TEDxNapoli - David Parrish - a-Creativity: i-Creativity
Summary
TLDRThe speaker explores the multifaceted nature of creativity, distinguishing between 'artistic creativity' and a broader 'creative ingenuity' that manifests in problem-solving across various fields. Emphasizing the importance of creativity in crisis, the talk encourages embracing both artistic and innovative thinking to achieve unique success, suggesting the term 'I-creativity' for the latter. Examples include B Calypso's strategic piracy, art galleries' cooperative competition, and Steve Messon's funding through tourism promotion, illustrating how combining creativity with business acumen can lead to remarkable outcomes.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Creativity is not limited to the arts but also includes problem-solving, ingenuity, and innovation across all fields of human endeavor.
- 🎨 The term 'artistic creativity' encompasses visual arts, music, design, architecture, fashion, and computer games, which are the foundation of the creative industries.
- 🤔 The broader concept of 'creativity' includes lateral thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential in agriculture, science, politics, education, healthcare, and even warfare.
- 🚀 Some of the most innovative solutions in human history have emerged during times of crisis, highlighting the importance of creativity in overcoming challenges.
- 👨🎨 Historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Shakespeare exemplify artistic creativity, while modern examples include fashion, design, and cinema.
- 🔄 The speaker suggests distinguishing between 'a creativity' (artistic) and 'i creativity' (ingenuity) to clarify the different applications of creativity.
- 💡 Creativity can be applied to business practices, such as marketing, finance, and management, leading to unique successes that align with individual or organizational values.
- 🌐 The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning from other sectors and combining artistic creativity with smart business thinking to achieve success.
- 🔗 Examples provided include a Brazilian music group working with pirates for promotion, art galleries in Vietnam cooperating for mutual benefit, and a British artist securing funding through innovative marketing strategies.
- 🌱 The message encourages embracing and respecting both forms of creativity to unlock potential and achieve success, especially during times of crisis.
Q & A
What does the speaker suggest is the relationship between creativity and crisis?
-The speaker suggests that creativity loves a crisis and that some of the most creative solutions in human endeavor have come about during times of crisis.
What are the two types of creativity mentioned in the script?
-The two types of creativity mentioned are 'artistic creativity' which includes visual arts, music, design, architecture, fashion, and computer games, and 'I creativity' which refers to ingenuity, innovation, invention, lateral thinking, or problem-solving in various fields.
Why does the speaker argue that the term 'creativity' can be confusing?
-The speaker argues that the term 'creativity' can be confusing because it has at least two meanings: one that implies artistic creativity and another that refers to a broader sense of ingenuity or problem-solving. This dual meaning can prevent a comprehensive discussion of creativity.
What examples of artistic creativity does the speaker provide?
-The speaker provides examples of artistic creativity such as the art of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, the literature of Shakespeare, the music of Mozart, and modern classics in fashion, design, and cinema.
How does the speaker define 'I creativity'?
-The speaker defines 'I creativity' as a broader form of creativity that includes ingenuity, innovation, invention, lateral thinking, or simply problem-solving, and can be found in all fields of human endeavor.
What is the problem the speaker identifies with the term 'creative' in the English language?
-The problem identified is that the term 'creative' in the English language tends to imply artistic creativity, leading some people to believe they are 'not creative' if they don't possess artistic talent, despite potentially being highly creative in other fields.
What does the speaker propose to differentiate between artistic and broader creativity?
-The speaker proposes using the term 'A creativity' for artistic creativity and 'I creativity' for the broader kind of creativity that includes ingenuity and problem-solving.
Why does the speaker believe that 'creatives' often switch off their creativity in business settings?
-The speaker believes that 'creatives' might switch off their creativity in business settings because they think business is boring or not creative, denying the existence of creativity outside the artistic field.
What is the metaphor 't-shirts and suits' referring to?
-The metaphor 't-shirts and suits' refers to the combination of artistic creativity ('t-shirts') and smart business thinking ('suits').
