Digital Spaces Leave Creative Traces

As a society living in the information age we have gotten used to being surrounded by technology that is ever-changing and evolving. The impact that digital innovation has had on consumerism and convenience is insurmountable and is still advancing at a fast pace. Technology is not only a space within itself, it is also a means of production, a place of collaboration and source of inspiration. Some argue that technology has hindered creativity by making production so easily available to everybody. I believe that technology expands intellectual possibilities and by automating part of the creative process, we can in turn all be more productive and creative.

Creativity functions on intent, the intent to generate useful ideas through innovation. That being said, there are a multitude of creative digital spaces that have not only given individuals a platform to collaborate, but have also expounded on the possibilities of artistic creation. Technology in the current age plays a pivotal role both in how we think about things but also how we create. Technology has transformed the human experience because we are no longer separated by time and space, but rather part of an interconnected network of information. The digital revolution has brought about an immense amount of innovative products and services that are accessible by everyone.

Seemingly innocuous programs and platforms have allowed for creativity to flourish. Let me take you on a journey of what technological spaces have allowed for the cultivation of my creativity. Steve Jobs once said; “The best way to create value in the 21st century is to connect creativity with technology.” Something tells me he was on to something.

In my previous post PSjustwords I spoke to you guys about my first experience openly sharing my artwork and writing with my peers. This process I still find quite difficult at times, especially if what I'm sharing is extremely personal. What I have found to help in regards to shedding that nervous barrier is publishing my writing via Tumblr, a multi-media digital platform that acts as my low-key virtual journal. The best quality that this website and application has is the fact that its users are extremely art oriented. Whenever I feel the least bit uninspired I open up my Tumblr feed and I'm immediately bombarded with beautiful image after image, line after line of prose and posts filled with raw and honest emotion.

Creating artistic content sometimes becomes extremely time consuming and complex. As artists we are always attempting to push boundaries and create constantly, but some of the time our vision has to wait until we get our hands on a computer, luckily with everything behind the screen of our smartphones, creating has never been easier. Meet EasyTiger Apps, a company whose goal it is to promote creativity by creating moments...sound familiar?

My obsession with fonts and layout extends to my artwork, which is why these apps have opened numerous creative doors for me. I am constantly playing with different typeface as well as attempting to recreate them freehand. EasyTiger Apps has a few applications that have broadened my font horizon, these platforms not only have unique fonts built into them they also have image overlay and integration capabilities. These are my favorites;

• FontCandy: Typography & Design
• Fused: Photo Editor & Double Exposure Video Blender
• SplitPic Pro: Photo Collage Editor

Made with FontCandy

Made with Fused

Made with Fused

Yes, I did opt to purchase the full version of each of these apps for the reason that the additional features really are worth the extra couple dollars. Your creativity will thank you, I promise.

Next, I want to touch upon Canva, a website that I found only about a year ago that has given me a simple platform to put together digital mediums into cohesive projects. The Adobe Suite is a complex digital world full of millions of options, buttons and ways to create a desired piece of work, Canva on the other had is similar to Photoshop or Indesign except simplified times a thousand. With plenty of templates for inspiration, Canva allows anyone to dabble with digital design. It has helped me out tremendously in completing projects without the headache that Adobe comes with. As I had mentioned in another one of my previous posts How Hospitality Helped My Creativity I mention that I began to dabble with digital design at my current job at a boutique hotel, I used Canva to add text to hotel imagery and edit together promotional flyers at ease. Although Adobe is vital to creating high quality work, this website can be used for supplemental design work because it gives its user a portable space with many helpful and useful design tools.

Made with Canva

Overall, digital tools have allowed for insurmountable growth in the amount of creativity that permeates our society. Now more than ever, everyone has the ability to express themselves and become an artist.

Keep on creating. xx
P. S.

PSjustwords

Creative growth is something that is vital to existing as an artist. I have been on this journey of passion for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until a little over four years ago during a college drawing class that I had realized that I needed to spill my thoughts onto paper. So let me take you on a little part of of my personal creative journey, and share with you the moment that ignited my creative spark and has kept me going to this day; my final presentation given to a class of thirty, hands shaking, voice breaking and heart racing. With the backdrop of sleepless nights of meticulous creative passion behind me; ink, paint and words—lots of words, I made myself vulnerable.

