Changing Topics Conversation: The Creative Cycle

Artists in "The Creative Cycle" from L to R: Ivan Carmona, Aleka Tomlinson, Jordan Pieper, Ben Skiba, Horatio Law, Liz Nielson, Lisa Conway, Jamey Hampton, Joanna Bloom (not pictured), Thomas Orr.

This month we approached the subject of the creative cycle from a variety of perspectives.  Guest artist's disciplines spanned the realm from ceramics to web design, installation to modern dance.  Here's a very abbreviated synopsis:

The following quote provided us a point of departure for discussion:

The Creativity Cycle is one that starts with loosened construction and sets the stage for creative thinking.  The loosening releases facts, long taken as self evident, from their conceptual moorings.  The Cycle terminates with tightened and validated construction.

This concept seemed to resonate with our artists.  To this was added a number of ideas that leaned towards the debunking of the myth of creativity, including the science of how certain body movements fire the brain to create and how the pressure of deadlines can act as a creative land of opportunity.  The discussion circled back, as it often does, to the importance of putting work "out there", a necessary step in determining what needs to happen next.

Thank you, artists, for your time and energy in contributing to a great discussion!!