|
|
criverstamu09 New user 88 Posts |
I just got back from TAOM 2010 (which was great by the way) and one of the things I noticed while I was there meeting new people and hanging out, is that anytime the topic turned to originality or creativity, more often than not the people I was talking to would say something like "I'm not a very creative person" or "my mind just doesn't work that way".
It really blew me away that these were magicians I was talking to, people who create entire realities for other people and yet they claim to not be creative or, even worse, don't know how to be creative. Well, I thought about this for a bit and decided to write up a short bit on how to look at things creatively. You can find it here labeled Creativity 101.
"Who you are moment to moment is just a story."
|
funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9981 Posts |
Some interesting thoughts -- and getting people discussing creativity is good.
However, duirng more 50+ yeasr of dealing with people's creativity and fears I would offer that the biggest problem is not innovation -- is is desiring recognition for one's creativity. For many people "creative," "innovative" and "original" all mean the same thing. For magicians distinction have to be made -- with "original" only important if your wish to market the idea. Innovation is its own reward and does not require research of every book ever written -- in fact "derivitive creativity" can stifle "non-derivitive creativity." There is too great a tendency when observing someone do "their new effect" to say, "Yeah, but XXXX did that ten years ago." Instead we should say, "It looks like you are ready to move up to a new level of presentation -- and I'd suggest you read XXXX to find similar effects and methods." Thus ego is the problem rather than creativity in many cases. Many people are also afraid to offer a new idea because they cannot (or won't) do the research to discover if it is "original," or because they get put down for being innovative.
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
"Creativity" is one of those words that changes meaning depending on the perceptions and assumptions of both the user and the listener. One of the biggest hurdles to real creativity that I've seen during my career as a designer is simply not recognizing it for what it is. Years ago I wrote a couple of pieces about this in my column here in the Café, and I still see exactly the same issues I discussed, several times a week, at work and at play.
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
criverstamu09 New user 88 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-09-09 12:10, funsway wrote: Quote:
There is too great a tendency when observing someone do "their new effect" to say, "Yeah, but XXXX did that ten years ago." Instead we should say, "It looks like you are ready to move up to a new level of presentation -- and I'd suggest you read XXXX to find similar effects and methods." I think that you have a point there. Many people do desire direct recognition for their creativity, and sometimes it's hard to find that in the magic community because so many "original" ideas have been done before. I know that I've been sitting there trying to solve a problem, only to be told that the solution I came up with was done twenty years ago. It can be a very crushing blow to the ego. On the other hand, magic is a field where just one tiny change or putting a new presentation on a standard sleight can change everything! You can take a standard invisible card routine ten times better if you make it really funny and entertaining, or if you can allow the spectator to examine the deck afterward. Little innovations matter, even if they have been done before, because it gets your mind on the right creative track.
"Who you are moment to moment is just a story."
|
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
"creativity" may well be the second stage of development for many in magic.
The first might be called the "acquisitive" where every trick out in the catalogs and advertised seems like it's gotta be good so you want to try it. The second step or stage is where you imagine that every trick you produce has to be great because you made it. The next step is the one where you do the tricks you like because you like doing them. After that there's likely going to be a stage where you try and do the same tricks as your idol(s) in magic. At some point one will have to step back and actually review the literature and explore the subject from a more intellectual perspective if magic is mostly a hobby - or a pragmatic one if one is going about attempting to make a living as a performer. Hopefully all this will lead up to some ability to have a positive relationship with one's intended audience(s). Okay my Chow seems ready to go for a walk, back later, S
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
Yes the old magic 5 3 4 system.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
I've written about this before, but it's a wonderfully important topic. I consider very few books 'Must Reads' for magicians, but one is:
A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative [Paperback] Roger von Oech (Author) Von Oech spent most of his career as a therapist with 'creative' folks. Thousands of writers, actors, painters, etc. He came to the conclusion that there was only one thing that separated the 'creative' from those who were not. Know what it is? Simply this: The creative folks 'thought' they were creative. Convince the non-creative that in fact he or she IS creative and 'BANG' there life changes. The second book I consider a 'magic' must read is, "The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey" Just get 'em. You won't be sorry. All best,
Brad Burt
|
Whit Haydn V.I.P. 5449 Posts |
I sometimes think a lack of creativity is simply a lack of motivation. If you burn to create something, you will find answers to your questions and solutions to your problems. Creativity is mainly solving problems.
|
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Sounds like step one - the father is the sun.
Calcination helps prevent osteomorphosis.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
Stellan Special user Sweden 580 Posts |
I believe lack of creativity is more a lack of courage. There is always consequences of being creative, maybe not the first few steps, but it will finally involve everything in your life and things will come at stake. Many people think it is better not to rock the boat. You could say that sometimes this is the other side of lack of motivation.
Rollo May made this point in The Courage to Create. I think most of us have had a really good idea that we didn't act upon and where the main obstacle was a lack of courage. Well, never mind, at least mine wouldn't turn out good anyway....and when I think of it maybe I was just lazy.
"There is no reality, only perception."
|
Stellan Special user Sweden 580 Posts |
Von Oech also made the observation that the older one gets the more one tends to think with the other end of where the brain is supposed to be, that is the more rigid and indolent. This comes to a point where your brain sinks down to where your ass is supposed to be.
What one needs at that point, he says, is a kick in the ass to bring the brain back at top. And this is true in many cases. Necessity is sometimes the mother of invention. There are studies made on people that have lost there jobs that show that in retrospective these people think this is the best things that have happened to them. Instead of going around in the same tracks for years they had to mobilize their resources and do something to survive and feel alive again. They got another chance (which was of course there all the time.)
"There is no reality, only perception."
|
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
All we need is a rock to rest our head on.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Doing is creating. Being mindful of that doing is a challenge. Making a commitment to improve your works is a hurdle. It's being mindful of that commitment as you do your work or review your work that's part of the magic.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
|
panlives Inner circle 2087 Posts |
In the world of advertising and marketing, we are often told that “creativity” is the art of looking for new relationships among existing ideas or pieces; and new ways of assembling them…a truly new idea is a very rare orchid indeed.
“nihil novi sub sole" (there is nothing new under the sun); and what has been done will be done again. The most creative artists from any discipline will see permutations heretofore unrealized and by reassembling existing elements in unique and innovative combinations, achieve dazzling “new” levels of creativity.
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." "The dog did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes. |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Food for thought » » Creating creativity (0 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.04 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |