Be Creative Now

Movie magic and your Creativity Muscle – a love story

Why do we like movies so much? Probably, it's "movie magic". What's that magic all about?

"Movie magic" is often defined as a feeling of exaltation while watching films. And one must admit: this feeling of exaltation is created by imitating reality and using illusions. These are being realized by many means, starting with the plot, continuing with directing, dramatizing, acting and characterization, and ending with shooting techniques, editing, special effects design, art design, make-up work, decoration, costume design and so on. Take a look at the credits' long list at the end of a film. All this procedure is portrayed in one visual message we call "cinema" (moving pictures).  

Sir Ken Robinson, one of the greatest influencers on education during the last and current centuries, and a great researcher in the field of creativity, was reviewed in 2009 during which he claimed that creativity can be learned by all. One of the techniques he strongly believes in is visual thinking. In his books, Robinson describes learning processes with various groups based on exercises with images, films and visual metaphors. He is truly thrilled by the results. These experiences make him understand that people freely and boundlessly create when they are emotionally attached to an experience. This attachment to an experience they like or cherish leads them to create, become original, interesting, motivated and productive.

And if we connect this conclusion to movies, it is clear to us that this is the ultimate visual experience that we can enjoy.

Creating a visual experience by shooting techniques - Creativity Muscle Exercise 4

:Warm-up

One of "movie magic" secrets is interesting shooting techniques. Your warm-up this time will be watching a movie scene.

This scene is taken from "The quick and the dead", a western from 1995, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone and Russell Crowe. Skip the first seconds and go to minute 00:35 to explore how film makers create an atmosphere of stress, strong emotions and plenty of action by wisely using the camera: 

 

Exercise:

Think about your idea, the one that was "planted" in your mind and you want to "water" in order to turn it into a mature and well-structured initiative. One of the most enjoyable ways to do that is imagining you're a photographer with a lot of good will. Try to "shoot" your idea in your mind and describe what scenes the audience can watch. You can imagine yourself using various points of view, creative shooting techniques like the one from "The quick and the dead", close-ups, zoom-ins, zoom-outs and any other tricks you liked in your favorite movies.

Reply: What does your audience experience while "watching" your idea? What feelings might appear? Is it joy, excitement, longing, satisfaction, hope, honor, courage?

Write down your "shooting" plan. This specific work is important for documenting the process you've just made as well as focusing your creative thinking on the idea development and design.   

Frequency:

Every time you feel stuck – you see a flash of an idea in your mind you don't really know what to do with.

Results:

Creating a visual experience by shooting techniques exercise "kills two birds with one stone": it enables you to develop your idea into a mature initiative as well as present this idea to other people in an interesting and curious manner in order to make them fully identify with its' creativity and innovation.

Here is a link to an interview with Sir Ken Robinson –

From Educational Leadership, September 2009 - "Why Creativity Now?"  

 

Lesson in creativity – are green apple, grey hat and red tie connected?

Once upon a time there was a man who worked on a painting:

He painted a man wearing grey hat, grey suit and red tie.

He painted a green apple.

He painted a grey brick wall.

He painted cloudy sky and blue sea.

The painted man didn't eat the apple, as he was expected to do. Actually, the painter placed the apple in the middle of the face, while covering the eyes. And only one eye peeked…

Quite bizarre, isn't it?

Yes, it is, but being bizarre is one of the trickiest creative skills in a genius piece of art. Positive weirdness, if you like.

Let's reveal the secret: the painter is René Magritte and the painting is "Le Fils de l'homme" ("The Son of Man"), painted back in 1964. Magritte was one of the biggest 20^th century painters, known for his surrealist works along with the famous Salvador Dali. Surréalisme ("above reality") is a cultural and artistic movement, which aimed to redefine world rational order and solve everyday chaos situations. The surrealists believed in a unique way to do that – they suggested choosing the illogical solutions that are based on free thought, dreams, associations, intuition and imagination.

