creativity : where it comes from (public radio podcast)

[Randall_Oelerich]

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/dis...-jonah-lehrer/
streaming podcast at link above.

I listened to this yesterday on public radio, was interesting and even got into writing as well as music. Discusses where creativity comes from, techniques, what works what does not, stories from the crypt, etc. Among other things, researchers looked at functional MRI scans of jazz musicians as they got together and played, improvised-- turns out the musicians had the ability to turn off anti-creativity areas of the brain, turn off inhibitions to creativity, allowing them to improvise without being judgmental on their own playing.

[Carla]

Yes, it's important. A lot of story/writing questions are really creativity questions.

[NoTalentAssClown]

Thanks Randy. Listened to the first 15 min... will finish later.

Great to hear some sort of explanation on creativity and sleep. My best ideas have come to me in dreams or in the middle of the night, waking up with an epiphany.

If you've been writing all night and hit the wall and can't get past your writer's block... back away from the coffee and SLEEP! One valuable lesson I learned is to cut down on the all-nighters and try to SLEEP like a normal person.

[Allan Black]

SLEEP! right on, my grandfather kept telling me and now I'm telling my grandkids .. things are different in the morning.

Cheers.

[jghenderson]

I believe in the statement in Stranger Than Fiction : "Like all things worth writing, it came inextricably and without method". Sleep and relaxation seem to help.

[Charli]

A relaxed mind imagines the impossible - Charli (just made up the quote)

[nycineaste]

creativity is, largely, combining two things that weren't together before- the more diverse your sources, the cleverer the mix.

german expressionism plus suburban life= tim burton
french new wave plus california gangsters= pulp fiction

there are actually techniques to enhance creativity , I have the notes from the last chapter in the drawing book "keys to drawing" in my film studies notebook.

also, there are the books "whack on the side of the head" and "kick in the seat of the pants".

[mail4joeg]

Have you seen this?

John Cleese on Creativity

His 37 minute lecture.

[Randall_Oelerich]

...John Cleese on Creativity...

John Cleese is so talented. Remember the 'encounter' with the white rabbit? "Run away!"
(can't decide if he is in this scene from the infamous Monty Python and the Holy Grail,
can anybody spot Cleese in this band of men questing for the Grail? Might be him there
on the left)

[Carla]

there are actually techniques to enhance creativity

Lots of them.

But there's normally a big reaction against the implications, like control and measurement dimensions.