Overnight our days were turned upside down, we lost the usual day structure, and we fell into a state of uncertainty. It is said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? But in such circumstances, it seems that what does not kill you makes you creative. Despite the closure of cinemas, theaters and museums during the current period to reduce the chances of the spread of the new Corona virus (Covid-19), this does not mean extinguishing the flame of creativity. On the pages of creative communication it seemed Everyone is as if they have become creative.
In 1606, with the widespread outbreak of plague in England, theaters in London were closed to reduce gatherings and reduce outbreaks of infection. Shakespeare was working during this period in the theater group "The King's Men," and Shakespeare used the pause to write three of his most important plays, "King Lear", "Antonio and Cleopatra" and "Macbeth." (1) In another episode of the plague, and during Isolated on a farm 60 miles from the university, Isaac Newton came up with the theory of gravity. These and other stories about Pushkin, Chikov, Munch and other artists and creators who were able to produce their most important creative works during times of epidemic have recently spread, perhaps in search of some hope in all the confusion around us.
Some decided to learn to draw, and others began to learn to play new musical instruments, and with the long hours of isolation in the homes, some people competed in renovating their porches and turning them into a kind of garden, and with the advent of the month of Ramadan, many began making decorations for their homes instead of buying them. Not only these artistic activities, people around the world have devised many ways to communicate and break the state of isolation that can be seen as a creativity in itself, from collective singing on balconies in Italy, or collective applause to greet the healthcare provider, or rainbows that Children post it on the balconies, not the end with innovative ways to communicate online, all of which can be described as being creative.
Social media pages are crowded with pictures and videos that monitor different images of creativity. What is the secret behind this creative flow? Is there a link between the pandemic and creativity?
Are we waiting for a new Shakespeare from the womb of corona?
Can we make these simple things like tuk-tuk clips, laughing mems and new recipes creative? The truth is that creativity does not mean expecting everyone to turn, during quarantine, into Shakespeare. To understand the creative process in these simple activities, we review the "4C Model of Creativity" developed by James Kaufman and Ron Bigito, a framework developed to categorize different levels of creative expression and explore possible paths of creative maturity. For clarity, the letter "C" indicates "Creativity", meaning creativity in English. The model divides creative activity into four levels:
Mini C: intended for the personal stage, or simple creative moments that express the personal vision of the creative person, and includes initial and creative interpretations.
Little C: It refers to the creative activities practiced by non-experts daily, and the importance of this level of reference comes to the widening scope of the creative potential and not limited to specialists. For example, someone writes simple stories and shares them with their friends on a small scale.
Pro-c: This level represents creative progress and effort to achieve it, which is aware of the importance of making an effort to develop creative content. For example, someone writes stories more professionally and shares them more widely, or publish some.
Big C: This level includes outstanding and outstanding creative contributions such as prominent artists and scholars whose contributions have affected humanity. For example, a famous and influential writer in the field of literature.
Unfortunately, many view the last level as the only and exclusive form of creativity and ignore the levels below it, but this view is short and causes frustration for many people, and it may kill the seeds of creativity in people at primary levels. (2)
What then drives us to want to be creative during this crisis?
In a questionnaire conducted by the Washington Post to its readers on how they spent time in quarantine, more than 250 readers passed toward them to learn musical instruments or try new cooking techniques and other creative courses. With more time and less distraction, some have found time to start new projects or complete forgotten projects. And not only that, a platform like "Tik Tok" has seen many, many creations, and people seemed to have finally found time to express their creative talents and desires. E-learning platforms such as "Dolingo", "Coursera" and "EDRAQ" have witnessed unprecedented demand during this period. (3)
There are a group of factors that came together during the crisis of the emerging coronavirus (COVID-19), which seems to have gathered together led to this unprecedented flow of our creative energies. The only ones are these simple, creative actions:
Boredom: Before boredom kills us .. we try to kill it
Boredom, boredom, distress, different vocabulary, but do they all describe the same feeling? Perhaps not, according to this study there are five different types of boredom:
The third and fourth types are what we are talking about here, this type of boredom looking for a smuggler is what drives us to search for new things to do, it is what drives us to browse the Internet in search of new information, or to join a virtual group to learn to play the accordion, and perhaps it is what drives us to decide suddenly Home wall paint.
