Black and White Process

Art Class






I'm currently working in a black and white theme, which I may have mentioned elsewhere. This is partly because I only had black and white paint around the flat for a long while, but also, it fits organically with my first ever (in)formal art course which is partly based upon the course at the Royal Academy, so my tutor Lisa insists upon a black and white focus through drawing and mixed media at present.

My art tutor impresses me both in her teaching style to the group, and in her unceasing ability to deal with my creative "mental" process, verbal interruptions (questions), and even a breakdown which happened a few weeks ago due to the current psychic crisis I am undergoing as I attempt to bridge my inner world of untrained spontaneous creativity with the outer world of trained art expression.

I like Lisa tremendously, and even though I am of course the worst art student on the course, she is constantly positive and supportive of my vainglorious efforts to try and channel ten years of manic expression into a more recognisable, considered, form of artistic expression. I am seeking a balance between my unconscious creative spontaneity, but expressed through more rigorous art skills and practices.

It is as though having reached my peak in terms of the Sociology of art, and the Psychology of creativity, I then experienced this intellectual knowledge as applied experiential creativity through employment, and socially by living in a community of art squatters. It seems I am now attemting to absorb practical art skills, and the applied knowledge of art as business to complete my self-styled creative education.

It is as though I am unconsciously trying to round myself off as complete. In a strange way it feels like I am going through the world of art in reverse, but also as though I am going forward into a world of both art and creativity from an unpredictable multi-dimensional direction.

Art Flat

Breakfast Sat.15th November

As I am now living with two French flatmates the electricity used has gone up from £12 pounds per fortnight to around £25; With the additonal art expenses of red wine, better quality food, and the new stimulus they have bought to my creative process within the flat I find myself even more financially destitute than before. However, as I have previously xperienced, it often seems to be the way that the less money I have the more healthier I become. This morning for example it took me a good ten minutes to decide how I could fashion up a breakfast from the few remaining food items lying scantly amidst our forlorn cupboards. I eventually settled upon a single banana from the two left, a slice of brown bread warmed up in frying pan with a touch of olive oil and coated with marmalade, and a quarter of cucumber which I refreshingly munched on my way to the libary.

I pondered on how my diet had become far more diverse and interesting under the French influence who apart from the latent opportunity to re-invigorate my grade 'A' GSCE french language skills from 1994, they are providing me with an ideal opportunity to learn more about contemporary French culture,philsophy, and the current social climate. I'm also appreciating how Britishness and culture is seen through thier eyes, which is quite fascinating in terms of history, media, and of course our food, which I am endeavouring to share delightly, but of course the odd shriek of amusement, hilarity, and look of utter disdain is a frequent occurrence. But I can warmly say that on the whole we are getting along tremendously well and having some fun along the way. I find them both excellent flat fellows and I doubt if any two equivalent britishers would have taken to my living situation with such a relaxed and "informel" air. It is quite a unique experience which I believe will stand the Creativity Manifesto in good stead for a future sojourn to Paris in 2009.

The Gwen Stephani Experience (Nov.08...........

A couple of years ago (when I was asleep) I had a beautiful dream which involved a small art space with a wooden floor and white walls; a small group of artists about 6 or 7 (I don't remember how many there were in the dream exactly); and Gwen Stephani. In the dream I had never been to this art space before and was only there to visit my girlfriend at the time as she was part of the art group and they were working on something or toher. As I entered the building, there was an small ramshackle empty corner area just inside the door to the right, and not wishing to disturb anyone or anything, I decided to just sit inside and wait for her. I could see what was hoing on though the perspex windows, and they could see I was there, so that was fine. Whenever my girlfriend needed a break or to come and chat she could, and I could just sit and see what they were working on without disturbing their creative process.

As I sat their for a few minutes, my open office cubicles with the partition walls, except it was much more interesting, the two partiton walls were more solid and made of a dark light wood, they were fixed to the wall, and I really liked the fact that it had persex windows. The only chair was the the one I was currently sitting in, ans as I slowly swiveled around in it I thought this sapce would make a great office or entrance both for visitors, it needed a clean and tidy up, but it seemed almost perfect for a range of multi-purpose art functions; they've done well to get this space I thought, it's perfect, not too large, or to small, not intimidating, yet I could sense a sort of relaxed art chic-ness going on outside the booth. I was glad I hadn't just blundered in and upset their dynamic. Then I heard music from just above me and looked up and saw two old speakers attached to the wall, real old ones which looked as thought they were from the 1970's.........I've got to stop at this moment which is sad but some idiot next to me in the libary is speaking so loud he's disturbing my process,............now he's getting all agressive and...........I really don't need this.........excuse me a while, I may be some time sorting this situation out.....



