Having gotten to know you all fairly well at this point, I am beginning to recognize a commonality: you are afraid of your creativity. As such, I am confident that you will all benefit from this talk.
Please watch, think critically about what Elizabeth Gilbert says and how it affects you in your life and your creative work. Respond in the comments by Thursday so we may discuss in class. To learn more about TED, please click here.
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About DMA 250
This blog is maintained for the students enrolled in MCCC's Digital Media Art's Digital Portfolio class. All posts on this blog are written by the instructor, Meg McGrath, but all are invited to participate in active discussion through the comments.
30 comments:
Wow! Elizabeth Gilbert is an amazing speaker - very interesting, engaging, funny... I've heard of her book but never read it. After hearing her speak, I'm going to read her books. As for the topic, it's very true. I'm a writer who never finished more than 25 pages of any story so almost went into publishing; and a performer who's too afraid to perform in front of people so now I'm going to work behind the camera. I don't think her talk has magically made me less afraid but it's definitely something I'll think about and work on so that I maybe I'll be more ready if that creative genius ever decides to visit me.
Oh, and thanks for introducing me to TED. I'm already listening to some of the other speakers. Good stuff there.
i am sure we'll get this whole thing figured out Meg. Where are we going first?
How could you let us go through spring break with no field trip.
Now stop teasing!
Very interesting. Elizabeth has a good sense of humor and it is easy to understand her point which is who cares what you do, as long as it means something to you. If you make that great painting, or make that big inspirational film, what an accomplishment, but don't worry about trying to impress others, just put out what is meaningful to you and others will appreciate your work for the message you deliver.
It makes me feel I may have spoke with old apathetic hippies for too long. I had been worried about being pigeonholed, and having, "peaked" it's not time to hit the critical world. I know this woman at least writes on a birthday card here or there still. Yes, success is terrifying; because why would defeat be so agonizing, THEN! I ask, therefore teach.
the usual,
Charlotte
Yea, I'll keep the good stuff as a hobby or run a business and hope to keep the doors open in this world at large, (someday). Of course to watch the #'s after, training, quality control, and be the head of the ad dept. Only thing is, I may be spread out to thin.
Sorry, I rant Meg.
My head got big after one nice thing you said about me to the class. Therefore, I'll think again about it later. Now why doesn't blogger have spell check, for a rough draft? El typo dislexia in 3 words.
Hey T.V. people, nice feet she doesn't have on with the skort cullatte's she's wearing hey?
Meg, did they want to just indicate she has feet?
Thankyou Bradshuu. I was born in 1969, when were you born?
I talk to much, that's why my Grandmother told me to write on her deathbead. Anyone else?
Ok, that might not happen to everyone. Sorry Meg, I'm not feeling profound at this time.
After watching it I like and dislike some parts and other parts I thought was funny. I didn't like the fact that she wants creative people to blame a invisible thing for their lack of creativity just so they can believe that they did the best they could so its your fault for not doing your part. I can see it making people think at ease but you shouldn't blame it on someone else. And for those that get a creative thought and they have no paper or pen to write it down is not because of some invisible thing, it is because a person's thought wonders off and makes connections at the worst time. This happens to me when I'm trying to sleep, I tried to think of nothing but start making connections of what creative thing I can do but since I'm trying to sleep and is very tired I don't want to get up, find paper and a pencil to write it down. As for the giving credit to invisible things I feel that if I work hard on something i want to be given credit for what I did. Which I why I personal hate it when people start to thank god and people who have no relation to the work they have done. God did not come down and pickup a pencil and did the work for you, you did, so a person shouldn't thanking him since he really did nothing. As for being afraid of my creativity, I'm not it just that I'm terrible at presenting my work. If someone tells me to present my work, I'll be ok here is my work and they will expect me to say some deep meaning behind it. They would be like why did you drew this here instead of over there, and I'll be because I wanted it there and I would not have a good explanation to why I put it there I just without think much put it there because I like it there. Most of the time I don't want to show my work because I don't want to give them an explanation to something I did without thinking to much about. And most of the time when I show my work people would not give creative criticism, they would just say good work, I like it, but mostly never on what to improve on, so I mostly just do what I have to do to please people and keep and show the work I enjoy doing to people who would appreciate it while knowing they are just going to say good things about it and nothing to improve it. I'm constantly improving my skills and I know I would never perfect it since there is nothing perfect in this world.
I ranted a bit there, I just hate it when people try to blame things on invisible things instead of themselves. Which is why I hate religion.
I thought it was very interesting and enjoyed it thoroughly. I am pretty sure Elizabeth did not mean what she was saying to be taken so literally. It seems more of a means to cope with creativity and criticism.