What are some examples given of combining 'A creativity' and 'I creativity'?
-Examples include the Brazilian band B Calypso working with music pirates, two art galleries in Vietnam cooperating to sell art online, and British artist Steve Messon securing funding for his sculptures by promoting them as an advertising opportunity.
What is the speaker's conclusion about the importance of recognizing and respecting both types of creativity?
-The speaker concludes that by recognizing and respecting both 'A creativity' and 'I creativity', we can open our eyes to amazing possibilities in all fields, adapt these ideas to our purposes, and achieve our own version of success, especially in times of crisis.
Outlines
🎨 Artistic and General Creativity
The speaker begins by discussing the importance of creativity during times of crisis, highlighting that some of the most innovative solutions have emerged from challenging periods. They differentiate between artistic creativity, which encompasses the visual arts, music, design, architecture, fashion, and computer games, and a broader sense of creativity, which includes ingenuity, innovation, invention, lateral thinking, and problem-solving. Examples of the latter are provided, such as the creation of the London Underground, the Australian School of the Air, and the high-jump technique of Dick Fosbury. The speaker points out the terminological confusion between artistic creativity and broader creativity, suggesting that the latter is often overlooked despite its prevalence and importance across various fields.
🤝 Combining Artistic and Business Creativity
The speaker proposes the terms 'I-creativity' for artistic creativity and 'E-creativity' for broader creativity, emphasizing the need for those in creative fields to learn from other sectors. They argue that creativity is not confined to the arts and that even those who do not consider themselves artistically creative can be highly innovative in other areas. The speaker, drawing from personal experience as a management consultant, notes a tendency for creative individuals to switch off their creativity when dealing with business aspects, suggesting that this is a missed opportunity. They advocate for the combination of artistic creativity with smart business thinking, using the metaphor of 'T-shirts and Suits' to illustrate the point.
🚀 Case Studies in Creative Business Strategies
The speaker presents case studies to illustrate the successful integration of artistic and business creativity. In Brazil, the band B Calypso turned music pirates into a marketing channel, providing them with advance copies of their CDs to create buzz for their concerts. In Vietnam, two competing art galleries cooperated to set up an e-commerce website, expanding their customer base. British artist Steve Messon secured funding for his sculpture project by pitching it as a tourism and advertising opportunity. These examples demonstrate how creativity can be applied in business strategies to achieve success, even during times of crisis.
🌟 Embracing Creativity in All Forms
In the concluding paragraph, the speaker calls for a celebration and exploration of creativity in all its forms, across all fields of human endeavor. They encourage the recognition and respect for both artistic and broader creativity, suggesting that by doing so, we can unlock amazing possibilities. The speaker emphasizes the importance of adopting and adapting creative ideas to fit our values and objectives, thereby achieving our own version of success. The message is one of optimism and empowerment, suggesting that creativity is a universal tool that can be harnessed to overcome challenges and achieve goals, especially during times of crisis.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Creativity
💡Crisis
💡Artistic Creativity
💡Ingenuity
💡Innovation
💡Lateral Thinking
💡Problem Solving
💡Success
💡T-shirts and Suits
💡Cooperation
💡E-commerce
Highlights
Creativity is especially important during times of crisis.
Creativity encompasses both artistic creativity and a broader concept of ingenuity and problem-solving.
Artistic creativity includes various fields such as visual arts, music, design, and architecture.
Examples of artistic creativity range from historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci to modern fashion and design.
The broader concept of creativity, or 'eye creativity', includes innovation, invention, and lateral thinking.
Innovative solutions like the London underground, the Australian School of the Air, and the Fosbury Flop exemplify 'eye creativity'.
The terminology of creativity can cause confusion due to its dual meanings.
The word 'creativity' is often associated with the arts, overshadowing its application in other fields.
The speaker suggests using 'air creativity' for artistic creativity and 'eye creativity' for broader ingenuity.