This approach was well reflected in art, by presenting such paintings as "Le Fils de l'homme". It is a fascinating example of using rearranged familiar elements which create a totally new logic, placed above reality as we understand it. The use of apple reminds us the biblical story of the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge. We're forced to examine once again how we define reality, who watches who – we watch reality or reality watches us, and is it right to assume that when we experience reality in a logical way we lose the ability to explore its pure and authentic nature.

Visit this link from Wikipedia to learn more about the painting: The Son of Man - Magritte 

 

Rearranging Reality - Creativity Muscle Exercise 3

Warm-up:

1. Collect some staff in your office or home. Try using objects that are not connected rationally, like pot and lid, pillow and blanket, book and bookmark and etc.

2. Try to organize these objects in a unique way while placing them on a table or a flat surface.

3. Take a photo of your set-up.

4. You can also get inspired by glancing at the following picture:

Exercise:

1. Choose a quiet place and try to avoid being interfered.

2. Think about the idea you want to realize.

3. Prepare a list of idea ingredients and describe them in details.

4. Try to write any associations, words and sentences you imagine while thinking about your idea. Don't judge a word, even if it seems absurd or ridiculous. Write down everything that comes to mind.

5. Try to organize your associations and examine whether there is a certain relationship between these words and your idea. Are you able to find an interesting combination? Are you surprised?

6. Rewrite your idea and check whether your idea is changed somehow. Is there a new direction? Are there some new aspects? Do you like your idea more?

Frequency:

Use this exercise for ad-hoc situations:

1. Usually, the exercise is being performed when you have an initial basic idea, and you look for the right way to enrich it.

2. In other cases, the exercise is being used when there is a need to renew or upgrade an idea.

3. Sometimes, people use this exercise when they want to differentiate their idea while comparing it to similar initiatives.

Outcomes:

The exercise might generate new, unique and innovative ideas or produce a good platform for brainstorming process.

Good Luck!

Creativity and Health – friends or enemies?

Idea Generation – this must be the most ultimate experience in a creative process. This is the "light bulb moment". If you've ever experienced this moment, you've probably felt so differently from a physical point of view. It might have been the same feelings you experienced while you were exited, in a great mood or overwhelmed by something perfect and beautiful. Your brain reacts by sending chemical information to your muscles, and as a result you experience an emotional change as well as physical reaction. Many people witness that they feel dizzy, their heart beats are strong and fast, they can't see very well and also tremble, sweat and feel as if the weather is extremely hot.

No wonder that recent research indicates that creative activity has a direct impact on health. One of the most popular themes in the research addresses the issue of severe mental diseases connected to mental disorder. While searching interesting materials for this blog, one presentation caught my eye. This was related to a research conducted in Stanford University Medical School, a research that examined a fascinating process of healing people who suffered from Bipolar Disorder, also known as Mania-Depression. Researchers found a direct connection between intuitive and "open-minded" thinking, emotional change and healing Bipolar Disorder.

For further reading: http://bipolar.stanford.edu/documents/FeelingThinkingandCreativity.pdf

In the presentation researchers chose to present "Type Inventory" model by Myers and Briggs. In the model one can find a comparison between 2 types of personalities: sensing and intuitive. This model was implemented in the research and was examined on Bipolar disorder patients and healthy people as well.

Myers IB. Introduction to Type. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, CA, 1993

The intuitive personality presented in the model reminds me the most a creative personality:

1. He has a "big picture" approach and he examines various possibilities

2. He cherishes valuable insights gained by use of imagination

3. He is an abstract and theoretical person

4. He strives to find patterns and understand the meaning of certain facts

5. He is future oriented

6. He has a "jumpy" character

7. He trusts inspiration

The general idea is that intuitive (or creative) personality is a vital part of every human being emotional organism. People, who tend to say that they are just uncreative, are actually in a "sleepy" state of creativity.

Certain exercises and techniques reach this creative operating system, which is hidden deep down in the brain, and turn creativity into a set of conscious, controlled and routine actions.

Remember: by using these exercises you can gain one more major benefit for your life – you will enjoy mental, emotional and physical health.

