What is creativity? What are the criteria that we can use to call someone or something creative?

What is creativity? What are the criteria that we can use to call someone or something creative? Creativity can commonly be described as the ability to produce something that previously did not exist. Whilst there are also implicit suggestions within that definition of improvement, innovation and novelty, there is also an accepted, intrinsic sense of the essence of creativity as something to be highly regarded and not to be confused with success. As Sturnberg (1999) stressed in his critique; 'creativity is the ability to produce work that is both novel (i.e., original, unexpected) and appropriate (i.e. useful, adaptive concerning task restraints)' (Sturnberg 1999, p.03). Throughout the academic world a consistent definition of creativity as a phenomenon seems to be elusive among scholars. As David Bohm (1998, p.01) asserts in his work On Creativity; 'Creativity is, in my view, something that it is impossible to define in words. How, then, can we talk about it?' This statement, whilst possibly glib in its succinctness and admittedly presented here without proper reference to context, goes a long way to explain the frustration felt throughout academia regarding the subject of creativity not only as a definable term, but as a motivation, a talent and indeed an attainable skill. Throughout the majority of investigation into the subject there has been a series of recurring

  • Word count: 1821
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Examine either overt or covert relationships with the work of particular artists or movements and the political contexts in which they where made.

Examine either overt or covert relationships with the work of particular artists or movements and the political contexts in which they where made. Art movements through out history have been created in the midst of various political upheavals. Even though the larger part of art has always given an impression of no politicisation as it would have liked itself to be known as an autonomous entity functioning with no political aspirations, or under the banner of any political correctness. Having itself looked upon as a form of expression with the sole purpose of providing aesthetic pleasure. Which was very much the view provided by prominent art critics and the more mainstream galleries. But the authenticity of this ideological concept was contradicted and faced head on in the late 1950's with the emergence of a predominately American Art movement by the name of Pop Art. Pop emerged in the late 50's and managed to thrive in the 60's and way in to the late seventies. It utilized the imagery and techniques of consumerism and popular culture. Many perceived pop as a mere continuation of abstract expressionism, well at least in part, or if anything more a reaction against it. Emerging from a shift of various sources. Surrealism with its appeal to the subconscious was replaced by dada, with its concern with the frontiers of art. This was not a purely intellectual choice. There were

  • Word count: 4106
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Critical Debates Race on screen

Race, by Peter Caddick Introduction In this analytical essay my focus is representation or the cultural construction of people. Representations of issues relating to race as we all see, very much concerned with power and meaning, whether in the form of news bulletins, documentaries, advertisements, popular music or forms of drama, i.e. the consumption of media messages. Media consumption is part of everyday existence, I will be exploring the issue closely in matters of race. In terms of the media it has often resulted in sections or subgroups in a society or community being represented as separate. "WHITE PEOPLE ARE NOT LITERALLY OR SYMBOLICALLY WHITE, YET THEY ARE CALLED WHITE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? IN WESTERN MEDIA, WHITES TAKE UP THE POSITION OF ORDINARINESS, NOT A PARTICULAR RACE, JUST THE HUMAN RACE. WHILE RACIAL REPRESENTATION IS CENTRAL TO THE ORGANISATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD, WHITE PEOPLE REMAIN A LARGELY UNEXAMINED CATEGORY IN CONTRAST TO THE MANY STUDIES OF IMAGES OF BLACK AND ASIAN PEOPLES. RACIAL IMAGERY IS CENTRAL TO THE ORGANISATION OF THE MODERN WORLD. AT WHAT COST REGIONS AND COUNTRIES EXPORT THEIR GOODS, WHOSE VOICES ARE LISTENED TO AT INTERNATIONAL GATHERINGS, WHO BOMBS AND WHO IS BOMBED, WHO GETS WHAT JOBS, HOUSING, ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION, WHAT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES ARE SUBSIDISED AND SOLD, IN WHAT TERMS THEY ARE VALIDATED -

  • Word count: 2245
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Martin Pawley introduces Flussers essay to discuss nowadays, which are the good methods into becoming a good designer and the requisite skills of the designer

