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.