I seem to have the most creative thoughts while caffienated and doing physical labor/activity. Like have a cup of coffee before a session at the gym and let your mind wander while you're working out. Works for me EVERY TIME!
1. Set some arbitrary constraints 2. Identify the rules and break them 3. Take a big idea and apply it to something small Great summary of ideas on creativity
One of the degrees i'm currently doing is "Creative Intelligence and Innovation", and some of the heuristics we've been taught so far is as follows: - Mistakism: don't fear failure so much that you will never try anything new! - Pursuing the unknown: how to classify different 'unknowns' (known unknowns, unknown unknowns, taboo etc.) and how to use this to generate a creative environment and 'engineer' discovery - Transdisciplinarity: kind of like taking a big idea and applying it to something small - taking an idea from one of our degrees (for me, law) and applying it to another (anywhere from physics to fashion) to generate new and innovative solutions! A question came up in our most recent subject - can you actually teach someone to be creative? You can teach someone to be _more_ creative using heuristics, just like you can train a runner to be faster... but just as you can't train every human being to run 100m in under 10 seconds, is it possible that certain individuals have less creative capacity than others?
I do art stuff, and a lot of people have called me the "creative" type. But I dont know.I kinda view creativity as...play, as children do, play. You let lose, you don't worry and you just have fun playing with an idea. You try it out, run with it, see what happens without worry. Try a new tactic in a game, wonder if I can make a dual shield build? Wonder what happens if I cook the food with this or that, What if I don't follow the instructions on the IKEA build and put it together like this instead. What if I take this way home instead? Simply play and toss an idea around. I think most people are more creative then they think but because they don't do anything that is considered to be "the arts" then they don't consider themselves to be creative. I don't know though, its just a though.
The last example is the reason why creativity is stifled in academia... I personally believe applying small ideas to big things is more useful in trying to cultivate creativity... I love a particular quote from Charles Bukowski, "An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way; An artist says a hard thing in a simple way" (roughly paraphrased)... To each to their own I guess 🤷
I think another big one is just to keep creating. If you're trying to write a book, for example, and you're having difficulty figuring out what comes next, then write something else. It can be something useful for the project like backstories and world building things that may not even have anything to do with the scene you're struggling with, or it can be something as simple as a freewrite (where you put pen to page and for a certain amount of time just write whatever comes into your head making sure you keep continually writing words until you're done). Just try to spend as much of the time that you have set aside for working on your project as possible working on something that utilizes your skillz in some way. In some cases it can help spark the imagination, but more importantly it keeps the juices flowing so that even if it doesn't help you today, it'll be more likely that you'll be able to figure something out tomorrow.
Kinda, but mostly the practice bit. Like exercising it really only works if you do it regularly. Basically if you do find yourself in a rut creatively then don't let that also lead you to dull your skillz. They aren't the only thing needed to be creative but they're a huge factor.
I'm a design educator. All of these tips are good. Sleep on your ideas. Don't break all the rules at once. if you go crazy with violating one rule, go conservative with others to keep the work coherent. I like the apply big to small tip too - except, I think the prevalence of that top-down thinking is missing out opportunities for small to big thinking.
In F1 Racing, the tight rules governing racing car construction drives inspired engineering design. The designers and engineers have to develop creative solutions that outperform competitor cars, while still being within the rules.
The part on restrictions reminds me of my own experience in game development, where my only finished projects are the ones done in game jams like Ludum Dare. In Ludum Dare, you're given a theme and 48 hours to make the game. I've made 10 games (7 of which in Ludum Dares) in jams, and that's all of my finished works.
I just made a mash-up of "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Full Metal Jacket" with Paul Young's "Everytime You Go Away" and called it "Why?". This is one of my more "normal" efforts - I have done a voice transposed Hamlet's Soliloquy to a naive picture of a small purple knitted horse sitting on some grass with a distorted synth soundtrack.