.....aahhhh now where was I? ah yes! It was one of the most memorable, and visual art-dream experiences I have ever had. Just recently this dream memory re-surfaced when this impression of a shoe emerged from my latest subconscious creative art paint blob process. So now seems as good a time as any to see if I can make this dream a reality........

At the very least, I have another story under the "creativity of dreams" to write up or perform, and let's be honest, I have absolutely nothing to lose. It may also help that I bought her husband CD years ago when he was the lead singer of Bush.......it going to be an interesting proposal to weave together.

Creative Proposal Strategy: Write up dream, explain background to proposal, and offer to design a new "Art Shoe" for one of her videos, explain the connection between Gwen's style, image, Art, Media and Creativity, and draw picture boards of the art space/events in the dream. Offer to direct one of her videos, and recreate the dream exactly. Best video of her career, artists get video art exposure, and new patron for art space/project. I get to express my creativity in a multi-dimensional way. No Doubt.

Recycled Artwork

"Five breaths assembled at the source" (2005)

This is a "black" window security grill made of metal (iron or steel?) which I found in the backgarden of a building I squatted with a few other people. One night I was drinking a few beers and decided to paint the whole grill white and then place it back on the outside of the window. I started to paint the edges first and after a few moments I lost myself in a relaxed feeling as the brush moved over the metal, I had never painted on metal before and I was surprised at how smooth and unexpectedly sensual it felt. I had no idea it was going to feel as it did, and no expectations of anything remotely creative happening; if anything I was expecting the brush to feel quite rough on a metal grill.

My sole intention was to paint the whole thing white and then maybe come back to it a few days later, and paint something on the white surface.....but something happened; I felt so calm and relaxed in a way that felt sensual and peaceful that without realising it at the time I had let the brush had wander from the edges of the grill to move over the surface of the whole thing in a short series of seemingingly random brush strokes which took no more than a mere 10 seconds or so. For some reason I then stopped to open up another beer. Then I looked back to finish painting over my "doodles" and saw what seemed to be an image of sorts.....so I filled in the bits that didn't seem to be part of the image, and this was the image that was left. This is what emerged from my unconscious brush stokes as I had literally just let my arm and hand wander about on the surface of the metal aimlessly with out realisng it, and with no intention to "create" anything at all except a completely white surface.

As the grill is full of small wholes the image is only really apparent when the grill is placed in front of a solid surface. I believe this image is is a small reflection of the human unconscious, what Jung called the "Collective Unconscious". I think of it as an unconscious act of creation, which makes me wonder if we as human beings were always destined to somehow creatively discover fire, and what other unseen images or connections do we have in our unconscious that we may be able to access creatively.

David Augustine

The Post Office Proposal

A couple of weeks ago one of The Creativity Manifesto found this Post office sign discarded on the street, (probably due to Governments' sad closures of local community branches, after much creative debate and discussion we agreed to contact to the Post Office to see if they would consider sponsoring a small community art event/exhibition, during which we would exhibit the sign (which illuminates an entire room with a red glow when plugged in) as a "Ready-made" piece of art in the same manner as Marcel Duchamp's "Urinal" by R.Mutt. Of course our creative and social intention would be around the fact that the closure of local Post Office branches is a direct indication of how Government social policy is actively contributing to the loss of social bonds and Community cohesion. We await the response of the P.O with baited breath.

Business Skills For Artists

This week the Creativity Manifesto en-rolled one of our core p-art-cipants on a 10 week course exploring the relationship between the artist as creator, and the artist as entrepreneur, led by the experienced and successful professional artist Ms Shareena Hill. We hope the knowledge, skills, and experience gained on the course will contribute to the overall process and artreprenuerial practices of The Creativity Manifesto.

We have also facilitated the enrollment of another creative core p-art-cipant on an 30 week long art foundation course so that they can explore and develop thier individual creativity gained from thier previous events organisation background, within a context of art. We hope this merging of organiser skills and experience with fine art skills and practices produces some interesting ideas and outcomes for the Manifesto.

The Creativity Manifesto (a work in progress)

Mind-Map (1999)

Aims & Objectives:
______________

To form a social art organisation known as The Creativity P-art-y centred upon the dual themes of "Creativity and Community".

To form a social art organisation whose political and social activities are expressed through all of the arts.

To form an art-activist group known as the "Creativity-Cell" as the creative core of the aforementioned party.