Boredom is what creates the moments when your mind begins a desperate search, thirsts for motivation, hoping that enthusiasm will take you and take your hands out of the darkness of boredom. This research is what generates the spark of creativity. (5)
Restrictions: What do constraints do to us? .. push us to break them
We now feel that we are prisoners inside our homes, imposed on us by the restrictions of social separation, ban, quarantine and creative closures. How do all these restrictions push us towards creativity? According to an article published in the "Harvard Business Review" based on an aggregate analysis of the data of 145 studies conducted on restrictions, while people intuitively tend to think that restrictions limit creativity, the truth is that they do the opposite, in situations where we are completely free from any restriction (for example Example time pressure or financial pressure) a feeling of indifference is common, and we follow what psychology calls the path of least resistance, and we tend to intuitive ideas that come to our minds without making an effort to develop better ideas.
Whereas, on the contrary, restrictions exclude from us clear and usual solutions, and make us compelled to re-evaluate matters and seek other ways to solve problems other than the usual. This is precisely what the ban did, because after the simple visit of the neighbors became unavailable, singing on the balcony was invented, and after buying ready-made sweets has become a risk of infection, we have to create them in the kitchen. (6)
Isolation .. creativity without distractions
"Serious work cannot be accomplished without great isolation."
Picasso.
The worlds of art, literature and music are filled with examples that link solitude and inspiration. Isolation, loneliness, and lack of belonging are all intertwined concepts in this framework, and they all seem to stimulate retreat and move away from the outside world and its complexities and try to find a safe and alternative world in personal creativity. Although there is a fundamental difference between the optional solitude of the artist and the compulsory isolation that we live in today, both share the space they provide to work on creative projects without interruption or distraction.
Chambers, an environmental psychologist, tells me: “If we reflect on the practical benefits of isolation and its effect on creativity, we can see that if you design a suitable working environment to work effectively during isolation, this will provide you with the ability to work with fewer dispersants, and you will find it easier for you to engage in the creative flow process Many creators deliberately withhold a number of days in their agenda and set aside to focus more deeply on their creative work without external disturbance or the influence of others. Isolation in this case can provide you with a splash of inspiration to create a great creative work. ”(7)
Creative innovation as a space for hope
For many years we have lived in a rat-like race, looking around at work and making money, and seeking rest or leave seems like a charge of laziness. These days give us an opportunity to slow down the accelerating pace of days that has almost run over us under its wheels, giving us the opportunity to regain our fragility, away from the cruelty generated by the race in frantic daily struggles. From here a door for breathing opens, where creativity or the practice of the arts in general allows us the opportunity to look at ourselves and contemplate our insides. And when we create something and release our positive energy and put it at a tangible distance, we feel that we are reproducing life in the face of all the successive news of death and the destruction that surrounds us. This means that we are playing a role in the production of life. Humanity will begin to crumble if people lose hope in a time of fear and death, and this is the role of creativity, keeping hope alive. (8)
In the end, our talk about Shakespeare and Newton does not mean that you have to be like them, you do not have to do every hour a creative work, or that during the isolation hours you get dozens of academic degrees, we are just human beings, some of us are still working full time, especially Workers in the fields of health care, food sales, and others whose work is now considered double pressure.
As for some, they suddenly woke up to the decisions to close their children's schools, so they had to swing like a circus player between home education lessons, children's entertainment, and keeping them healthy and fit, all by following the rules of positive education without getting mad. Some are trying to escape from uncontrollable panic attacks, trapped by all these pressures and negative news circles that seem to be never ending. And of us who have lost their jobs or nearly, and suffer to meet their basic needs. We are just human beings, whether our day is full of productivity, or running in a frenzied race that has not been calmed by the crisis, or even staring at the ceiling of the room. All we seek is to survive, even for another day.
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