AA3304/3412 Self-directed Design Project Contextual and Critical element Tutor: Dew Harrison Yeukkei Chan (Gillian) 0407009 Design for Digital Media Stage 3 9th, April 2006 Martin Pawley introduces Flusser's essay to discuss nowadays, which are the good methods into becoming a good designer and the requisite skills of the designer. Martin Pawley introduces Flusser's essay to discuss nowadays, which are the good methods into becoming a good designer and the requisite skills of the designer. There was an article in the 'Introduction' to Vilém Flusser's book The Shape of Things: A Philosophy of Design, (Publisher in English in 1999), Martin Pawley introduces Flusser's approach to analyzing design and its meaning. "...The collection of his essays assembled here not only sheds new light on the importance of design, but also sheds light from an unusual angle. Flesser's insights flow not from professional design experience, but from empirical observations. Not from the conventional art-historical critique of form-giving, but from a self taught grounding in linguistic philosophy that enabled him to deconstruct the design agenda and then reconstruct it in another way, For Flusser, as the reader of these essays will discover, design began, not with the vision of their creators, not even with the fabled first doodle on the back of an envelope. Instead, it began with the

  • Word count: 2478
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Is prosperous sustenance of contemporary art the fiscal responsibility of the government? Noel Carroll's article "Can government funding of the arts be justified theoretically?" analyzes this question.

Is prosperous sustenance of contemporary art the fiscal responsibility of the government? Noel Carroll's article "Can government funding of the arts be justified theoretically?" analyzes this question. The justifications as presented by Carroll can be seen as an approach towards appeasing the irate tax payers who are demanding to know the reasons behind the spending of public money on prospective art. In light of recent controversies in North America over the merit of artistic work, it's funding and purchase by government institutions, the public has the right to demand the reasons for such allocations of their hard earned dollars. Carroll presents a wide range of theoretical justifications for such spending of public money. These justifications range from issues concerning public welfare to moralistic role of art in society. The main focus of the article lies upon direct funding in the form of grants for the creation of contemporary art. Carroll describes the importance of museums which serve the purpose of preserving the culture and therefore, public funding for museums is a legitimate function of the State. This preservation is critical for educating the public about our past and our cultural roots. Sadly, the same argument cannot be applied to contemporary art because it '...is not part of our heritage yet' (22) and does not possess any educational value. Carroll's

  • Word count: 1503
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Underlying Message

Jamal Rodriguez Writing 202: Lawrence November 12, 2008 The Underlying Message Art is a high disputed concept due to the human perception of what is actually considered to be art. With artists using grotesque portrayals to express their feelings and beliefs to others, some are unable to see such creations as art. Gory, bloody sculptures and paintings are being discredited by some as art, along with pieces created solely on the basis of the artist's interest in money. One artist who is continually having his pieces of work undermined by art critics is Damien Hirst. Hirst, a British artist, uses the exploration of morality as a central theme to many of his works. In order to display this central theme, Damien used the conceptual art form. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, conceptual art is an art form in which the artist's intent is to convey a concept rather than to create an art object. The Natural History series, one of Damien's best known series, uses the morality theme by presenting dead animals in tanks of formaldehyde as memento mori, reminding people of their mortality. This series has seen much criticism due to its lack of artistic value, but Hirst has a tendency to focus more on conveying ideas and beliefs in his art using simple techniques, yet still creates very visually appealing works of art. Along with this series, Hirst also has other pieces

  • Word count: 1513
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Melvin Udall utilises a number of defence mechanisms in dealing with his feelings of anxiety. Repression, being the primary defence mechanism, is utilised a great deal by Melvin. He seeks to eliminate all forbidden id impulses

Pervin and John define anxiety as a "painful emotional experience that signals or alerts the ego to danger."(2001, 107). They argue that humans are incapable of sustaining prolonged anxiety due to the fact that it is a highly painful state (2001, 86). Anxiety is created by forbidden id impulses that are seeking expression (McNeil, 1970: 17). In dealing with such intense anxiety people develop mechanism of defence that serve to repress the forbidden impulses (Pervin & John, 2001: 86). Defence mechanisms according to Freud are unconscious ways of reducing anxiety by distorting reality and excluding some thoughts, wishes, and, feelings from awareness (Pervin & John, 2001: 86). Melvin Udall utilises a number of defence mechanisms in dealing with his feelings of anxiety. Repression, being the primary defence mechanism, is utilised a great deal by Melvin. He seeks to eliminate all forbidden id impulses by his use of repression. Repression is also a common feature of many other defence mechanisms that are used by Melvin. Projection is one of the most frequently used defence mechanisms by Melvin. We see, in many cases throughout the movie, Melvin projecting his feelings of inadequacy onto other people. He does this by insulting them with racial remarks, sexual remarks, and general slander. Empirical evidence has shown that many people will at times project unfavourable traits onto

  • Word count: 712
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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Down by Law

MOV 351 Comparative Film Analysis Ko Iwagami 4/17/08 "Down by Law" Jim Jarmusch is one of the prominent post-modernist directors whose works produced a profound impression on the audience and often evoked quite controversial emotions. His films are very original and convey the authentic message of the author, but the director often chooses such means of conveying his ideas that his works are perceived in different way by different people. In fact, some people enjoy his films and believe they are genius. One the other hand, there are people who do not really understand his works and are very critical in relation to his works. At the same time, it should be said that his films are destined not only for specialists but also for the mass audience, though the director's ideas may be not always clear for ordinary viewers. Nevertheless, the artistic value of his works is practically undeniable. As a rule, his films are stylistically and artistically rich. The director skillfully applies different stylistic devices, which help him convey his message to the audience. Among films created by Jim Jarmusch, it is possible to single out his film "Down by Law", which depicts the tragedy of main characters who have to pass through serious challenges in the course of the film. At the same time, this film is a perfect sample of post-modernist films, where main characters confront severe

  • Word count: 2588
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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drama review

Rock n Roll. Author: Tom Stoppard. Director: Simon Phillips. Designers: [Set] Stephen Curtis, [Costume] Tracy Grant Lord, [Lighting] Matt Scott, [Audio Visual] Josh Burns, [Sound] Kerry Saxby. Melbourne Theatre Company, The Arts Centre Playhouse. Tom Stoppard's Rock and Roll is play about people, Politics and Honour. Rock and Roll has long been described as the voice of a generation, if this were the case this production of Rock and Roll is less of a scream and more of a whisper. The main players in this story are Jan (Newton) an idealist Czech student studying in Cambridge, England under the tutelage of Max (Zappa) a staunch communist, and Philosophy Doctorate at Cambridge University, other main characters include Elenor, Max's wife (Picot) also a Doctor of Philosophy whom is slowly dying of cancer and Esme (Armstrong & Picot) their daughter, hippie and love of Jan's life. The Action shifts between Cambridge and Prague and follows Jan on his return to Prague to continue his career as a journalist. No matter of his intentions he is taken for dissention of his love of Rock and Roll. Ten years later after the fall of the Iron curtain Jan is reacquainted with Max and his family in England. The acting in this production was patchy to say the least. Both Picot and Zappa shine and bring a real sense of legitimacy to their roles and scenes with them were generally

  • Word count: 765
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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The American Love Story through the Ages

The American Love Story through the Ages Too often people wrongly pigeonhole screwball as any comedy with zany components, from films with personality comedians such as the Marx Brothers to the wacky modern comedy styling's of Jim Carrey. Wes Gehring says, "To clarify the nature and role of screwball comedy, the films of the genre can be examined for five key characteristics of the aforementioned comic antihero: abundant leisure time, childlike nature, basic male frustration (especially in relationship to women), a general propensity for physical comedy, and a proclivity for parody and satire," (Gehring, p.29). In addition to Gehring's assertions, the screwball comedy genre can be characterized by a questioning of conventional marriage, mockery of authority and the rich, and lack of rational discourse through our comic antihero protagonist. However, screwball comedies are often confused with populist and romantic comedies. While this confusion is understandable, the genres are, in truth, very different. For example, romantic comedy's earnestness regarding love, as found in the slow establishment of characters and story to build a strong audience/character connection and provocative adult conversation concerning impassioned conclusions about right and wrong are entirely absent from screwball comedy, and if they were, such sentiments would immediately be subject to satirical

  • Word count: 4811
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
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