interesting TED talk on creativity

Ferg

A friend just sent this to me, I think it's worth sharing. 20 minute lecture on the nature of creativity, nurturing creativity, the artistic ego, why art seems to kill artists... artsy fartsy stuff like that. Mucho recommendo.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

ZacD

Ole! Ole Ole Ole! Ole! Ole!

Its interesting but... I'm not keen on waiting on my genius to slam my head with a sludge hammer.

crazyfingers

I'm going to be honest here, people like this kinda piss me off. I respect that she's intelligent, and I'm sure an amazing writer in many people's minds. But i can't help but think she's just being smug, or even the next level of smug.

I'm supposed to sit here and be sorry for her great success now? It's not enough that she's conquered the writing world and has that respect, but we have to feel sorry for her too as though she's sacrificing herself in her success? Woe is her.

I suppose she's just doing her job though, it is important for artists to have a mountain to climb. If you've reached the top, if you want to stay productive you gotta find, or build another mountain, artificial or not.

It's interesting to think about this from a game design perspective, because i don't think anyone's ever reached the top of that mountain. Games really aren't considered art or creative by enough people to make it legitimate. I think a lot of this comes from the number of people it takes to make a game. Too many cooks and all that... The artistic vision i think can get lost and rather than being a reflection of an artist, like a book, or a single art piece, a game is more like a car, an end product with only the most commercial application.
Some games do better than others as far as "games as art is concerned". We're kinda blessed and cursed as game designers or game artists to be in such a young field. We don't have countless generations to be judged against, but at the same time don't have the reference to bring games to a level of "art".

But who knows, maybe games are better off not being held to these artistic standards. Was chess art? Was tetris art? Is football art? Of course not. But they're all amazing games in their own right. Games are fun, the best games are the most fun. Maybe we're best off leaving the high standards of intellectualism and story to other mediums and just do what games do best and just give people better and better outlets for their competitive spirit and cooler looking space marines.

mdeforge

I totally get what she's talking about and it's nice to hear some of the feelings I've had be realized and talked about. I've felt like this, and I do feel like it every day, and I couldn't really validate and verbalize it all until I listened to this. I don't mean to sound soft or mushy or anything, but wow, I feel better now. Thanks for posting this.

@Crazyfingers: You don't think that's what she's getting at behind her humor? I don't think she comes off smug at all. I think she comes off very human about it all. When you think of a best selling author you probably think, as I do, about someone that has reached a higher place. I think she realized that she was on that high horse, found it interesting that she was put into that position, analyzed it from different perspectives (especially from within herself) and then decided to talk about it. And I'm glad she did, because, as it turns out, I think a lot of people totally get what's she's talking about. You said it too, I mean it relates not only to writing but digital art as well. It can relate to a lot of things.

BTW I agree about your views in the second half of your post =]

John Warner

yeah Ferg, saw that a while ago. FAN-TASTIC.

the whole matter of not needing something to be rationally, objectively TRUE before you can use it is a fantastic notion in general, i think... as long as one can maintain that perspective of course.

ideas are sent to me by aliens who beam them into my head? suuuurre.. why not?

System

I actually like the idea of bearing it on my own shoulders... I see no problems having the responsability/challenge either. Hell, one of the reasons i've gone down this path is because its not a cake walk.

It was an interesting point of view but not for me at all...

TheWinterLord

crazyfingers no! thats exactly what you are not supposed to do...
thats what she was saying...
thanks for sharing the more game oriented thoughts though


interesting perspective/ideas on the ted talk.

Ferg

One thing she didnt mention is that "artists" as a demographic tend to have a much higher incidence of mental illness than your average Blue Collar Bob. I was reading a good article about that the other day that cited studies and such, wish I could find the link. I think the reason so many great artists kill themselves has more to do with mental illness (of the genetic defect / hormone imbalance kind) and less to do with societal pressure or something.

I think she's right on about some things, not so much on others. I definitely know what she's talking about with the "channeling" of art. It's pretty much the same thing we mean when we talk about being in the "zone". You just get focused to a point where you're not even thinking or trying really, you're just doing it. The art almost makes itself sometimes.

rasmus

Good speech!

Calabi

One thing she didnt mention is that "artists" as a demographic tend to have a much higher incidence of mental illness than your average Blue Collar Bob. I was reading a good article about that the other day that cited studies and such, wish I could find the link. I think the reason so many great artists kill themselves has more to do with mental illness (of the genetic defect / hormone imbalance kind) and less to do with societal pressure or something.

I think it has more to do with personal pressure. The desire to do and the ability to do. That doing it involves plenty of failures, and the fear that you are a failure at the thing which you want to do.

edit: Pretty much exactly what she said. Good talk.

Not so sure about the seperate entity thing, I take it to more mean "Do it and Relax, Dont worry about it"

mdeforge

Not so sure about the seperate entity thing, I take it to more mean "Do it and Relax, Dont worry about it"

Yeah, that's one part of the speech I'm still trying to process. I'm not sure if she believed there is a separate entity, or if she was simply giving the dark parts of creativity a name. She talked about how it was given the name Ole and genius, and some other superstitions, but I don't think she really stuck to either side. If I remember correctly, she said at one point in her speech "I know some of you are sitting there thinking that you can prove me wrong scientifically, but I ask you, why not believe?" and she talked about "Do it and Relax, Dont worry about it" just as you said.

Calabi

I dont think she believed there is a separate entity, not that it matters if she does I've believed stranger stuff. Its just an easier way of approaching it and also its the way of these sorts of presentations talks that they have to dress things up in mysticisms and 3 point plans. It wouldnt sound half as good if she just said "Dont worry about it, man!".

Either that or she's trying to start up her own religion.

dejawolf

creativity? its simple. its putting your mind into a lucid dreaming state while being awake, and not forgetting that dream immediately after you've had it.
if you want to be creative, you need to relax, and put your mind into a trance, where it starts wandering.
of course your creativity needs something to work with too. look at everything with child-like wonder. that way you'll remember it better, and you'll have more parts to mash into new things.