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Welcome to these regular musings, meanderings, wonderings and wanderings by Wendy Priesnitz. Blog Archives Highlights - Creativity / Writing Creating
to Win – March 1, 2005 Awards are ubiquitous in our society. They boost sales of books, paintings and films, and are often accompanied by cash prizes, both of which are critical to keeping the arts and artists alive. They recognize excellence in all aspects of life, which is especially important in a one-size-fits-all society. I’ve received my fair share of kudos, both informal and formal. Somewhere there is a photo of me at age 13 posing uncomfortably in the backyard with a bunch of awards for academics and attendance (!) mounted on a piece of plywood by my proud father. Although I haven’t pursued awards as an adult (and a few times have even declined nominations), I know first-hand the ego boost involved with being able to put “award-winning” in front of the word “journalist” in my bio. So why am I feeling so grumpy? I seldom pay much
attention to the awards announcements or television shows because I
generally have seen none of the nominated films, listened to little of
the music and read few of the books. Perhaps my tastes are oddball.
Actually, I don’t like to be told that I should read, listen to or
view something just because a bunch of “experts” think it’s great.
I’d rather embark on the adventure of deciding for myself, even if
that means wading through some occasional rubbish. Anyway, for me, art
is endangered by competition and the accompanying consumerism. I fear
that so much emphasis on competition can endanger the quality of
artistic expression and communication, with creators consciously or
subconsciously dulling the edges and lessening the risk in order to be
acceptable to a jury. When people compete for recognition, they don’t
share...and I believe that communication and cross-fertilization foster
creativity. Just like memorizing facts in order to regurgitate
them on a test isn’t real learning, writing a novel to win an award
isn’t real creating. Pens
and Bytes – January 10, 2005 I love the portability of my journals, but not being the backpack sort, have always sought one small enough to fit in my pocket when I walk. And now I may have found one. I was recently given a little handheld computer. I’m using it to write this piece, sitting in my favorite café, picking out letters on a miniscule screen with an equally tiny stylus. Nestled soundly in my coat pocket, it let me stride full out on my eggnog whittling power walk. And when I get back to my office, I’ll be able to upload my musings directly to my computer, giving me a head start on the editing process. I won’t be throwing out my journal anytime soon,
because I am already missing the scratch of pen on paper. Perhaps
I’ll end up separating my therapeutic, documenting type of journaling from
my more professional type writing. Regardless, this will be an
interesting experiment in wordsmithing, with the handheld device no
doubt helping my prose become more concise and precise. And
perhaps it will also get me back into that most pared down form of writing,
which has been blocked over the past few months – poetry. One thing is
for sure: I will write, no matter what tools I have at my
disposal. Understanding Creativity – December 7, 2004
Years ago, I began a list of things that I think nurture creativity. I’ve added and subtracted from it and had arguments about the validity of some of the items...as well as arguments about things I’ve left off. The list includes: being comfortable breaking rules and taking risks; curiosity and willingness to explore, ask questions and seek new challenges; determination to create one’s own life on one’s own terms; ability to focus; hard work (which includes practice and routine); being comfortable with solitude; and bravery (which includes stubbornness in the face of criticism or failure). There are other things that support and enhance the creative experience, like surrounding yourself with supportive people and avoiding negativity, a “muse”, a stimulating “working” environment (Virginia Woolf’s room of one’s own), having the necessities of life, recognition and acceptance in one’s chosen field. But I don’t believe these things are absolutely crucial to creativity. People who think and live creatively are found doing all sorts of work, living in all sorts of situations. Some have found fame in their creative expression; others haven’t...and many don’t seek it. I’ve enjoyed and been
inspired by Julia Cameron’s bestselling Artist’s Way books,
including Walking in This World – The Practical Art of
Creativity (2003, Jeremy P. Tarcher). But recently, I discovered Creativity:
Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention (1997, Perennial
Books) by the brilliant author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
He studied 91 creative and influential people, including novelists,
playwrights, composers, musicians, scientists, actors, economists and
philosophers. And he concluded that creativity in any realm involves the
same skill set: dedication, hard work, actively seeking new challenges,
persistence and boldness. Maybe I like this book so much because
Csikszentmihalyi agrees with my thesis: “Each person has,” he says,
“...all the psychic energy he or she needs to live a creative life.”
And what is the difference between those who use that energy and those
who don’t? In my 25 years of observing kids who have educated
themselves without attending school, I have noted that their lives are
more conducive to nurturing creativity than those whose days are spent
passively being told what to do, think and learn. Finding Nature – September 28, 2004 This morning, I returned to my tiny office to find
an email from a friend quoting Rachel Carson, the author of Silent
Spring. Carson perfectly captured the benefits of spending time in
nature – even if you find it between the cracks of a city sidewalk:
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of
strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is a symbolic as
well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of
the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance
that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. The lasting
pleasures of contact with the natural world...are available to anyone
who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea and sky and
their amazing life.” The Benefits of
Boredom – May 19, 2004 Psychologist
and author Mihaly Csikszentmihaly would say I was back into the flow.
Csikszentmihalyi is chiefly known as the architect of the notion of flow
in creativity. People enter a flow state when they are fully absorbed in
activity during which they lose their sense of time and have feelings of
great satisfaction. He describes flow as “being
completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away.
Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from
the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and
you’re using your skills to the utmost.” In his book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play Csikszentmihaly examines motivation based on a study of a half-dozen groups of people involved in pursuits like rock climbing, composing, dancing and playing chess. He chose these groups in an effort to understand more fully what motivates people to stop watching boring television shows and instead, engage in activities that are extremely challenging or offer few external rewards (like writing a poem, as I was just trying to do). He found, simply (and these are my words – he seldom writes simply), that the answer is in the high they get from experiencing “flow”. This theory applies equally to all sorts of work and learning situations as well as leisure pursuits. At some point, our society engaged in the Puritan Work Ethic and decided that work and learning must be, by definition, unpleasant chores. Csikszentmihaly believes, on the other hand, that people can live richer, happier lives by learning new skills and increasing the challenges they face each day. I remember as an only child being bored sometimes. Inevitably, my mother would nag at me to “do something”, then she would create some busy work to try and alleviate my boredom. It seldom worked, possibly because I was stubborn enough to reject her suggestions on general principle and possibly because I would eventually grow bored with being bored and find something new and interesting to do. I’m glad that I didn’t turn into a passive person waiting for someone to entertain me. Still, I was left with a long legacy that made me feel guilty every time I found myself disinterested, disengaged or not busy. So I didn’t
worry if my daughters occasionally looked like they might be bored. I
knew that being free to experience and actively learn from whatever
challenges arise each day puts boredom to work pretty quickly. Laziness
– April 20, 2004 The Puritan Work Ethic is especially damaging in terms of education, where work for its own sake just doesn’t make sense. Students are often asked to put in long hours in the classroom and doing homework, experiences that seldom produce much real learning. What we call “play”, on the other hand, often results in a great deal of learning and other creative activity. The problem for many adults is their lack of trust in children’s innate ability – yes, their drive – to learn. As a result, they mistrust what seems like inactivity, forgetting that our brains can be very active while our bodies are at rest. Oh, and that fear of growing up
lazy? Kids who are able to pursue the results of their own interests and
passions work harder than those who are made to do meaningless work.
That just makes people aimless and unproductive. Return
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Topics & Passions: natural learning
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