April 2009 Contents
I. Islands of Creativity
II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room, and the Shrink’s Couch
III. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
IV. Creative Links
V. Newsletter and Info: Share this newsletter, subscribe, or unsubscribe

I. Islands of Creativity
I like reading lots of books with ideas about creativity and letting you all know about them, but one result is that I can lose track of where my ideas come from.* A better result is that, when I’m not paying attention, the ideas seem to gather in my head, having meetings of their own and combining in new ways. I think a recent eruption of images about islands of creativity came from such caucusing behind the scenes.

What came to me were images of four linked islands, islands of creativity sticking up out of the sea of business-as-usual.

The first was where new things were made. “Something” that had not existed before was brought to life with the ease of kids fingerpainting.

The second island was one of creative problem-solving. I had been somewhat against problem-solving** as a major part of creativity since it requires accepting given limits and definitions. In my image, this was a more restrictive form, but creativity nevertheless.

Then, I saw the third island of innovation. Here, totally new stuff was created and in innovative ways. How innovative is innovative? I see the shores of this island were very blurry and also connected by a land bridge at low tide to the fourth island of influence where innovative work influences how others create.***

So I had four creativity islands: #1 - make something that didn’t exist, #2 – fix something that doesn’t work in a new way, #3 - make something innovative and #4: make something innovative and influential. I could see times when I’d been involved in at least the first three.

As a fiber artist, I am mainly bringing new somethings into existence with simple dying of fabric. Then, once I’m making a particular piece, I run into what I consider “problems”. What was initially intended is not working with the skills and tools I have at hand. If I come up with a workaround and end up with usual work for me, that would be simple problem-solving and not creativity. If, however, I push for something new from how I normally work, I’m on that second creativity island.

Work of mine that I can call innovative usually comes from combining two realms (e.g. oil pastels and stitchery). Since I work in mixed media fiber art, there is a tradition of mixing techniques but combinations of ideas also set the stage for my small innovations (e.g. sea life and music). Innovation is relative. I know when I’m doing stuff that’s new to me but being young as an artist, I don’t always know when I’ve re-created the wheel. For example, what I once thought was a brilliant innovation turned out to be reverse appliqué, a tried and true tradition of in fiber art! Classically trained artists and those who expose themselves broadly to the work of others are more likely to know when they’ve come up with innovations that are new for their medium or for art in general.

Finally, the potential for innovative influence (island #4) is closely tied to how and where our work goes out to others; in my art life, I remain firmly in the trenches of step-by-step marketing, with little attention to influencing others.

At first, I was rating these four levels of creativity as good to best. But you know, even if I think I’m making just another pleasant pretty scarf, that scarf could be the signature “something” that marks a person’s life change in ways I can’t predict. I do think that influencing others is a higher form of creativity than making fabric for my own pleasure, but who’s to say which others? Who’s to say that influencing other artists is more important than a cancer survivor’s joy in a scarf I have made?

*Authors noted here when I can.
**Fritz, Robert. Creating. 1991. Fritz emphasizes creativity as making something new rather than problem-solving.
***Galenson, David G. Old Masters and Young Geniuses. 2006.  
(Return to Top)          .

II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room and the Shrink’s Couch
Paris, Anne. Standing at Water’s Edge. Moving Past Fears, Blocks, and Pitfalls to Discover the Power of Creative Immersion. 2008.
After time off from art-making, it can seem like breaking through invisible walls to re-immerse ourselves in creative work. Paris draws on her therapy with creative folk to underline a source of help often ignored – our connections with other people. As she rightly point out, the realm of personal relationships is a major contender for matching the intensity of the creative process.  She details how our relationships with others, including with audiences, are interwoven with the cyclical rhythms of our moving in and out of the “immersive bubble.”