 

Example of creative process you won't forget

One of my dearest friends and colleagues, Dr. Edna Rabenu from NAC, recently told me the story of Aimee Mullins, an athlete, actress, model, social activist, pretty woman. If you meet her face to face you can't really notice any unusual thing that might damage her beauty. Actually, Aimee Mullins was born with no legs.

The really surprising thing is that this fact didn't really disturbed Aimee. She didn't let this terrible destiny to influence her whole life. She decided to turn this disadvantage into an exciting challenge by managing a brilliant athletic career. She didn't want to rely on other people – she made a brave decision to turn her artificial limbs into sheer piece of art and beauty. Best artists produced amazing prosthetic legs for Aimee, and she used them as a part of her cooperation with an art photographer when she decided to create a photo exhibition of her new legs. This was quite a huge artistic and social step in promoting her beliefs and ideas.

When we examine Aimee's case, we can realize that any creative process begins with an attitude and point of view change. This is the ability to watch and explore different perspectives, give up old beliefs, limitations, strict rules and say: "anything is possible".

Second phase is idea generation. Best ideas are created in a free-mind environment. "Never say no" attitude. This phase will be discussed in details in my next posts.

Third phase is the "lab" phase. Probably, you'll need some assistance here. If the idea was born out of a free-mind situation, it will grow and develop while interacting with other people. This is the right time to brainstorm, consult, present to others, make conclusions, and improve. You should carefully keep your idea's inner-truth and try not to deviate.

Forth and last phase is implementation and distribution. You decide how you want to realize your idea and how you want to make it popular.

Follow Aimee Mullins' TED lecture on the incredible creative process she experienced, and try to trace the four phases of the process:

 

 

AHA Moments - Creativity Muscle Exercise 2

Sometimes, I like to watch burning candles. If I carefully focus, I notice that candles might look different when you watch them closely. A wonderful and broad scale of colors appears to me. Moments like these, when I explore something exciting, are often called "AHA Moments".

Many adapted this simple idea, like people who design public opinion or deal with marketing products and new ideas. Film makers like this perspective as well – they use POV technique (Point of View), which enables the audience experience realistic situations in various ways and develop specific emotions. Marketing professionals use this idea by presenting product's images in a certain manner that will influence buyers' decision making. This kind of implementation is often called "Emotional Selling". The reason they use this technique is because they intend to reach customer's sub-conscious mind, make him feel good with the idea and react spontaneously and authentically.

Let's see how you can adapt this perspective to develop your ideas.

AHA Moments - Creativity Muscle Exercise 2

Warm-up:

Suppose you're are a successful law firm owner, and most of your clients are major organizations and leading business owners. You're looking to move to a new office, located in a luxury and central building. Look at the 2 following images of a certain building.

Please answer immediately and try to avoid thinking and analyzing: which image will persuade you as fast as possible and without doubt to rent an office in this building?

 

Exercise:

You've recently came up with an idea, and would like to visually present it to another person (in a form of presentation, website, internal portal, video or any other visual medium).

You approach one of the online image banks and look for the perfect picture that will influence the other person in such a positive way, that he will grab your idea with his both hands. In other words, he is about to experience one of the "AHA Moments".

Your task is to find an image which presents your idea from a unique and original point of view. While conducting a search, write your ideas' key words and add to the search the words "perspective", "point of view" or "close up".

Here are some examples:

"Open door policy" – CEO's message to employees in an internal portal

Image used for social activism campaign, in this case fighting against child abuse:

Promoting environmental issues or new real-estate project:

Selling a car:

 

Frequency:

Use this exercise when you have to present your idea to other people.

Outcomes:

"AHA Moments" exercise enhances creative thinking patterns and has a strong impact on positive decisions of your clients, potential investors, colleagues, employees and others.

Remember: the influence is sub-conscious and emotional, hence produces authentic and spontaneous reaction.

 

Enjoy!

