[DeeDee]

I came across this video on my facebook wall today and thought it was a very interesting and insightful lecture on the psychology of creativity. (not so sure about the lightbulb jokes mind you )

Anyway, I hope you do too and I'd be interested to know what people think about how relevant it is where songwriting is concerned.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=VShmtsLhkQg

[DannyDep]

John Cleese is a brilliant funny creativity expert.
He is an open mode genius.
I could only watch the first 24 mins. Now my browser keeps locking up every 5 secs.
But the first 24 mins were certainly worth it.
Thanks for posting.

[Lazz]

Doesn't do light-bulb jokes very well, does he?

Discussions about human needs and drives usually get involved somewhere along the line with Maslow's hierarchy (with physical needs of food shelter and security at base, then once those are taken care of the social needs for status respect and value reciprocities becomes more important, and finally when that business is all taken care of we are more concerned with meaning and expression and self-actualisation). Umberto Eco was the first geezer I heard identify "play" as an essential human need. Everyone else seemed to have overlooked it. Clees reminded me of that.

He also reminded me of Arthur Koestler's model in "The Act Of Creation" which raided poetry, mathematics, physics and humour for examples of how conceptual collisions drive creativity. Playful juxtapositions. And I liked Clees' closing section the most - the bit Danny the Dep missed out on - satirising the traditional organisational responses to creativity. Let's call 'em suppression and control. Because, for myself, I see creativity as an essential defining element of humanity - in the staggering genius-like surreptitious way an infant figures out a mother-tongue sans manual (syntax, theory of grammar and all), for instance - the capacities of which tend to risk getting reigned-in and crushed by life. Unless we keep that room for play and a sense of wonder.

Top of the tree.
Creativity.

It all seems very relevant to me in terms of writing - covering the same processes as covered by Koestler and Clees - and it also seems connected to the thread about strategies for improvement. Much of the bag of ideas I was trying to flog in that thread is encapsulated by Carl Bereiter & Marlene Scardamalia in "Surpassing Ourselves: An Inquiry into the Nature and Implications of Expertise" - a very nifty volume I stumbled into while pursuing ideas provoked by yet another thread here some while back about science and education. I find what they have to say is a lot more pokey than the John Clees / Robin Skynner organisational-psychology road-show had to offer - speaking very personally, of course - not to suggest that what Clees-Skynner come up with has no 'truth' or relevance - I just got a bigger better buzz from Bereiter & Scardamalia.

I like all these ideas.

[Bruce N]

I'm surprised he didn't bring up abstraction as a means, one could say it's related to juxtaposition though to me they're two different animals, thinking back, he may have well been doing just that with using the light bulb jokes as the prop for the abstraction.

Overall I'd say it was fine presentation on creativity, and who better to give it then JC. A good part of it seemed all quite familiar to me, while some new ideas were also exposed, or as a way of looking at something with a different camera angle so to speak.

Thanks for sharing this Dee Dee. I enjoyed it.

[porcupine]

To me, the best part of that vid was the lightbulb jokes. He obviously is doing something that he "can't' break away from, which means he cant be creative. So he tells a lame joke....BRILLIANT!!!

Porcupine

[Ironknee]

I enjoyed the video.....his insights to creativity is something that I intrinsically always understood.....nice to hear his very entertaining delivery.

The light bulb jokes?....well, all I can tell you is that I use them (light bulbs...that is) to shed light on my creative shadows!

[DeeDee]

I'm glad you all got something out of it...if not a few lame lightbulb jokes. (you can never have too many of those I find )

The most memorable part for me was the notion that you can only be creative when in an 'open' state, as opposed to a 'closed' one. This reminded me of the theory of Transactional Analysis that I talked about in a previous thread, which holds that we operate from adult, parent or child states at various times and in certain situations. (similar to Freud's id, ego and superego)

I think your point about Maslow's Hierarchy is an interesting one, Lazz. Creativity (as I know from personal experience) tends to take a back seat when people are preoccupied with basic needs such as safety, food and shelter. And then there is the importance of having time on your own to put aside in order to be creative, which Cleese stresses. It makes you wonder how many people are not able to express their creativity for these reasons.

[Ironknee]

DeeDee, on 03 May 2012 - 11:24 PM, said:

I'm glad you all got something out of it...if not a few lame lightbulb jokes. (you can never have too many of those I find )

The most memorable part for me was the notion that you can only be creative when in an 'open' state, as opposed to a 'closed' one. This reminded me of the theory of Transactional Analysis that I talked about in a previous thread, which holds that we operate from adult, parent or child states at various times and in certain situations. (similar to Freud's id, ego and superego)

I think your point about Maslow's Hierarchy is an interesting one, Lazz. Creativity (as I know from personal experience) tends to take a back seat when people are preoccupied with basic needs such as safety, food and shelter. And then there is the importance of having time on your own to put aside in order to be creative, which Cleese stresses. It makes you wonder how many people are not able to express their creativity for these reasons.

Hi Dee Dee...in my line of work, the term is refered to as thinking outside of the box
And I disagree that we can't be open when our "basics" aren't covered. The developed thinker is able to tap into his/hers open mode when he/she needs to. It is that simple!! Practise makes perfect........and what Kleese didn't expand on is the fact that although creativity is not talent....one can be talented at channeling creativity!

[Simple Simon]

Lazz, on 02 May 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

Umberto Eco was the first geezer I heard identify "play" as an essential human need. Everyone else seemed to have overlooked it. Cleese reminded me of that.

Yes. I have long been a little bemused by the absence of the word "fun" from the prevailing pedagogies.

[DannyDep]

Simple Simon, on 05 May 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

Lazz, on 02 May 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

Umberto Eco was the first geezer I heard identify "play" as an essential human need. Everyone else seemed to have overlooked it. Cleese reminded me of that.

Yes. I have long been a little bemused by the absence of the word "fun" from the prevailing pedagogies.

Does that mean having the message "care-free kid" under my photo in our 8th grade year-book was a good thing?

[Lazz]

DannyDep, on 05 May 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

Simple Simon, on 05 May 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

Lazz, on 02 May 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

Umberto Eco was the first geezer I heard identify "play" as an essential human need. Everyone else seemed to have overlooked it. Cleese reminded me of that.

Yes. I have long been a little bemused by the absence of the word "fun" from the prevailing pedagogies.

Does that mean having the message "care-free kid" under my photo in our 8th grade year-book was a good thing?

Too early to tell.

[DannyDep]

Lazz, on 05 May 2012 - 06:58 PM, said:

DannyDep, on 05 May 2012 - 03:15 PM, said:

Simple Simon, on 05 May 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

Lazz, on 02 May 2012 - 06:02 PM, said:

Umberto Eco was the first geezer I heard identify "play" as an essential human need. Everyone else seemed to have overlooked it. Cleese reminded me of that.

Yes. I have long been a little bemused by the absence of the word "fun" from the prevailing pedagogies.

Does that mean having the message "care-free kid" under my photo in our 8th grade year-book was a good thing?

Too early to tell.

Well then, stay tuned.