Missing the most important, arguably the only important, rule... work. Turn pro and work like a dog... the muse of inspiration loves a blue collar work ethic. Work every day as much as you can, learn how to maximise your ability to work and fight off your weaknesses and insecurities. Develop your craft and combat your barriers...
Please refer to my earlier comment on Part 1... you are actually amazing! Applying these philosophies with performance art is actually so helpful for me an actor.
I once wrote a poem about my anxiety being manifested as a literal demon by asking myself, "What happens when I take an emotion and turn it into a creature?" and "What does poetry look like when you write with an overabundance of alliteration?"
+PBS Idea Channel Could you shout out Philosophy Tube on your channel or social media, if you haven't already? I'm sure many people who like your show would like to explore philosophical ideas!
My only criticism Olly is: the phrase is "without further ado," not "adieu." Coincidentally you're the second Englishman I've heard say this recently. Perhaps it was corrupted somewhere across the channel (the body of water that is, not the TH-cam channel). I look forward to the next video.
Another thing: if creating a large thing, break it into smaller things: Don't write a novel; write 42 chapters which run from one to the next in a continuous story. Don't write a symphony; write 4 movements. Don't paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; paint various small portions of the ceiling. This doesn't necessarily help with the 'creativity' portion of creation, but it helps with not being overwhelmed by your plans.
A metaphor is found by the brain perhaps because the brain sorts for similarities and comes up with an end product match. But you can play it backwards. Start with the first half. Let's say love. Pick something completely at random. Let's say trash cans. Then ask your brain to find the connection between the two. Don't use the connection to find the second half of the metaphor; use the second half to find the connection. In our example. Love...trash cans ..hmmm.... The lid shuts with a metal slam The trash can will soon be full. I have just thrown away another heart I wouldnt have made the connection between love and trash cans from the origin but yes, there is one Or a hundred.
I think these rules can not only be used for creative tasks, but also for tasks like learning for example a strategy game like chess- although arguably that learning process is a creative one at times.
Hi Olly, I'm an A2 philosophy student and half of our course this year is on ethics. I recently had a thought that Utilitarianism posed a very serious threat to free will because of consequentialism and devised my argument formally. I was just wondering if there would be any way for me to get it to you to have some feedback on my ideas and any criticism or logical flaws you may identify within it. It'd just be really nice to get a second opinion. Thanks :)
Re:art and sadness -- There is no art without pain; many of the best artists in any media are known for their demons. A friend puts it another way, perhaps better: one does not capture something in art that one has not lost or hopes to find.
Olly, please get on with this part 3. I am trying to finish my book almost a decade (9 actual years) and put it in paper & computer files is gruesomely hard because it triggers my depressive tendencies...
On #2, it takes more than just identifying the rules. The real giants like Picasso first mastered the rules before breaking them. At minimum one needs to thoroughly know the basics.
For tip number three: Me: This sounds like what PBS Idea Channel does. Hmmm this is probably an allusion to that, since he took inspiration from them. Olly: I think I just discovered a formula for... Me: lol
Going to have a guess at why creativity makes people sad: because for many, not matter how many compliments they get on something, it never quite reaches the idea of perfection that they had in their head. Tantalus style torture their entire creative careers.
while I like these ideas, I don't entirely like them because they seem to function in setting rules, limits, or form to creating. my approach to creating is first to take inspiration from feelings or sensations then secondarily I try not to create myself. in other words, I throw ideas together and try connecting completely arbitrary ideas afterwords. that said I am curious of two things: can bergson's theory of comedy relate to the study of creativity? what is Plato's take on art or creativity? as I understand it, plato looked down on poetics. would poetics represent then art/ creativity in Plato's view? (I'm interested more in postmodern philosophy, hegel up to modern philosophy such as butler, but my limited knowledge of kant and plato is in relation to postmodern philosophers i.e. nietzsche or derrida.)
False: If I blindly believe everything I'm told he's calling them creative. If I think about he's calling them formulaic. But I think probably both are true.