I too understand this feeling of creativity although it does not happen often and I have never really developed my ideas. Many times I forget it before I have a chance to write it down. After hearing this, I feel more confident now and will attempt to take more risks in my art.
Listening to this speech, I remembered something, surprisingly strange, that happened to me once: One day while I was brushing my teeth, without even thinking of something, an anecdote (joke)came to my mind! I stopped brushing my teeth and ran into my room to write it down so I won't forget it.
I thought it was very interesting what Elizabeth was trying to make people understand! In my opinion, what she really wanted to do was make the artists understand that they shouldn't be disappointed,blame themselves, or even commit suicide because of the fear of failure. They should know that everyone is afraid of failure and that it is ok to fail! When she talks about the creative genius, I believe what she really means is that there is going to be sometime in an artist's life where his inspiration will become a success and then he might not be able to top that. But this shouldn't keep him down. He should continue his creativity because people cannot feel what he feels when he is inspired and creates a piece of art, so they cannot appreciate it.
I believe that the whole point of Elizabeth's speech was to help artists from being or becoming depressed and harm themselves. Throughout the years we have heard about great artists who committed suicide because of depression that was caused from the fear of failure after a big success! Thinking about Elizabeth's speech this way, I believe that if those great artists weren't blaming themselves for not having an inspiration that would top the one that led them to success, then they would live and create more extraordinary things!
I also really enjoyed this speech. I agree that her words should not be taken so literally when she talks about the "genius" or speaking to invisible beings. It's just a means to alleviate the pressure creative people put on themselves when trying to create some type of art. It also is a way to keep creative types humble, to feel as if they are fortunate to have been "blessed" with the inspiration, and not to become narcissistic regarding their work. Either mentality, narcissism or fear of failure, can compromise a person's art. I will definitely consider talking to the invisible entity in the room the next time a deadline is approaching and I'm absolutely blank.
And Omar, you seem like a really nice guy, but your comments could be easily misconstrued. Some people may not accurately criticize your work because they are unfamiliar with it, and I agree that what you create should be something you are content with, but only caring about your own opinion may close you off from other perspectives and prevent you from growing as an artist.
She makes some good points about having to live up to your self and inspiration.Many Artists need the inspiration to be creative but are expected to do it all on their own.
I caught the last 45 minutes of Ms. Gilbert’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show several months ago while she was promoting her book “Eat, Pray, Love”, so I came to this video bearing baggage. At first, I was quite taken in by what she had to say. However, as the interview progressed and I learned more about the writing of “Eat, Pray, Love” – how she ran off to Java to consult wizened holy men a after a succession of what amounted to bad-hair days – I slowly became disenchanted. How this privileged, upper-middle class white woman must have bravely suffered on her bucolic farmstead outside of Frenchtown, NJ! I just hope she didn’t invest all her money with Bernie Madoff.
Be that as it may, it’s my job to separate the message from the messenger: she is who she is. In this instance, the message is this week’s Critical Thinking assignment, not Ms. Gilbert’s appearance on Oprah, and I found myself agreeing with her observations in regard to the relationship between artists, their work and the unrealistic expectations both artist and public place on them.
She describes the inversion that took place from ancient Greece and Rome where the creative individual was believed to have been visited by daemons or genius – disembodied creative spirits who came to rest for a moment in an individual’s psyche which resulted in a creative work – to the Renaissance when this model was displaced in favor of the notion that the individual him/herself ‘owned’ the creative spark. This kind of thinking (rational humanism), she asserts, warps and distorts egos – the burden to be consistently fabulous (I mean, if you own the genie you can summon it at will, right?) becomes unbearable to some, resulting in alcoholism, suicide etc.
Much better, Ms. Gilbert suggests, if we acknowledge the presence of our creativity but be equally aware that it flourishes best when consistently nurtured. Epiphanies don’t just show up – they’re the result of many hours (or sometimes days or years) of hard, seemingly fruitless labor. And if you’re an artist, you’re pursuing your craft for the love of it, not for public adulation… right?
Her advice: Continue to show up (at your ‘job’) until the miracle happens.