We wander these streets wondering if maybe one of these days we’re going to find ourselves amongst the chaos, among the trees, hiding and yearning to be found. Everyday I wander and search for something that can’t be found, something that maybe doesn’t exist. That something is passion, passion for something, someone, ourselves. Passion exists. It is something so beautiful and powerful that most of the time is a feeling so incomprehensible that we believe that we are incapable of possessing it. I am a wanderer…lost in a sea of madness. The world that surrounds me is mediocre at best, exciting yes, interesting maybe, but pointless without being passionate about something. This is where I truly lose myself…I realize that I am not passionate about anything. Reaching deep down into my soul I realize that I do possess a passion, a passion to create and discover parts of myself that I did not know existed. It is amazing to realize that a soul so young can be so complex. These thoughts that only now I have been able to acknowledge have been burning a hole in who I am. I was lost and still am, but the road that I have finally discovered, the one that leads to to the deepest and darkest parts of myself is finally one that I feel brave enough to explore and conquer. On this road I will find pieces of a broken person, pieces of a broken heart and pieces of who I actually am. Picking up the pieces of something that is broken is difficult and putting that something back together requires tedious effort. This is something that I am finally prepared to do. At last I am brave enough to realize who I am and who I want to be. • 3:03 pm  •  11 April 2014

To be great is to be misunderstood. I tremble with the need to unravel the vines that are clinging to my throat and wrap around my brain. The words come out like spilled coffee…no mercy. But virgin ears refuse to acknowledge my madness.• 2:07 am  •  16 April 2014

 
Why is it that throughout our lives we yearn for the most impossible, unrealistic, fucked up, frivolous, dangerous and ridiculous things? This happens because we are all dreamers lost in a sea of madness. This world is cruel and unfair and we have to deal with the consequences of treading the unknown, but the most beautifully powerful thing that we own is curiosity which leads us to discover ourselves alongside the universe that surrounds us. This universe is marvelous, something so immense and terrifying that we choose to throw ourselves into it hoping that one day we will run into the person that we want to be. Our lives are compiled of a finite number of moments that define the legacy we will eventually leave behind. In this compilation of moments there are many that lead us to ponder self destruction. What I have learned is that as we perpetually destroy ourselves we learn to take a step back and realize how broken we are. This brokenness is something that should be embraced because that is exactly what defines the essence of our being. As I sit here and write down my overflowing thoughts my lungs are stained and my heart is recovering, but my head sits firmly on my shoulders…it hasn’t been there for a while. • 3:41 am  •  27 April 2014  

I finished reading my words, I looked up and in that moment I felt something that I had never experienced before, exposed. For the first time my art wasn't just my escape—it became my reality. Since that day I haven't stopped writing, I haven't stopped drawing and I will never stop creating.

My head is still in the clouds, I'm just trying to keep my feet on the ground.

P. S.

How-To Unlock Creative Roadblock

If you're like me, creativity plays a pivotal role in your livelihood and well-being as both an artist and a person. Unfortunately, most things that have such beauty also on occasion reveal an ugly side and in terms of creativity the biggest downfall is the dreaded creative block. Luckily just like a bad haircut, this lapse in creativity doesn't have to last forever. Take a deep breath and let me walk you through how to unlock creative roadblock.

Step 1: Stop what you're doing.

Taking on a creative endeavor requires interest in the subject at hand, so how are you supposed to channel new ideas if you're bored. If you find yourself staring at a computer screen, blank canvas or half finished sentence the best thing that I have found to work in my favor is to simply stop. A lot of the time forcing inspiration results in lackluster and stagnant work. Come back to it in an hour with a clear head and tabula rasa of the mind may bring with it a fresh perspective.

Step 2: Change your environment.

Atmosphere is everything when it comes to creativity, as I have mentioned time and time again. Everything from the chair you're sitting on to the guy talking with his hands in the corner of the room influences how well a person functions in a particular situation. So if you find yourself getting frustrated after spending what feels like eternity on a single task, just get up and go! Take a walk, get some fresh air, try out that new coffee shop across the street.

Step 3: Have a conversation.

Surrounding yourself with conversation is beneficial for a few reasons. Bouncing around un-finished ideas or concepts with anyone, even if they aren't themselves all that creative, can spark a new train of thought for yourself. Creative criticism, more often than not, can be encouraging as well as enlightening. Everyone thinks differently so sharing your thoughts with another person can lead to something great.

Step 4: Write it down.

