Lighting
• Panasonic HD Video Camera
• Microsoft Word and Powerpoint
• Blogger
• Glogster
• Scribd
• Slideshare
• Prezi
• Twitter

Creativity

• Looking at existing products, both past and present, and taking ideas and inspiration

Research and Planning

• Reseaching exsisting texts and evaluating them: Album Covers, Music Videos, Magazines
• Planning own work, creating mock ups and experimenting with own ideas:

Post-Production

• Adobe Premiere Elements 11
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS6

Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

• Pop Genre Conventions for Digipak and Advert: colours, mise-en-scene, costume, typography, images
• Pop Genre Conventions for Music Video: location, mise-en-scene, narrative, colour schemes, tone
• Magazine Coventions: Masthead, colour pallet, typography, images, layout, content

Section A: Skills Evaluation of Production

Task: Put the requirements of this question into your own words

Describe and evaluate your skills developement over the course of your production work.

Describe and explain how your skills in production of all pratical work has developed through work you have done within coursework throughout year 12 and 13, as well as where further progress could still be made.

PRODUCTION: Work I have produced in the last 2 years:
AS:
Preliminary School Magazine Cover and Contents
Draft Music Magazine Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread
Final Music Magazine Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread
A2:
Preliminary Music Video
Draft Digipak and Advert
Final Digipak and Advert
Final Music Video