Hmm, listening to people talk about creativity without hearing them make any mention of the development of the schema or spiagetic learning systems is getting more and more difficult. Its as though they've tried to grasp something ineffable without being aware of the underlying concepts and qualia that allows artists to anchor those same concepts in their minds and act upon them in tangible ways.
I seem to have the most creative thoughts while caffienated and doing physical labor/activity. Like have a cup of coffee before a session at the gym and let your mind wander while you're working out. Works for me EVERY TIME!
1. Set some arbitrary constraints
2. Identify the rules and break them
3. Take a big idea and apply it to something small
Great summary of ideas on creativity
One of the degrees i'm currently doing is "Creative Intelligence and Innovation", and some of the heuristics we've been taught so far is as follows:
- Mistakism: don't fear failure so much that you will never try anything new!
- Pursuing the unknown: how to classify different 'unknowns' (known unknowns, unknown unknowns, taboo etc.) and how to use this to generate a creative environment and 'engineer' discovery
- Transdisciplinarity: kind of like taking a big idea and applying it to something small - taking an idea from one of our degrees (for me, law) and applying it to another (anywhere from physics to fashion) to generate new and innovative solutions!
A question came up in our most recent subject - can you actually teach someone to be creative? You can teach someone to be _more_ creative using heuristics, just like you can train a runner to be faster... but just as you can't train every human being to run 100m in under 10 seconds, is it possible that certain individuals have less creative capacity than others?
The Idea Channel gag was totally accurate! xD
Avery-Quinn Maddox Omg that was hilarious cause that's EXACTLY what they do XD
I do art stuff, and a lot of people have called me the "creative" type. But I dont know.I kinda view creativity as...play, as children do, play. You let lose, you don't worry and you just have fun playing with an idea. You try it out, run with it, see what happens without worry. Try a new tactic in a game, wonder if I can make a dual shield build? Wonder what happens if I cook the food with this or that, What if I don't follow the instructions on the IKEA build and put it together like this instead. What if I take this way home instead? Simply play and toss an idea around. I think most people are more creative then they think but because they don't do anything that is considered to be "the arts" then they don't consider themselves to be creative. I don't know though, its just a though.
"Ever noticed that creative people are often sad? Here's my Patreon." We love you, Olly.
What's your favorite idea? Mine is being creative!
Excellent idea.
How do you get the idea?
omg nope
@@AlejoViard98 i just try to think creatively
The last example is the reason why creativity is stifled in academia... I personally believe applying small ideas to big things is more useful in trying to cultivate creativity... I love a particular quote from Charles Bukowski, "An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way; An artist says a hard thing in a simple way" (roughly paraphrased)... To each to their own I guess 🤷
I think another big one is just to keep creating. If you're trying to write a book, for example, and you're having difficulty figuring out what comes next, then write something else. It can be something useful for the project like backstories and world building things that may not even have anything to do with the scene you're struggling with, or it can be something as simple as a freewrite (where you put pen to page and for a certain amount of time just write whatever comes into your head making sure you keep continually writing words until you're done). Just try to spend as much of the time that you have set aside for working on your project as possible working on something that utilizes your skillz in some way. In some cases it can help spark the imagination, but more importantly it keeps the juices flowing so that even if it doesn't help you today, it'll be more likely that you'll be able to figure something out tomorrow.
In effect, 'practice makes perfect' meets 'do something else for a bit.
Kinda, but mostly the practice bit. Like exercising it really only works if you do it regularly. Basically if you do find yourself in a rut creatively then don't let that also lead you to dull your skillz. They aren't the only thing needed to be creative but they're a huge factor.
I'm a design educator. All of these tips are good. Sleep on your ideas. Don't break all the rules at once. if you go crazy with violating one rule, go conservative with others to keep the work coherent.
I like the apply big to small tip too - except, I think the prevalence of that top-down thinking is missing out opportunities for small to big thinking.