New ideas sometimes come in moments of random inspiration. Carry around a small notebook or even open up a new note in your smartphone and jot down something, those moments of little nothings can amount to a whole lot of something. I almost never leave the house without a small notebook and pen in my bag and for those rare times that I don't I write thoughts down in my phone and come back to them. When you're feeling tired and un-inspired, take a look and allow your mind to fall back into that heads-space because you could have been on to something.

Step 5: Set small goals.

Alright, so you're back in the zone. Now it's time to try again, but before you do make a short list of what you are seeking to accomplish and break it down into smaller goals for yourself. Using this checklist as a guideline of progress, the seemingly impossible task at hand becomes more realistic.

Step 6: Reward yourself.

Motivation at times needs a little bit of incentive, so after setting small goals for yourself in the previous step work in some small rewards. They can be as simple as a snack (because who doesn't like food, duh) or scrolling through Instagram for 15 minutes, this way your mind takes a short break and your focus can be re-calibrated. Another tactic that I have found works wonders is setting aside a specific amount of time for whatever creative endeavor it may be and making plans afterwards, that way accomplishing your goal becomes movie night with bae or happy hour with the girls (win-win situation)

Step 7: Never stop creating.

At times, the sheer frustration and discouragement of creative block makes it hard to keep going. The one thing that an artist should never do is give up on their passion. This too shall pass and what is at the other end is silver lining sanity. Keep pushing forward because the satisfaction of creating something is the beauty of being the creator.

STAY PASSIONATE xx

P. S. 

"Silver lining sanity, carry me home." - Paulina Stanisz (ink on paper)

Procrastination Nation

A Beautiful Mess is a creative blog started by sisters Emma Chapman and Elsie Larson, this technically a lifestyle blog but the topics that they cover are not only do-it-yourself projects. These sisters actually have a handful of e-courses and one of them is called Blog Life which is all about how to become a blogger and sustain a functioning website. Since I am new to this blogosphere I was  browsing their blog and notices an aptly named article titled "Help Me I Procrastinate". Reiterating the fact that I do work full time and go to school simultaneously, that leaves little time to get to blogging. But this sister duo has a few key points that have helped me manage my time slightly better. These include;

1. Lists + Planning: Organize your schedule
2. Variety of Work: Don't bore yourself
3. Work Hours Rule: One thing at a time

Check out this fun and quirky article and see what else you can learn!

Keep your head in the game :)

P. S. 

Distraction Attraction

Let's back track a bit, who remembers when I edited a Wikipedia entry in Inspired by Distraction? I sure do, and I decided to take a look to see if anyone chose to disagree with my meticulous hours of research on the perks of distraction in terms of creativity and productivity. Looks like the wiki-world agrees with me in the entry about Creativity Techniques because my edits still stand! #winning

P. S. 

Iris Van Imagination

Up until this point I have harped about physical creative spaces and the emotion and inspiration that they spur. Today I'm going to take a bit of a different approach to creative space in terms of visually inspiring and idea fueling imagery. I have dabbled in many art forms, be that writing, drawing or design. Fashion has for many years held a special place in my heart, being 14-years-old I had stepped into a world that was intriguing yet terrifying—the modeling industry. From the many young models I have had the pleasure to work with and befriend, I always seemed to steer conversation in a different direction than measurements and castings. I more often than not rather discuss the creative process that went into fashion shows and shoots because it piqued my interest as to how these designers, stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists and photographers came up with the concepts for their work that in the end always became a beautiful composition. That being said, over the years fashion has been an integral part of my life academically, creatively and personally. As most industries, fashion is in perpetual forward motion yet innovation usually only comes in the terms of design, but what if that could be taken one step further—technologically. 

Meet Iris Van Herpen, a Dutch designer at the forefront the digital fashion movement. I stumbled upon this brilliant mind around FW16 last Spring and I was floored. Van Herpen digitized design and 3D printed garments that are impossible to make my hand and by impossible I literally mean humanly impossible. This past week during Paris Couture Fashion Week Van Herpen debuted her 10 year anniversary collection and the result was absolutely breathtaking. 

The fluidity of her garments seems natural, yet the pieces are not sewn via human hand, but computer code. Digitally designed garments can then be turned into code and programmed into a 3D printed and voila, you have fashion of the information age. The way in which technology has allowed for artistic imagination to have no bounds is magnificent, now garments that were not possible to make by hand have the potential to be created by a machine. 

I urge you to take a look and attempt to wrap your mind around the sheer progressive potential of the garment industry in itself. We are the future and individuals that have the bravery to color outside the lines of society are what keep our creative and pragmatic world constantly and consistently moving forward.