People with 'air creativity' can learn from those in other sectors, and vice versa.
Creatives often switch off their creativity when dealing with business aspects, which is a missed opportunity.
Combining artistic creativity with smart business thinking is crucial for success.
The metaphor 't-shirts and suits' represents the fusion of artistic and business creativity.
B Calypso in Brazil turned music piracy into a marketing strategy by collaborating with street vendors.
Two art galleries in Vietnam cooperated to create an e-commerce website, expanding their market reach.
British artist Steve Messon used 'eye creativity' to secure funding for his sculptures through tourism promotion.
Recognizing and respecting both 'air' and 'eye' creativity can lead to unique successes in various fields.
Celebrating and exploring creativity in all its forms can lead to more successful creative businesses and projects.
Transcripts
chiao tedex
Napoli creativity loves a
crisis especially at times of Crisis we
need
creativity indeed some of the most
Creative Solutions in human endeavor
have come about at times of crisis
but what do we mean by the word
creativity well there is artistic
creativity the visual arts
music
design
architecture fashion computer
games these are the kinds of artistic
creativity on which the concept of the
creative Industries is
based
there are many examples of artistic
creativity various and obvious ones from
the art of Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo to the literature of
Shakespeare to the music of
mozard in more recent times there are
modern Classics in the area of fashion
design and Cinema
but there is also a more General meaning
of the word
creativity a creativity that could be
described as
Ingenuity
Innovation
invention lateral thinking or simply
problem
solving we can find this kind of
creativity in all fields of human
endeavor in agriculture culture in
science in
politics in
education in health care and in
Warfare here are just a few examples of
that wider kind of creativity that we
might call
Ingenuity sending steam Trends through
tunnels under the Streets of London to
create the world's first underground
Railway
system providing education By Radio to
Children isolated in the farms in the
outback through the Australian school of
the
air winning Olympic gold in the high
jump by leaping over the bar
backwards as dick Fosbury
did and brokering small loans to people
to set up businesses in some of the
poorest countries of the world through
the not for-profit organization
Kea and there are thousands more
examples like this of human
Ingenuity these are all ingenious
Innovations but we would never call them
artistic and yet they are Creative
Solutions to human problems
the fact is creativity is
everywhere but we have a problem of
terminology the word creativity has two
meanings at
least and this can cause confusion and
can prevent us from discussing
creativity in the widest way possible
possible and in the most useful way
possible in the English language the
word creativity tends to imply artistic
creativity you might say that the word
creativity has been hijacked by the
world of the
Arts consequently some people will say
they are quote not
creative by which they mean they don't
have any artistic
talent and yet they might be ingenious
Engineers Innovative
educationalists or inventive in the
field of
Agriculture ironically some of the most
creative people do not associate
themselves with the word
creativity and that's what I meant when
I wrote in my book
book that creativity is not the Monopoly
of the
artist so for the sake of
clarity let's use two different
terms I
suggest air
creativity to mean artistic Crea
creativity of all
kinds and also eye creativity for that
wider kind of creativity that we might
call
Ingenuity people with air creativity
have a lot to offer to the world to
Society at
large and they can help in all kinds of
ways but at the same time people with
air creativity have a lot to learn from
other other people in other sectors of
society they I should say we because I
include myself in that category have a
lot to learn from other sectors beyond
the creative industries from people
working in science politics education
agriculture
Etc frankly we need to get out
more in my experience
working as a Management Consultant
advising creative Enterprises in
countries all around the
world I find that many people who label
themselves as
creative the creatives that these people
are highly creative in the
studio but when they move into the
office to do the business kind of things
they somehow switch off their
creativity perhaps they think that
business is
boring perhaps they think that business
is not
creative in doing so they deny that
creativity exists anywhere outside the
artistic
field the fact is all of us need to use
this kind of eye
creativity especially in times of Crisis
to make our businesses our organizations
and our projects even more
successful and when I use the word
success I mean success that we Define
for
ourselves a unique kind of success that
