For this initial research task, there were a number of quotes from other OCA students as well as a video called ‘Where Good Ideas Come From’ by Steven Johnson. Looking through these thoughts on ideas and creativity was an interesting first step in this unit.
Much like the topic of the video, I have been mulling over the unit in general, and of course this first task for over a week. Not because I have been paralysed, but more that I am starting to appreciate how my brain tackles work and choices.
I am getting more in tune with my needs as a creator and a person. Since my diagnosis of ADHD last year I have begun to understand (and by extension notice in my creative process) the differences, limitations and benefits of having a neurodivergent brain.
I explored some of these ideas with my studies mentor (help I sought out from the DSA) a few days ago. Talking with her allows me to think out loud, and I have discovered I have a number of the right answers to move forward, but I can't access them unless I have the chance to bounce those ideas around with someone. I think this speaks to the subject of the video as well.
So, with my ADHD I am very aware that my creative approach is driven by a distinct balance between constraint and choice. Too much ambiguity in a task, and I become paralyzed by the seemingly infinite amount of choice, and the impossible tasks of finding the 'right' one.
So to combat this, I know that I need to create and lean into the structure that I create for myself. I know that I am not someone who can simply jump/fall into an automatic play state - even making Lego as a child I set myself challenges which then spurred more natural and intuitive experimentation. When I first started my studies, my brain (which instinctively makes sense of the world by making connections and seeing networks) would latch onto a very strong idea.
The challenge when this happened was that my brain would have a hard time focusing on anything else. Given that my focus is determined by the amount of stimulation I get from something this created a precarious situation where I risked losing interest by exploring other options, but if I dived straight into the idea that was dominating my thoughts I risked creating a sub-par solution to the problem.
Over that initial, and subsequent Sketchbooks unit I started to develop a way to tackle this - I record the idea into my sketchbook. This acknowledges it without putting it on a pedestal. I then spend time in a combination of verbal notes with visual connections.
This way my brain is able to switch its stimulation to the process itself, rather than any particular idea. This way I am able to force further exploration in an engaging way. I have tried to develop my ability to use my brain's natural ability to synthesise and connect but use my sketchbooks as a scaffolding. They have become a way of getting ideas out of my head and onto paper in a structured way.
Sometimes this can be bigger projects, and other times it is just an idea or small note that I jot down in a corner, or usually write on a post-it that gets stuck inside the book. Sometimes these ideas survive and stay there, and sometimes they get scrunched up and discarded later. I enjoy this structure as a way of methodically going through a series of divergent and convergent activities, so even as I go through the process of creating something there are little opportunities to try things out and solve problems.
At the same time, there are many occasions where work is difficult. The mental focus needed for me to activate is much higher than a neurotypical person. This can be exacerbated by two aspects:
The work is 'boring'
The work is too easy
My ADHD means that my process is one of extremes - it's either very high or very low engagement. But this is not a sustainable process. My aim for this unit is to start to lean into ways of doing things that respect and accentuate my strengths but create a repeatable and structured method for getting work done. I can't rely on every brief being interesting or fun, and I don't have the luxury of getting paralysed every time a client gives me a wishy-washy brief. So how do I create a system that:
can add interest/fun to briefs and activities that don't stimulate me?
can add constraint when there is none/little?
can add an appropriate amount of difficulty to a task when it seems too easy?
I am constantly in search of a state of flow. For me, it's important and really powerful. From a flow state, I can then enter a state of hyperfocus which - when used positively - is like a superpower of ADHD.
Responses to the video
Do you agree with Johnson that ideas take time to develop?
I do agree that ideas take time to develop - although not always as long as he suggests. What I think is a better description than time is 'blend'. No idea is truly original - it comes from a constant cycle of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. It is in that liminal space between breaking things down and creating something new that creativity where we solve life's interesting problems.
I have some ideas percolating at the back of my mind which I have been mulling over for over a decade. At the same time, my short-term ideas also need time to steep like a good tea. By not committing too quickly we give time for new ideas, inspiration, or connections to happen. So that when we do press forward our ideas are the best version possible.
Are his ideas equally applicable to creative disciplines?
That depends on how you define creativity I suppose. To me, creativity is the creation of something new or improved in response to a constraint. In my eyes, computer programming or process design are as much creative disciplines as more "artistic" pursuits.
So yes, in that context I think it's absolutely applicable. In fact, I think that to exclude those disciplines stagnates and restricts the available 'gene pool' for innovative ideas to flourish.
Do you think collaboration is important to creativity?
I think the combination, collision and blending of ideas and perspectives are important to creativity. When we talk about diversity, we also need to talk about the diversity of thought as well as the diversity of lived experience. Nothing magical ever happened in an echo chamber.
I don't think that collaboration is as important though - you don't always have to work together on something for new things to be created, but I strongly believe that the space to mix your ideas with others before and after the act of creation is essential.
Given the opportunity, who would you collaborate with from another field or discipline? A scientist, for example, or a writer, or painter?
I have a bit of a portfolio career, so I get the opportunity to see creativity in many aspects and many walks of life. Given the opportunity, I would love to discuss ideas in a multidisciplinary way; exposing artistic approaches to the world of business and science and in turn, bringing wisdom from those more rational areas to the artistic world.
I suppose I would like to work as part of a collective from the ideas point of view. At the same time, however, I do like to be self-sufficient. To have control over how something gets made. I don't think I like being a small cog in a large machine and think that's why I wouldn't find a good fit in something like commercial animation, TV or film, for example.
I would like to collaborate with writers on comics projects or work with a very small team of programmers to create a small indy computer game. I would also one day love to create my own board game and work with other writers, artists, designers and sculptors to build a game like those I have enjoyed all of my life.
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