November 25, 2008
At the end of last term one of my most artistically creative friends Philip had an idea for a painting he wanted to create over the summer holidays. He wanted to create a traditional 18thCentury family portrait, but with an ingenius modern twist; that the whole family are fighting!
Today’s lecture got me thinking about the idea of assessment and how I would possibly go about awarding a mark for this painting. Obviously, on first inspection it is absolutely incredible. If I were to assess it according to a set criteria however, would it still achieve as much credit as it would if I were just a passer by who happened to catch a glimpse?
So. Criteria.
- originality of idea
- attention to detail (workmanship)
- effort
- use of materials
As for the first point, yes, the idea is (in my opinion) both original and fantastic. But had it been just a regular non-fighting portrait, would it have scored as highly?
The attention to detail here is absolutely unspeakable. It is a shame that the computerised image is so much smaller than the original painting as some of the detail is lost, but if you look closely, every tiny fragment of the painting uses so many different shades of colour it looks exactly the same as the photo upon which it was based. For example, the tassels on my dress took Philip an entire day to paint. I tried to enlarge the painted section, but not sure if it helps.
I always think that effort is a tricky one. If I had attempted this painting it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as good as Philip’s original, but I would have tried really really hard! Would this have resulted in me getting a similar mark to Philip? Because I don’t think I would have deserved it! Perhaps the ‘detail’ element in itself covers the ‘effort’ category? My version would be unlikely to contain anywhere near as much detail as Philip’s, so does this mean I haven’t tried? Furthermore, Philip’s painting isn’t quite finished. The left hand side is still a pencil drawing. All be it a perfect drawing, it doesn’t tick the box, ‘painting’. Use of materials. Big cross; wrong?
So is it right that Philip loses marks on not being finished and using pencil. And perhaps he would have lost a few for days off he may have taken during the holidays. Surely that reflects a lack of effort? The fact is, it was his own idea, nobody told him what to do or how to do it, so how can we go and tell him he’s wrong? In this way, is it right that children in schools are marked on their creations based on how well they fulfilled the brief?
It seems to me that it is not so much creativity that is assessed in schools; it is art itself as a skills-based subject. Just as in maths you must learn to add up, in art you must learn to draw to scale. The basics. The groundwork. To eliminate assessment in artistic subjects in a world obsessed with grades and results could surely only serve to further crush the already low standing respect it holds within today’s society. I therefore see assessment of the arts as entirely necessary, but not necessarily the assessment of creativity itself.
Filed by sarahlouise at November 25th, 2008 under Uncategorized
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November 10, 2008
I’m afraid I’m a little late on the blogging uptake this week. I’ve been incredibly busy!
Well…Here’s what I ended up with after last week’s lecture.
I was a little surprised that it came out like this because I consider myself to be creative (although not remotely artistic) …and it came out in list form!! Emma pointed out that before I had even started I was trimming the edges off my paper to make it neater! I chose the name Pixel for my creative side because last year I decided that I would call my first daughter Pixel. All of my friends said that I couldn’t because it wasn’t a real name. But still…I reckon it’s fairly creative so a good personification of the creative side of my personality!
I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got time for right now. I’ll try and be better next week.
Now just a quick plug: Come and see Grease! Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Central Hall!!!
Filed by sarahlouise at November 10th, 2008 under Uncategorized and tagged !
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October 28, 2008
This discussion about what creativity feels like actually got me quite worried. It was suggested that creativity is intuitive and that you have to be in the mood. Here’s how my thought process went…
I always think of myself as a creative person but somehow for whatever reason, I don’t tend to trust my intuition. Is this some kind of juxtaposition? Can you be creative without being intuitive? Perhaps I’m not as creative as I think I am! I think I can only be creative through some kind of methodology. Also, I seem to have to be in the mood to be creative. I’m not entirely sure if I’m confusing creativity with enthusiasm for things which are considered to be creative. Like, in rehearsals for Grease or whatever, I only seem to be any good if I’m in what I consider to be a ‘weird’ mood. A little bit hyper perhaps. So, if I’m in a weird or abnormal mood when I’m being creative, then perhaps it doesn’t come as naturally to me as I originally thought?!
Then again…I’m in a ‘weird’ mood fairly frequently. So without creativity necessarily being weird, maybe it’s in my personality to be ‘weird’ and creative at some times and not others.
So when I’m not in a creative mood, am I logical? Are creative and logical opposites?!
I don’t suppose they are. Examples: musical theatre…considered to be a very creative activity. However…not necessarily so! The amount of logic and precision that goes into the harmonies and dances is absolutely unreal. The choreographers can spend forever looking at a frozen position and trying to make it ‘make sense’. Similarly, the musical directors make sure the notes we sing are precise. Obviously the right pitch but also length and volume. It’s not as if our instincts can take over. There’s a strict formula to be learned and obeyed!
So yes. I think that’s the logical and precise side of creative activity. I’m still to find the creative side of maths…
Oh yes! And the hypnosis. I found it very hard to let my mind relax and found myself analyzing how hypnosis works. I gave in to it at times and it was really very odd. I think I had a strange experience at the end when I was imagining my relaxing place. Mine was kind of sinister. It was my grandparents’ old garden and I was imagining myself sitting under the willow tree as I used to do. But since then, their house has been sold and I know that the new owners have built a swimming pool just behind the tree. So it was quite weird when it appeared in my mental image, even though I’ve never seen it. I was getting a little weirded out but was very relieved when the counting reached 1 and I was back in the real world. I think I like the ability to censor my thoughts. Although the swimming pool exists, I like having the ability not to think about it!!
Filed by sarahlouise at October 28th, 2008 under Uncategorized
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October 26, 2008
Ok so I’ve finally set up a blog. It has been tricky without the internet where I’m living but I’ve grabbed a short break from rehearsals so here goes…
creativity…
I consider myself a fairly creative person. I enjoy music, drama and all those kinds of things. I play the piano and do as many fun and creative uni things as I can fit in. This term it’s Grease and panto. I’m not quite brave enough to audition for ‘The Full Monty’!
So yes, that’s me. As for the module choice…I picked it out because I know there’s a way to combine logical thinking with creativity. There must be! I hope to become a teacher so I think that exploration of creativity within the sciences would be a great thing to do in order to find ways to include and generate the interest of all children in all subjects. I don’t consider myself to be particularly logical but I managed a science at A-level so I know that it’s possible!
As for the lecture last Tuesday, the idea which struck me most was that all children have different interests and ways of learning. The example given was that of the little girl who was diagnosed with ADHD but just wanted to dance. It just got me thinking that there really must be other ways of teaching and learning than the ‘boring’ sit down methods used in most schools these days. I’m debating the use of ritelin as a possible easy option for teachers and parents alike. If John Issitt has tought us anything it’s that society needs great thinkers in order to progress. Although he really meant that we need philosophers, I’m fairly sure that people who think originally or in a slightly different way count too.
Ok so rant over…I’m really looking forward to the rest of this module. It’s going to be good!
Filed by sarahlouise at October 26th, 2008 under Uncategorized
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