I must say one word...and that is "WOW!". Elizabeth Gilbert is an amazing speaker! It has always been hard for me to follow speakers and their words, but Elizabeth's words were VERY comprehendible , and in some ways I was able to related to her in how creation of work should come about. A lot of the time it is hard for me to get inspiration on my works, however, if I take a short break and walk away, and come back about 15 mins later, its like something has hit my head and I'm able to create, to me, what seems like a masterpiece, something of sort that I never thought I'd EVER be able to create. I must say that if I ever had the oppurtunity to sit down with Elizabeth Gilbert, I would enjoy it thoroughly. I'll be waiting for my little genius to arrive.. :-)
I enjoyed listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's speech. I personally, rarely have a problem showing my work to others. At a young age I developed an interest in creating work. It started off with drawing pictures to writing stories. I loved the work I did and made an effort to show it to anyone that was willing to look. It never bothered when they gave me feedback about my work because it was my creation. The only time I felt reluctant to show my work to a person is when I felt they wouldn't have an interest in what I had created. One thing I that would bother me when doing my work is living up to the expectation that I felt people would have of me. But I would hardly ever let the thought of it eat me up inside. As far as my lack of content goes for this class. The reason I don't have any work up yet is because all my previous projects have been wiped off the college hard drive. So I am trying to come up with work that will fit in my portfolio.
I loved this speech. Mostly because I can totally understand what Ms. Gilbert was talking about. Even when I was little, I'd wake up from a dream where some amazing song was playing and I'd try to write it down but it'd be gone and I'd complain about why I can't hold onto it.
I never thought about creativity being a totally different force outside yourself. But I also don't think of it as totally dependent on the individual. I'm familiar with the idea of muses. I don't necessarily believe in them, but I swear there are times when the creative juices are just flowing and on target and then they stop. That's why I have such difficulty with designing in classes. The combination of the pressure to make something really fantastic and the pressure to get it done on time, I feel like squashes that creative flow. But those times when it does happen, it's so easy.
I think that's also why I like having side projects of my own. It doesn't matter when it gets done and it only has to be good enough for myself.
It's also why I think it's important for creative people to not just focus on their one craft. Creativity isn't divided up into fields; writing, dancing, singing, art. If you're intuitively creative, it will come out one way or another. But funneling it all into one field will eventually clog that channel. It's like a heart with all the arteries. You may have all this blood to pump around, but if you only pump it to the left leg, you're body's not gonna appreciate it. Keeping everything open relieve the pressure and allows you to feel good about yourself no matter what you end up doing.
Throughout the talk, Ms. Gilbert talks about a big question of being afraid of being creative due to the possibility of failure. My response to that is no. You should definitely express yourself creatively if that is who you are. You cannot change who you are. When you posted on the main page saying that we are afraid of our creativity, you are right. Most of us are because we care about what other people think too much. I fall in this category. I try to be somebody that I am not because I am afraid of expressing who I am and I believe I need to change that. Most of the major successes in this country are based on the fact that people take calculated risks. Some have failed and some have soared to extraordinary success. Those people had a vision and took that chance. If you have a creative vision, you should let nothing hold you back from exposing it to the world. Be yourself and live with no regrets.
I was astounded when I realized that I relate to most of what Elizabeth spoke about. As a designer I could not even begin to tell you the countless times I've come up with ideas while laying in bed, or driving, or just sitting around letting my mind wander and how on most of these occasions I have never had anywhere to write it down. When Elizabeth spoke about creativity being of almost a higher power of some sort I completely agree with her. For me personally I would go as far as to say that her theory extends to my everyday life. I've had several experiences similar to the "more than human dancers" where I would do or witness something extraordinary and look back and would be amazed that something like that just occurred. I'm not sure how well I can explain this but for a couple of examples ... I used to play baseball in high school and during some games I would let go of reality for one second and that was when something extraordinary would happen, from hitting a home run or winning our first state game, and looking back I could never really explain the sensation that happened for that one second. Another example for me would be designing. There has been times where I will sit and design for hours only to stop at the end and ditch the entire project and other times where I will literally zone out and design something great, not having any explanation for where I got the idea or even how I pulled it off. For me personally I would almost compare her speech to the quote "things happen when you least expect them", only for the reason that most of the coolest and most extraordinary occasions in my life occur during this time. I also believe that reality might be what people are afraid of ... not that they can't be creative but the reality that their work won't be loved by everyone, or the reality that maybe their work won't make them money and so forth. I feel that once people step out of reality for one second is when they can truly produce, witness, or be a part of something extraordinary.
listing to Elizabeth talk all i can say is DANG IT. I should become a motivational speaker. She thinks just like i think, how every is sooo much better at expressing it. when you let thing happen that's when the most beautiful thing come threw.... so true!!! this is how I met the love of my life!!! this is also how most of my best work come threw. I was once reading a really hard tonge twister for a piece that payed $$$$ lots!! I did like 20 takes could not get it and i thought i might loss the job! when on the last take I stopped THINKING, and BOOM it all came out... when you are afraid of failure you put up a wall and Elizabeth i right, you should just let things happen. i think he speech is very inspiring, sooo i would suggest that every one take a listen to this lil video!