I'm unreasonably happy that you're a Stewart Lee fan.
the more i hear about Kant, the more i notice how he liked black and white ideas
These are great advices, especially setting arbitirary rules part helps me a lot writing avantgard poetry.
In F1 Racing, the tight rules governing racing car construction drives inspired engineering design. The designers and engineers have to develop creative solutions that outperform competitor cars, while still being within the rules.
The part on restrictions reminds me of my own experience in game development, where my only finished projects are the ones done in game jams like Ludum Dare. In Ludum Dare, you're given a theme and 48 hours to make the game. I've made 10 games (7 of which in Ludum Dares) in jams, and that's all of my finished works.
I just made a mash-up of "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Full Metal Jacket" with Paul Young's "Everytime You Go Away" and called it "Why?". This is one of my more "normal" efforts - I have done a voice transposed Hamlet's Soliloquy to a naive picture of a small purple knitted horse sitting on some grass with a distorted synth soundtrack.
Can you make a video about the ideas that most influenced you?
This series could not have come at a better time. Thanks, Ollie!
Missing the most important, arguably the only important, rule... work. Turn pro and work like a dog... the muse of inspiration loves a blue collar work ethic. Work every day as much as you can, learn how to maximise your ability to work and fight off your weaknesses and insecurities. Develop your craft and combat your barriers...
Please refer to my earlier comment on Part 1... you are actually amazing! Applying these philosophies with performance art is actually so helpful for me an actor.
Loving this mini series.
I once wrote a poem about my anxiety being manifested as a literal demon by asking myself, "What happens when I take an emotion and turn it into a creature?" and "What does poetry look like when you write with an overabundance of alliteration?"
sooo good
bravo, Olly
I don't know if that PBSIdeaChannel quip was a burn or a godsend for Mike
I really hope Mike makes an episode about that quip! :)
It was a compliment! And an in-joke, since I co-wrote a couple of their episodes
FWIW 1) OUR SECRET, IT'S OUT!!!!!1 and 2) I lol'd
+PBS Idea Channel Could you shout out Philosophy Tube on your channel or social media, if you haven't already?
I'm sure many people who like your show would like to explore philosophical ideas!
They had a cross over about aesthetics some time ago.
Creativity is like sleep, you can make it more likely to happen but you can't just turn it on
So well put
thank you for being so genuine and amazing
This is helpful advice! Thank you, Olly! :)
Looking forward to the third episode!
Can't wait for the next episode!
My only criticism Olly is: the phrase is "without further ado," not "adieu." Coincidentally you're the second Englishman I've heard say this recently. Perhaps it was corrupted somewhere across the channel (the body of water that is, not the TH-cam channel). I look forward to the next video.
2:20-2:23 about the books moved and distracted me for some reason
3 Tips:
1. Set some arbitrary constraints
2. Identify rules and then break them
3. Take a big idea and apply it to something small
Another thing: if creating a large thing, break it into smaller things: Don't write a novel; write 42 chapters which run from one to the next in a continuous story. Don't write a symphony; write 4 movements. Don't paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; paint various small portions of the ceiling. This doesn't necessarily help with the 'creativity' portion of creation, but it helps with not being overwhelmed by your plans.
Why does the philosophy of creativity sound so much like the psychology of creativity?
Hello World
Philosophy often tags along with other fields.
I love this series.
A metaphor is found by the brain perhaps because the brain sorts for similarities and comes up with an end product match. But you can play it backwards. Start with the first half. Let's say love. Pick something completely at random. Let's say trash cans. Then ask your brain to find the connection between the two. Don't use the connection to find the second half of the metaphor; use the second half to find the connection. In our example. Love...trash cans
..hmmm....
The lid shuts with a metal slam
The trash can will soon be full.
I have just thrown away another heart
I wouldnt have made the connection between love and trash cans from the origin but yes, there is one
Or a hundred.
I think these rules can not only be used for creative tasks, but also for tasks like learning for example a strategy game like chess- although arguably that learning process is a creative one at times.