Why being practical is useful? Creativity Muscle Exercise 1

Last  year I had a chance to read a great book published couple of months before:  "Contagious - Why Things Catch On" by Prof. Jonah Berger from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania 

Jonah Berger, Contagious, Social Dynamics Group, LLC, 2013

The book described a fascinating way the author chose to explore the scientific secret which controls human basic will to transfer information, or in other words – the "virality" phenomenon. The research examined in the book offers the reader to adapt 6 behavior patterns or principles of how to make popular products or ideas: social currency, emotional resonance, triggers, usefulness, observability and storytelling.

Let's examine usefulness for a moment. Its meaning is the ability to analyze every idea produced in our mind and meant to be introduced in public by asking the following questions:

How can my idea assist people? How will people benefit from the great value my idea provides? How can my knowledge and expertise reflected in my idea enhance its popularity?

Creativity Muscle Exercise # 1- Usefulness

Warm up:

1. Close your eyes and think about your idea.
2. Ask yourself: "Which words or associations come up when I think about my idea?" Remember not analyzing, hesitating or disapproving your own words – everything you think of is relevant!
3. Write the words and associations that came up.

Exercise:

1. Define what your idea's goal.
2. Examine: Is this goal has any connection to your idea's usefulness? Can people use it to their purpose? Can this idea help people? Will they be keen to "spread the word"?
3. Write one sentence and describe your idea's usefulness.

Advanced Level Exercise:

1. Learn how to describe your idea effectively: imagine you are a reporter working on a piece of news for local TV station. Your task is to review new and innovative initiative, which gained huge popularity in your region. Stand in front of a mirror and describe in a few sentences what great value the initiative presents for the population.

Master Level Exercise:

If you own a video camera and have tons of self confidence, this is the right time to operate it and perform the exercise. You can then watch the filmed materials whenever needed.

Frequency:

Use this exercise to train your brain on a daily basis. If there is a certain deadline to present your idea, repeat this exercise even twice a day.

Outcomes:

Training your brain with usefulness exercise assists you in focusing on your idea's goal and makes a direct connection between your idea and its implementation.

Good Luck!

Meet your Creativity Muscle

Creativity.

People tend to talk about it and use this term as if it was the most common thing to mention on a daily basis. Actually, creativity is one of really elusive human traits. We can't always find the right definition to describe it.

Sometimes we confuse between creativity and innovation.

Sometimes we tend to define it as geniosity.

And some of us relate it to handicraft…

Merriam-Webster dictionary exact definition describes creativity as "Ability to produce something new through imaginative skill, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new artistic object or form. The term generally refers to a richness of ideas and originality of thinking."

It is also interesting to examine the relation between "creativity" and "creation" in English language. This is a journey which starts from emotional, imaginative, intuitive and internal place and ends in productive, physical, logical and external position of the mind.

Many current and past researchers and influencers examined creativity and its roots, and I will be more than happy to share from time to time their opinions and work. Today I choose to share with you my personal definition of creativity: this is the ability to turn imagination into reality, accompanied by a feeling of flow, acceptance with no judgment and lack of effort.

Every written line in this blog will be based on a simple fact: there is no such thing as non-creative people. All of us, by default, were born creative: some kept this ability as part of their life style and life choices - some lost it.

In my opinion, the ability of being creative is just another kind of muscle in our body, and since we need to train all our muscles, we should pay attention to this muscle as well.

The goal is to reconstruct your creative root and to implement it in your everyday life.

This blog is dedicated to promote 2 creativity key criteria:

1. Exercises – no models or theories, just fitness style training for your creativity muscle. The training tools will be accompanied by various real-life concrete examples, focused mainly on professional issues and self-development.
2. Inspirational techniques – practical techniques that will explore opportunities for  observing, understanding and analyzing things in a different manner, in order to produce new ideas and deal with "I'm being stuck" or "my creative dryness" situations (productivity is the target, remember?). These techniques will be inspired by various exciting worlds – I'm looking forward to surprising you!

The blog is intended to be a useful working resource for leaders, managers, business owners, entrepreneurs, job seekers and people who want to make a change in their lives.

Enjoy reading!