To write, produce, publish,organise, perform, and curate in a myriad of ways a manifesto of creativity and community.
To advance wider knowledge, of the processes and practices of both individual and social creativity for personal growth, community participation, social and political activity.

To advance wider public appreciation of the social value of creativity in relation to sustainable economic and community development.

To promote creativity, and creative processes for the wider public benefit in issues of Community, Education, Health, Public Policy, The Environment, The Arts and diverse forms of Culture, The Economy and Politics.

To advance public understanding of the nature, processes, and methods creativity in relation to individual, group, and organisational benefits.

To promote the critical importance of creativity as an innate human ability of unlimited resource, for personal and artistic expression.

To promote creativity as an organic human resource for solving social and economic problems, and developing education or employment processes.

To promote understanding of the social role and value of creativity in establishing diverse social networks, and the benefits creativity brings to cultural groupings, social cohesion, and sustainable Community bonds.


Rationale
_________

In 1959 in response to the rapid advances in technology, science, and social programs C.R.Rogers wrote:

"there is a desperate need for the creative behaviour of creative individuals." (Towards a Theory of Creativity 1959.)

Rogers argued that the accelerated pace of human advancement and knowledge would result in increased social problems, individual pathologies, international conflicts, and at worst, the annihilation of humanity unless Society evolved more creatively, and was able to cater for rapid technological change and social development. It is nearly 50 years since Rogers made his statement, yet still creativity is the least studied and the most misunderstood of any human activity.

Creativity has long been associated with the arts, and to a lesser extent as a resource for problem solving, however, creativity as a means for educational or personal development and its practical use to wider Society is less understood or utilised.

Although there are thousands of art courses at all levels of the education system for people to enrol on from the beginner to the more advanced artist, there is not a single course where you can study creativity and the underlying creative process as a subject in its own right; Until you reach the advanced level of postgraduate, and even then, their are only a few select courses whose entry criteria is very difficult for most to achieve, and very specific.

The reason for this is that although Governments insist they want their people,institutions and economies to be, or become more creative, they in fact view creativity with suspicion, and as a threat to the Political and social status quo.

In reality, World Governments view creative people, and creative ideas as unpredictable, and even dangerous social elements that are a constant threat to the established social and economic order.

In 1989, a group of students thought it would be a creative idea to have democracy in their Country and decided to campaign and demonstrate for this idea, however the established order of the imperial Chinese Government decided this wasn't very creative at all and would in fact upset their political status quo. This differing of opinion led to the massacre of hundreds of students and civilians in Tianamen square.(Page 1, The International Handbook of Creativity: R. Sternberg, Cambridge University Press; 2006)

Creativity, and the creative process underpins every aspect of human behaviour and endeavour, yet educationally, socially, economically, or politically the subject of creativity is avoided, or it is woven into a vague educational concept based upon the general idea that low level art class instruction for children will somehow bring about the entire creative potential of all children and students.

Unfortunately, the education system in the UK is centred upon fixed structures based upon standardised testing which negates creativity, and forces both tutor and pupil into a rigid polemical relationship rather than one of respectful understanding, and creative collaboration across all subjects. (Read: Paolo Freire and the "Banking system" of education)

There are two principals reasons why our educational institutions at all levels from kinder-garden and primary Schools to our most advanced Universities fail to appreciate the potential, or understand the innate nature of human creativity.

Firstly: the last thing Governments and established institutions want is for people to be creative because the more creative people become, the more critical, the more political, and the more socially aware they become of their life circumstances and their self-context within the world around them; This in turn makes it harder for Governments, politicians, and especially employers, to exert social control over them for the economic system of capitalism benefiting the status quo of  the Banks, global businesses, and world Government power brokers. Brokers, who are in essence nothing more than administrators of people as automaton work resources who are key for the economic system to keep capitalism afloat (just).
Accordingly, funding for research into creativity, creative processes, and for creative projects and all areas of human activity is minimal. Funding for the arts especially, which is where the vast majority of individuals who believe they understand, or have already discovered their creativity, inevitably end up, is avoided at best, or actively prevented and repressed at worst.

Of course governments do not mind people becoming artists as such, as long as it only a select few, who are themselves firstly tutored, constrained, and then channelled by a select few elite art colleges and Government funded art institutions to participate in the "Creative Industries" as worker managed by the system of art in the industrialised art factory environment of the gallery system. This type of Government organised and State funded artist is socially acceptable; they fear only those artists who develop their creative abilities and social conscience not simply for arts sake , but through art to become more socially and politically engaged regarding the impact their work, and how their creative ideas could influence others.