P. S. 

Wonderfactory Wonderful

There are a few companies that have jumped on the bandwagon of creative workspaces, Google being the leading contender on that endeavor. Doing some research on creative office spaces I stumbled upon a pretty done pace of an advertising agency that specializes in digital marketing. The space is not only innovative, but also aware of employees needs on a level that is subtle yet powerful. 

The Wonderfactory is located in New York City and is home to a bouquet of creative minds. Each space in the office was designed with purpose and the intent is apparent: to spark creativity and support collaboration. The co-founders of the office space are supportive of the integration of open space coupled with open creativity. Even the entrance takes you for a loop being hidden behind a bookcase, from beginning to end the experience of being in their work environment leaves you wanting more. The immense detail within each room is marketed towards a specific type of experience, whether that be collaborative or independent. Not only do the spaces show a difference in color scheme and ambiance, the way the rooms are connected fosters a sense of fluidity within the work space thus allowing for employees to come together. 

P. S.

Inspired by Distraction

As I have been on the search for creative spaces and places, I have also spent a fair amount of time researching the concept of creativity and its driving factors. The focus of this blog is not only productive work spaces and their atmosphere, I am also intrigued by the many ways that each individual mind navigates finding their creative drive. Although I believe that environment is vastly influential on a person's existence, creativity is a wildly methodical beast. So as any millennial would do, I turned to the expansive world of Google, where I stumbled upon my unavoidable friend Wikipedia who had a few intriguing opinions on this whole creativity thing. Here's what Wiki had to say about Creative Techniques and their Affecting Factors;

Affecting factors

Distraction

A study has found that non-demanding distractions can improve the number of uses that subjects can come up with for an object ("unusual uses task").^[8]

Walking

In 2014, a study found that walking increased creativity,^[9] an activity favored by Albert Einstein.

Sleep and relaxation

Some advocate enhancing creativity by taking advantage of hypnagogia, the transition from wakefulness to sleep, using techniques such as lucid dreaming. One technique used by Salvador Dalí was to drift off to sleep in an armchair with a set of keys in his hand; when he fell completely asleep, the keys would fall and wake him up, allowing him to recall his mind's subconscious imaginings.^[10] Thomas Edison used the same technique, with ball bearings.^[11]

Meditation

A study^[12] from 2014 conducted by researchers in China and the US, including the psychologist Michael Posner found that performing a short 30 minute meditation session each day, for seven days, was sufficient to improve verbal and visual creativity, as measured by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, due to the positive effects of meditation on emotional regulation. The same researchers^[13] also showed in 2015 that short term meditation training could also improve insight-based problem solving (the type commonly associated with an "Ah-ha", or "eureka" type moment of realization) as measured by the Remote Associates Test.

As I have discussed in previous posts, there are many factors that influence the ambiance of a space making it a creative haven, one of which being the sound of a space. Ambient noise in some cases causes distraction, a topic that our friend Wikipedia decided to touch upon much too briefly, so I had a few things to add based on my own extensive research--turns out its not that hard speak my mind to a computer screen. Here's my two cents...or paragraphs;

Affecting factors

Distraction

Multiple studies have confirmed that distraction actually increases creative cognition.^[8] One such study done by Jonathan Schooler found that non-demanding distractions improve performance on a classic creativity task called the UUT (Unusual Uses Task) in which the subject must come up with as many possible uses for a common object. The results confirmed that decision-related neural processes occur during moments of unconscious thought while a person engages in a non-demanding task. The research showed that while distracted a subject isn’t maintaining one thought for a particularly long time, which in turn allows different ideas to float in and out of one’s consciousness—this sort of associative process leads to creative incubation. ^[9]

Ambient noise is another variable that is conducive to distraction, yet it has been proven that a moderate level of noise actually heighten creativity. Professor Ravi Mehta conducted a study to research the degree of distraction induced by various noise levels and their effect on creativity. The series of experiments show that a moderate level of ambient noise (70 dB) produces just enough distraction to induce processing disfluency, which leads to abstract cognition. These higher construal levels caused by moderate levels of noise consequently enhance creativity.^[10]

As a wise man once said; "Brevity is the soul of wit", so for the sake of Shakespeare I didn't include the three subtopics following the one I edited. Here is the link instead: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity_techniques

Go distract yourself with the two studies I mentioned in my Wiki-edit, they're mega-cool!

P. S.