Creativity as an Outlet

The Motivation for Creativity
"The mainspring of creativity appears to be the same tendency which we discover so deeply as the curative force in psychotherapy – man’s tendency to actualize himself, to become his potentialities. By this I mean the directional trend which is evident in all organic and human life – the urge to expand, extend, develop, mature, the tendency to express and activate all the capacities of the organism, to the extent that such activation enhances the organism or the self. This tendency may become deeply buried under layer after layer of encrusted psychological defenses; it may be hidden behind elaborate facades which deny its existence; it is my belief, however, based on my experience, that it exists in every individual and awaits only the proper conditions to be released and expressed. It is this tendency which is the primary motivation for creativity as the organism forms new relationships to the environment in its endeavor most fully to be itself.
My definition, then, of the creative process is that it is the emergence in action of a novel relational product, growing out of the uniqueness of the individual on the one hand, and the materials, events, people, or circumstances of his life on the other."

Carl R. Rogers“Towards a Theory of Creativity”
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In the academic world, hierarchy is thought to be preserved by the prioritizing of words over images and analysis over practical application. However, communication scholars now know that the nuances of dialogue, idiosynchracies both verbal and nonverbal, greatly effect our true understanding of the world. Most of our opinions, even the utmost educated ones, are based on inference and interpretation. That too, is a skill that can be crafted, but it exemplifies to the average learner that most of what we know is not told to us, including what we know of ourselves.

In a hierarchical scheme, logical output would seem persuasively more important than emotional. From a social and psycho social standpoint, little of this is true. People seek validation through others, and because of cultural coventions, they rarely ask for that validation outright, as it would compromise the quality (autheticity) of the affirmation. In a sense, we need others to know ourselves, and to quantify our worth. In a creative hierarchy, a sophisticated sense of self, and a sophisticated social awareness would be substantially more important, especially in terms of calculating growth and evaluating success. Transformation Techniques: SCAMPER
SCAMPER is an acronym developed by Bob Eberle for transformation techniques.
Substitute Combine Adapt Magnify Minify Modify Put to new uses Eliminate Reverse Rearrange
Which have you already used? –
Yes, all but adapt (which is similar to modify) and eliminate and reverse, both of which are very powerful ways to shift one’s perception. You’ll have a chance to use them below.
Problem Finding: Design a System:
1. Brainstorm a list of kinds of systems (e.g. transportation, respiration, etc.)
2. List the attributes of a system across domains (e.g. beginning/end, components, etc.)
3. Walk through your kitchen or home and select 6-8 small objects to use in the system you will design. Choose at least three with moving parts. It is best to work with concrete objects. If you need some ideas for common household objects you might choose, see the list and array pictured below.
With Moving Parts
Static Objects
A cork screw
A can
A garlic press
A foam block
A tape measure
A brush
A sliding scale measuring spoon
A knife
A can opener
A suction cup
Feel free to add other common objects like aluminum foil, plastic wrap or twine.
4. Play with the items. Be childlike, exploratory, free. Examine, manipulate each object alone and interacting with the other items. Put them in 6-10 different orders or configurations. SCAMPER SCAMPER SCAMPER. What is each item doing, making? Try several different sequences of items. Choose one. (Optional: Photograph or sketch it.) Imagine, visualize the items altered, interacting as smoothly running systems powered by any means you desire. Where does the system begin? Where does it end? What does it produce or accomplish? How?
5. In 2 or 3 sentences, explain how the system works and what it accomplishes.

Exercise Two:

Break a Habit This week make at least one new response to familiar opportunities: take a new route to work, eat with your non-dominant hand, try a food new to you, accept a new responsibility or delegate a responsibility you usually prize, add a tactile experience (e.g. give/get a massage), listen to ten minutes of music you usually avoid, be spontaneous it you’re usually planful, be planful if you are usually spontaneous. Open things up, turn them upside down, inside out.

Exercise Three:

Product Improvement/Development:
How many billions of dollars do Americans spend on hair products each year?

(Start with a supporting fact or statistic)
Attribute Listing and Transformation Techniques:

Magnify (add or increase), Minify (eliminate or reduce), Modify (adapt size, shape, color, texture, smell, etc.)
Think of a hair product. Cross out the attributes you dislike. Brainstorm a list the attributes it does not have that you wish it did. Create a new product incorporating the changes. Improve the original product by reducing its negative attributes and increasing its positive attributes by using the 3 M’s (magnify, minify, modify). Give the new product an appealing name.

Exercise Four:

Forced Fit or Finding Forced Relationships:
A Forced Fit is a combination of disparate elements achieved through playful, random connection-making. Through play and persistence, you “force” your mind to generate a connection between two intrinsically unrelated things. In doing so, you develop a “wide” category that can accommodate the disparate items (e.g. a heavy feather, cereal and grave digger). Note that the result may be a paradox which fosters original responses.
Consult the occupations listed below. Make a Forced Fit between your improved product and at least one occupation to yield a new product aimed at that market niche. The Forced Fit will require you to modify the product again. Give the new product a name.

Exercise 5:

See What’s There: Scribble

Gather an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of blank paper and 2 different-colored markers. With your eyes closed, make a quick scribble on the page, this time with your non-dominant hand. Open your eyes. Look at the scribble from every direction (i.e. rotate the paper, looking at the scribble from 8 points – each side and each corner). There is a picture hidden there. Find it. Using your non-dominant hand, and using a different-colored marker, add the details that will allow someone else to see what you see. Write a title or a caption.

See What’s There: Scribble Activity Extension – Transforming Scribbles from 2-Dimensions to 3-Dimensions Step 1: Play relaxing music and deep breathe for 5 minutes. Step 2: Make a third scribble. Open your eyes. Look at the scribble from every direction (i.e. rotate the paper, looking at the scribble from 8 points – each side and each corner). There is a picture hidden there. Find it. Using a different-colored marker. Add the details that will allow someone else to see what you see. Write a title or a caption.

Gather Scribbles 1 and 2. Step 3: For this activity, role play: Be a visual artist – a sculptor or a theater set designer. Be bold; take risks; be silly. Combine the 3 pictures in many ways, playfully. Do any connections present themselves? Do the connections suggest a 3-dimensional form of which these should become a part? Close your eyes, and visualize it in detail; walk around the item in your mind, looking at it from every direction. Construct the 3-dimensional form by adding to your original scribbles any materials or objects that you choose. Or, let the scribbles be a jumping off point to your sculpture and eliminate them completely. Follow your intuitions, hunches, the messages in the materials you hold. If no connections present themselves, use chance. Randomly combine the whole or parts of the 3 scribbles. (Arrive at the parts through tearing, cutting, puncturing, or any other process you choose.) Create a 3-dimensional form from the random parts by combining with any material or object you choose. What results? Close your eyes and visualize ways in which the object can be made more powerful. Make the changes if possible. Describe the changes if not. Step 4: In your Diary this week, describe (in a few sentences) the object that resulted and the process by which it occurred. Optional: photograph it and share it with Core Group or class. Step 5: In your Diary, answer the following questions: How did role-playing and visualization influence your work? How can you use these techniques in other problems / tasks? How might you use these playful or random processes in solving another problem from your Bug List?

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