Do-It-yourself creativity

in pieces

Human creativity keeps following traditional outlets as well as constantly finding new outlets. Traditional outlets never get exhausted or used up. Human creativity never gets exhausted or used up. Creativity creates new space/morespace. Humans turn almost anything & everything into a creative activity. The information & science age explosion has fueled a creativity explosion: 1. revolutionized traditional creative outlets ...with new tools and materials ...by importing new sensibilities (reject traditional craftsmanship -> start from scratch, again...punk music, punk sewing) [[...is left brain -> new wave?]] 2. created a wild variety of new creative outlets/crafts - this goes throw several phases ...jumping on new technology as new territory for creative exploration - (Nam June Paik & video art) ...discovering the hidden rooms DIY (home depot), monster garage, discovery craftsman shows BoingBoing , Maker & Craft DIY festivals The desire and motivation to make something, to create something, to do something... generates a lot of creativity. Sometimes this urge is very general and directionless ("I want to do something...I just don't know what!"), and may be a simple reaction to feelings of boredom or a feeling of restless energy. Most often it is the combined product of opportunity ("Tonight I'll have some time..."), desire ("...to do some more work..."), and a specific interest or focus ("...on my photography project."). And sometimes creativity goes in the opposite direction: the need for something specific drives the creative process (e.g.,"Susan needs a new dress." "We've got a problem we need to solve."). As has been repeatedly pointed out from Plato to Thomas Edison, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Not its only mother. But definitely one of the big mothers. I grew up at the end of an age when many men still made things out of wood in basement or garage shops and women had a wide range of personal creative pursuits from special-dishes and special-occasion cooking, to sewing and decorating. Propelled by the need for furniture, clothes, and "homemaking," these tasks had originally been appreciated for their utility and craftsmanship ("quality"). Craftsmanship reflects how well something is made and depends on the skill of the maker, their tools, and the materials used. For some people, these once necessary crafts became hobbies and an outlet for creative expression. Craftsmanship morphs into creativity (and creative expression) when new materials, designs, and decorations are intentionally introduced. Women still sew today and men still maintain woodworking shops. Some of this may be motivated by nostalgia and the desire to maintain a connection with traditional culture. Increasingly sewing and woodworking seem more like creative hobbies than practical pursuits. And as "being creative" becomes the goal, the extablished standards of craftsmanship get actively challenged. Creativity--not durability and pleasant appeal--is actively pursued. Craftsmanship actually regresses. Creativity likes to start over. Punk music. Punk sewing. Traditional "crafts," artistic pursuits (including writing and making music)--and all manner of "making things" can be used to exercise the desire to be creative, to find and encourage our creative side. They're fun. There can be a sense of learning and growth. They can be part of a "spiritual journey" of self discovery. And who knows, my pursuit may even lead to riches and fame--maybe there really is a great painter/poet/artist/inventor inside of me just waiting to get out. Maybe I'll design and sew the thing that turns out to be the next "beenie baby," cabbage patch kid, or tickle me elmo. Traditional hobbies themselves have dramatically changed, however. The materials and tools for virtually every traditional human craft and hobby have undergone a transformation during the last fifty years. Today's home sewing machine is lightyears more capable and versatile than the one my grandmother owned. The range of cloths and other materials now available for me to sew with is also amazing. Human ingenuity, advances in materials science and engineering have transformed and expanded the tools, materials, and knowledge available in virtually every area of human endeavor. The availability to new tools, capabilities, materials, and abilities has produced creative revolutions in even the most conservative and traditional of human crafts (e.g., sewing and woodworking). Even if people were nott trying to be more creative, to practitioners of "traditional" human crafts and artistic activities. all these new materials, and tools, and knowledge has created a whole new realm of human creative endeavors, hobbies and crafts. As new materials and manufacturing processes were developed and deployed by business in large-scale manufacturing operations, people have begun to figure out how to downscale and transpose many of these activities into the realm of the home craftsman and basement tinkerer. One of the arguments made in "The Age of Imagination" (McCann WorldGroup presentation, 2004), is that the "information age" has produced a lot of new technology and tools that have been "diverted" to small-scale, creative pursuits (from the personal computer, to the internet, to small-scale manufacturing). Surrounding all of this has been the remarkable explosion of materials science and engineering. Boing Boing. Make. Craft. Small scale/hobby manufacturing. How things are made, constructed. All the DIY or professional craftsmen (& cooking) shows on TV, ...from monster garage to xxxx. It's skill learning and observing--being entertained--by the creative process. Discovery channel. The creative process is fun (and challenging and frustrating & growing ...). Producing something creative can be fun, inflating, deflating). Vicariously watching someone (someone good) creating can be entertaining, creatively inspiring.