A very inspiring talk indeed. I have dealt with performance anxiety in my life in different ways as a musician, as an engineer, as a student and now as a designer. What I have learned over the years is as I became more confident in my own work, the less fear I had as I presented it to the public. The criticism that I received was utilized in two ways, I either used it to better my next piece of work or I ignored it. But i never quit. As Elizabeth said, "Just show up for work and do what you were put on this earth to do." It's a very abstract thought but I always believe that the very next piece of work that I create will be my best. All the experience and criticism from the past will invade your thought process and help you to not make the same mistakes that you made before. I learned one thing in a public speaking class that I will keep with me forever and that is, if you believe the words you speak are true then you will have no fear to deliver them to your audience. The same applies to my art.
This talk actually did help me a lot. I always hate showing my work because if I see it just myself I might like it but once I have to show others, I always think it's gonna get trashed. And when I get an A that I usually think I deserve, for some reason I'm still shocked and I think that's the general idea that she is getting at. I don't like failing .. I can handle it but I want to avoid it, which is why I think I am scared to show my work. I am so good at coming up with reasons to why everything I do is bad, and I'm starting to find the good. She's right, we need to start not being afraid of failure because through trial and error, comes success. I love the story about the poet who had to "catch" the poem because I take it as sometimes you just think something and you have to write it down before you forget it. Or other times, you do forget it and it was meant to be forgotten.
i though that the way she spoke about creativity and fear is very realistic. when trying to develop something in your own mind that is creative and worthy of others creativity it does make you strive and put forth much more effort in creating something good enough to get respect. after having success and, in her case, writing a book that was so well liked, it does put extra pressure on yourself to push even further and try new things to achieve more and create better, but i feel it does make it harder to find your creative side. thinking or knowing that you have already done your best work really makes it difficult. the pressure that comes when trying to be creative really makes it hard to actually be creative, so i think she realized a good way to get past it by just doing what you can do and thinking that your creativity is not from inside of you but rather from something else what ever it may be that you believe in.
This was a very interesting and funny speech, I have never heard of those ancient ideas of daemons and genius before. I think Elizabeth Gilbert's idea of how to handle inspiration as something that is transcended to us is smart, and to keep trying even if your work is not pure genius. Even-though It's hard to give any kind of creative work your all when you aren't feeling inspired.
I always have that one voice in the back of my head continuously saying "Your not going to make it in this profession" or "Your work isn't geed enough". Even today I still get that maybe even worse cause of how this are now, but I always try to crush those negative thoughts back and tell myself what I need to hear to continue on. I found her talk helped a little to ease my own negative ideas about my work. Elizabeth Gilbert points on how in ancient Greek and Roman artist always had this gift from another distance source was very interesting.
What it comes down to is to get rid of those negative thought, work through the thing people say and do the best you can do.
Sorry for not commenting sooner, I've been thinking of how to present what I was going to say. It was a good, interesting speech indeed, as said before, and it is something I can relate to as I almost always find myself doubting the action required to take an idea to the next step. I told myself that even though there are myriads of web blogs that are better than mine, you should still start one, and I did. I guess if you've never really had any of your work published or exposed on a professional level, this speech could inspire you to work towards it even more. I think it's interesting what Omar said, about placing fault or giving credit to nothing. This speech reminds me of the book and movie "The Secret." For those of you who do not know what it is, it is basically a method that is supposed to help you attain something you really really want. Be it a position, something tangible, affection. I'm saying whether I believe in it or not, but it's interesting to note.
Everyone else has kind of taken a lot of my words on this one. Creative genius IS scary, and overwhelming, Elizabeth Gilbert is right. But she was a really engaging speaker, and she brings up a lot of valid points. It's always easier to blame someone, or something else when things go wrong. It's like when you get pulled over for speeding, most people shout up to the heaven's like "really, couldn't you cut me a break today?" as if somehow G-d or whatever gave you a lead foot.
But at the same time, if you blame someone else for not doing your best work, or not outliving your success with something bigger, and better, do you ever really learn from your failures? Do you take the analysis of "what went wrong," and do something new or do you just keep naively walking down the same path just hoping great inspiration will return to you?
Yeah, It's Almost all been said. It does make sense though that people are afraid to do what they do i know i would hate to have it in my head that my best work could potentially be behind me. although i don't really think that in my field its possible to take "THE BEST PICTURE EVER" There is always somewhere else you can go, a different angle for the shot.
My ONLY Fear of photography and what I tend to shoot most often is the fear of just plain old getting arrested for breaking into an abandoned building or falling off the bride or falling off the cliff or something like that. I don't think i am afraid of being creative.
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