Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity
Creativity: a word often associated with fun, colour and play, a sentiment reflected in companies attempting to recreate it for profit. ‘Selfie museums’ (exhibition spaces in which social media influencers can take ‘selfies’ in aesthetically pleasing environments) like the Wondr Experience litter th...
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| Language: | English |
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University of Huddersfield Press
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Fields |
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| Online Access: | https://www.fieldsjournal.org.uk/article/id/913/ |
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| author | Alice Morris |
| author_facet | Alice Morris |
| author_sort | Alice Morris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Creativity: a word often associated with fun, colour and play, a sentiment reflected in companies attempting to recreate it for profit. ‘Selfie museums’ (exhibition spaces in which social media influencers can take ‘selfies’ in aesthetically pleasing environments) like the Wondr Experience litter their spaces with similar childlike aesthetics, with the superficial goal of fostering creativity, but resulting in an endless stream of identical Instagram posts and more crucially, ticket sales. This paper reveals a darker and more authentic side to creativity, proposing that discomfort is an essential ingredient. The cute spaces for ‘plandids’ (planned candid photographs) and the beanbags and beer fridges of hipster design studios are juxtaposed by the revelation that to engage in creative thought you have to be in a state of apprehension. Graphic designers often follow the security of grids designed by the likes of Josef Müller-Brockman; however, the piece suggests that these methods lie within the realms of comfort. This tendency for playing it safe is possibly because of the consumerist society we live in – not many designers can afford to take risks because failure means no pay cheque. In such a manner, the paper concludes with the suggestion that due to our cultural context, creativity is observed as an act of rebellion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c2a56eeeba44c8c9b5d399599080dd8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2057-0163 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Huddersfield Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fields |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c2a56eeeba44c8c9b5d399599080dd82025-08-20T01:47:22ZengUniversity of Huddersfield PressFields2057-01632022-05-018110.5920/fields.913Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativityAlice Morris0Art, Design and Architecture, University of HuddersfieldCreativity: a word often associated with fun, colour and play, a sentiment reflected in companies attempting to recreate it for profit. ‘Selfie museums’ (exhibition spaces in which social media influencers can take ‘selfies’ in aesthetically pleasing environments) like the Wondr Experience litter their spaces with similar childlike aesthetics, with the superficial goal of fostering creativity, but resulting in an endless stream of identical Instagram posts and more crucially, ticket sales. This paper reveals a darker and more authentic side to creativity, proposing that discomfort is an essential ingredient. The cute spaces for ‘plandids’ (planned candid photographs) and the beanbags and beer fridges of hipster design studios are juxtaposed by the revelation that to engage in creative thought you have to be in a state of apprehension. Graphic designers often follow the security of grids designed by the likes of Josef Müller-Brockman; however, the piece suggests that these methods lie within the realms of comfort. This tendency for playing it safe is possibly because of the consumerist society we live in – not many designers can afford to take risks because failure means no pay cheque. In such a manner, the paper concludes with the suggestion that due to our cultural context, creativity is observed as an act of rebellion. https://www.fieldsjournal.org.uk/article/id/913/VernacularDesignCreativityJosef Müller-BrockmanYasoi KusamaSir Ken Robinson |
| spellingShingle | Alice Morris Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity Fields Vernacular Design Creativity Josef Müller-Brockman Yasoi Kusama Sir Ken Robinson |
| title | Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity |
| title_full | Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity |
| title_fullStr | Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity |
| title_short | Danger, dirt and degenerates: The rebellious act of creativity |
| title_sort | danger dirt and degenerates the rebellious act of creativity |
| topic | Vernacular Design Creativity Josef Müller-Brockman Yasoi Kusama Sir Ken Robinson |
| url | https://www.fieldsjournal.org.uk/article/id/913/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alicemorris dangerdirtanddegeneratestherebelliousactofcreativity |