Feet on the Path

In Wednesday's class, there was some discussion about what qualifies as creativity...can a person who is creating something (even skillfully doing so) be devoid of creativity?

This made me think a great deal about some of the TED talks I've been watching with some of my students. We focused on a series with the common theme of "Serious Play" and with a focus on design. In particular, there was one given by legendary graphic designer Paula Scher (famous for the citibank logo and her work with typography-heavy posters and buildings). Her contention is that our creative work is done when we do play (fitting with the running theme of the presentations), but that there's a difference between 'serious' play and 'solemn' play. She refers to an essay by Russell Baker on the contrasts between these two. Children are serious when they play, adults are often solemn. Serious play involves gambling; solemnity is safer and reserved. (Jogging is solemn; poker is serious.) My favorite: "Going to educational conferences to tell you anything about the future is solemn; taking a long walk by yourself during which you devise a fool-proof scheme for robbing Tiffany's is serious."

Anyway, Scher goes on to display and discuss her work, especially the four times she considered it to be serious, rather than solemn. Her solemn work was very successful, very beautiful and very in demand, but she didn't feel as rewarded by it. The main element she felt was important in serious play/design was not knowing what you were doing because it was a new or unique challenge. Then you become so immersed in the project, no other project exists for you.

I thought of her presentation when it was discussed in class the idea of being skilled but not creative. Of the examples presented and from the notes/schools of thought, it seemed to me that the common element in true creativity is challenge - doing something that makes you stretch makes you 'think outside the box', as the cliche goes. Creativity makes you a little (or a lot) uncomfortable, I think because it is a process of growing.