In order to lessen the likelihood of this creative process of social consciousness emerging on a scale too widely spread for political or social containment, arts funding is strictly managed and controlled in a way that prevent the art world and the culture industry writ large fulfilling its own creative potential as a social catalyst in activating wider social and cultural movements of change.

The principal areas of cultural, artistic, and social creative life remain crystalized in the minds of the general public as either an elite area of special activity for a select gifted few, or for mere entertainment and leisure purposes as just reward for their co-operation in maintaining the system correctly through largely uninspiring jobs and non-careers.

Scientists, and psychologists cannot agree upon a single definition as to what creativity actually is. They cannot conduct reliable scientific experiments in laboratories on creativity which "fit" factual objective scientific criteria that science relies upon and searches for. The advancement of science is based upon the ability to replicate the same experiment again and again, and find the same predictable outcomes, so that science produces fact.

Fact however, is the antithesis of creativity, creativity is by its very nature elusive, spontaneous, and unpredictable, and as it cannot be scientifically understood and replicated, it cannot be controlled, managed or exploited safely for the furtherance of power elites, giant global businesses, or World Governments who are really working for these businesses rather than in the interests of the people, as we have clearly seen recently in the wake of the global economic and banking crisis whereby millions of people across the globe have lost life saving and their houses, yet world governments shell out trillions of dollars to try and cover up the mistakes made by banks and other financial institutions.

So scientists and psychologists avoid the subject and ignore it as "scientifically irrelevant" as one eminent psychologist informed me in one of the largest and most prestigious departments of psychology in the UK. A case of the ignorant being ignorant, and knowledge being repressed because the answers do not fit the all powerful logic of global, scientific, male dominated, western thought.

Without human creativity we would still be walking around in a primordial forest swamp dragging our knuckles along the ground, the concept of the wheel and our harnessing of fire would never have occurred to the human mind. It is precisely this creative ability to imagine and construct new ideas, visions, and possibilities of thought beyond the mere biological functions of our brains that is fundamental to our continued existence, and an essential part of both our social-evolutionary process.

Creativity is at the very heart of humankind desire to understand ourselves and our place in the universe,
Creativity may never be fully harnessed and "be understood"; it's a far too complex and sophisticated human ability and social process for that to occur. But, that does not mean we should ignore it or limit all creativity merely as art, and all art as creativity. David Bohm a renowned former scientist and theorist states that:

"Creativity is fundamental to human experience. The creative impulse is instinctive to everyone, but its potential is rarely realised. Its success depends upon the individuals ability to jolt the everyday mind into a dynamic state that enables true creativity and originality to become possible."

"By awakening this creative state of mind, each person can then discover the creative harmony that lies not only within their own psyche, but also behind everything that they experience." (David Bohm "On Creativity" 1996)

In theory, creativity is now top of the political agenda. Its importance and social value is being increasingly applied across all areas of social life; in business, creativity is used to improve production, innovation, and teamwork, in education creativity is being applied through-out the curriculum, and is no longer seen as the sole preserve of art classes; in public policy the application of creativity is increasingly seen as a resource for developing social innovations and solutions to address the problems of Society.

Are we, as a Society really moving towards a greater understanding of creativity? Because if we are, then we need to think about what that means for the development and self-expression of people, organisations, Communities and wider Society.

The applied social philosophy of the Creativity Manifesto is to promote greater understanding of creativity, its use and potential as a means for individual personal growth and self-development, and its wider applications to Communities, Organisational contexts, and Social institutions.

The Creativity Manifesto is merely one small social aspect of a global process of creative psychological and social evolution that seems to be taking place in an ever expanding and diverse ways, as individuals, groups, networks, and small creatively-led and ethically based individuals, organisations, and communities lead the way into a new future of fluidity, complexity, and uncertainty.

Through such endeavours, the aim of any Creativity Manifesto must be to promote the positive socio-economic benefits of developing a sustainable and ethical global "culture of creativity."

The social, organisational, and community concept of Creativity-Cells is intended to contribute to this overall socio-creative process, aid open communication, facilitate creative communities, innovations, and outcomes of social value that contribute to a more flexible, tolerant, and innovative Society centred upon human expression, community development, social, organisational, and political creativity.

The Creativity Manifesto regards the positive self-expression of human creativity in all forms, and through all mediums, as the most valuable human resource for individual growth, personal development, social, economic, and human advancement.

The Creativity Manifesto (2010)