Hi Olly, I'm an A2 philosophy student and half of our course this year is on ethics. I recently had a thought that Utilitarianism posed a very serious threat to free will because of consequentialism and devised my argument formally. I was just wondering if there would be any way for me to get it to you to have some feedback on my ideas and any criticism or logical flaws you may identify within it. It'd just be really nice to get a second opinion. Thanks :)
Re:art and sadness -- There is no art without pain; many of the best artists in any media are known for their demons. A friend puts it another way, perhaps better: one does not capture something in art that one has not lost or hopes to find.
How is the last name of the person mentioned at ~4:44 spelled?. It's not 'Amir K' is it?.
Olly, please get on with this part 3. I am trying to finish my book almost a decade (9 actual years) and put it in paper & computer files is gruesomely hard because it triggers my depressive tendencies...
OMFG I was thinking the _exact_ same thing when you said that you had discovered the formula to PBS Idea Channel! :D
On #2, it takes more than just identifying the rules. The real giants like Picasso first mastered the rules before breaking them. At minimum one needs to thoroughly know the basics.
this is a great channel
I don't know about y'all but reading helps with my creativity.
Thank you.
"...like programming rules where there are [...] no exception"
What, you never throw an exception?
Can anyone give me the names of the stand up comedians other than Stewart Lee please?
For tip number three:
Me: This sounds like what PBS Idea Channel does. Hmmm this is probably an allusion to that, since he took inspiration from them.
Olly: I think I just discovered a formula for...
Me: lol
Going to have a guess at why creativity makes people sad: because for many, not matter how many compliments they get on something, it never quite reaches the idea of perfection that they had in their head. Tantalus style torture their entire creative careers.
while I like these ideas, I don't entirely like them because they seem to function in setting rules, limits, or form to creating. my approach to creating is first to take inspiration from feelings or sensations then secondarily I try not to create myself. in other words, I throw ideas together and try connecting completely arbitrary ideas afterwords.
that said I am curious of two things: can bergson's theory of comedy relate to the study of creativity?
what is Plato's take on art or creativity? as I understand it, plato looked down on poetics. would poetics represent then art/ creativity in Plato's view?
(I'm interested more in postmodern philosophy, hegel up to modern philosophy such as butler, but my limited knowledge of kant and plato is in relation to postmodern philosophers i.e. nietzsche or derrida.)
Sick burn on idea channel :p
Also, great episode :)
False: If I blindly believe everything I'm told he's calling them creative. If I think about he's calling them formulaic. But I think probably both are true.
Pablo Picasso is an spaniard artist. Maybe he would have said, ''Yo no busco, yo encuentro''.
He was living in Paris when he said that.
5:52 I was thinking about Light Yagami’s “I take a potato chip and EAT it!” Bit
Cheers
Lol at the veil of ignorance bit
Hmm, listening to people talk about creativity without hearing them make any mention of the development of the schema or spiagetic learning systems is getting more and more difficult. Its as though they've tried to grasp something ineffable without being aware of the underlying concepts and qualia that allows artists to anchor those same concepts in their minds and act upon them in tangible ways.
ME AM COCK SAMDWICH
I refer you to Part 1 in the series
You speak like Wesley from the Princess Bride. 😍
you have the necronomicon
I think it's just desire to create
How difficult it is to post anything without using my most common typological unit!
Good god, I miss Idea Channel so much. hnnnnng
Me too!
0:34 I think you mean....you KANT teach creative genius.
Sorry I'll let myself out.
Kripke and Twitter - Ha Ha . . that made me laugh :-)
Maybe just let John Cleese handle this one.
So I take it you DONT recommend I listen to audible of Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism as I paint..
oh god he's an actor....
Yup!
but nobody plays no man's sky
This but music theory
People play No Mans Sky???
(tick-tock, tick-tock...)
What's your fav'rite idea?...
This is really obvious. I don't know what to think?
woohoo!
LOL well of course it would be plato who would think that