fits our own objectives our own
values so that we can be find that
unique uh kind of success that relates
to our
endeavors the fact is we can be creative
in the studio and we can be creative
also in the
office in other words we can be creative
in the way that we
invent creative uh goods and
services but we can be also creative in
the way that we manage our
Enterprises yes we can
combine artistic
creativity and smart business
thinking and that's what I mean when I
use the metaphor t-shirts and
Suits here are a few examples of how
people have combined air creativity and
eye
creativity in other words have how they
have put
together artistic creativity and smart
business
thinking in
Brazil B Calypso found that people were
pirating their music and selling
CDs without their permission on street
corner
stalls they could have tried to stop
this IL legal practice of
pirating but instead they used eye
creativity to think
differently they recognized that they
could work with the Pirates rather than
against
them they decided that they could use
these Pirates as their marketing
department so instead of stopping them
they encouraged them they actually sent
the masters of their CDs in advance
to Street Corner vendors they even sent
masters of the artwork so they could
make a good job of these pirated
copies and by doing that they were able
to build an audience for their gigs
before they arrived in the city the
result was that their concerts were
always full with these new fans and as a
result they had made so much money that
they now fly from City to City in Brazil
in their own private
jet so they combined their musical
creativity with business creativity they
are an example of how you can combine
artistic creativity and smart business
thinking in Vietnam two art galleries in
hoochi Min City Saigon were competing
for two tourist
customers they were
competitors but they also recognized
using eye
creativity that they could work together
for Mutual
benefit they decided that they could
cooperate with competitors they used
this idea of
cooption cooption is a word a hybrid
word that creatively Blends cooperation
and
competition by working with the Enemy
you can benefit and they decided to set
up an e-commerce website to sell the art
from both of their galleries online to a
wider audience
internationally as a result both
galleries sold more
paintings and so sometimes it Mak makes
good business sense to cooperate with
your
competitors British Artist Steve
messon creates wonderful
sculptures sometimes with a grant from
public bodies such as the Arts Council
of
England but nowadays in times of Crisis
is much more difficult to get
grants so instead of giving up he used
his eye creativity to think about
ingenious solutions to how he could fund
his
projects He devised the sculpture
project called the
drop the drop is a is a a sculpture a
huge drop of water that was to be
installed in specific locations in the
English Lake District he realized he
could use used this sculpture to promote
tourism so he went to the marketing
department of the tourist authority to
talk about his sculpture not in terms of
its artistic Merit but in terms of
Commerce and the advertising opportunity
it would give them and he made business
cases so that they then invested £35,000
that's about €40,000
in his project as an investment in
publicity in terms of advertising
equivalent value in other words they
could get more publicity by investing in
his sculpture than they could by buying
conventional
advertising his project was funded in
that way and he didn't compromise his
Artistic integrity or his artistic
Vision in any way I congratulate him for
his air creativity but also for his eye
creativity so let's use eye
creativity let's learn from other
sectors beyond the creative Industries
beyond the world of the Arts about how
we can be ingenious in terms of raising
Finance how we can be inventive in the
way that we create joint
ventures how we can be imaginative
in the way that we do our marketing by
listening to customers and promoting our
services let's learn how we can use
lateral thinking to sell
internationally Etc and we can learn
these things from other fields of human
endeavor so in conclusion I would say
that first of all by recognizing both
kinds of
creativity and respecting both kinds of
creativity we can open our eyes to
amazing possibilities that exist out
there in all kinds of fields of human
endeavor we can then adopt these ideas
and adapt them to our own specific
purposes to make sure that they fit with
our values and our objectives so that we
can achieve our own version of success
so let's celebrate creativity in all its
manifestations let's explore creativity
everywhere in all fields of human
activity let's recognize and respect not
only air creativity but also eye
creativity in this
way even in times of
Crisis especially in times of crisis we
can make our creative
businesses cultural projects and social
movements even more
successful good luck thank
[Applause]
you
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