Creativity Crisis #1 : Do we lack creativity in modern times?

[@nancymiller1013]

I totally agree and appreciate your thoughts. I am seeing revival in the arts. Back to canning, knitting, sewing, soap making, ceramics, textile art, in new creative explosive ways ,,,,painting from good products, returning to basics and kicking up style in new way. I see backing off from digital art as “art”. I am a portrait artist who is part of a new perspective that portraits are not only for the wealthy but for the common person. I am sending this link series to my artist world in Austin . I too start with chaos and arrive with order. Too much order is death to creativity!

[@MOstix13]

You are touching on so many points that have real validity in the world today. I agree that current music is lacking creativity. I think the involvement of computers to generate music has taken much of the human touch or “soul” if you will, out of the music. It seems to me that less people are taking the time to learn to play an instrument and/or join with other people to create that special thing that happens when humans join other humans in making live music. I feel like the chaos in the world today is taking a cumulative toll on people’s spirits in general but at the same time squashing their creativity which I believe comes from deep within their being. Realities of life seem to be increasingly heavy this last three years or so. I tend to be most creative when I’m happy and relaxed, not stressed, angry or sad. That’s just me. Love your paintings Scott!

[@ScottNaismithArtist]

I'm sick of hearing the attuning used on vocals, I thought it might have been out of fashion by now. Technology can polish and sand off the edges, but it's those imperfections that can provide the soul and the edges you sand off might just be the entire emotional spirit "corrected" away. I would personally agree with your last point however I do produce some of my best work under pressure (however not anger or sadness). I also think there are many others who have produced their most creative work in very difficult circumstances, so I'm not sure this is necessarily a factor. I like to think that the creativity serves the purpose of balancing order and chaos. In times of chaos, creativity brings order and times of order, creativity brings chaos...

[@paulkingMotion]

I think you nailed it Scott, everything feels very ordered at the moment and very homogenized. You're really nailing a sentiment I've been feeling this past few years so you're not alone. I love your painting in the background by the way.

[@ScottNaismithArtist]

Excesses of order can be hard to criticise, or even see as anything other than progressive. You have strict control, protection, restriction often through fear and mostly for safety. All good until the progressive becomes the regressive and too much freedom is sacrificed. We live in a continuous battle to balance order and chaos with very few tools to measure the weight of either other than our instinct, which we can't allow to be hijacked!

[@Towie30]

The Chats are a punk band from Australia and The Snuts from Glasgow . You are right, there is a distinct lack of new bands, coming through.

[@clachnastrone]

Hi Scott. My view - it’s not a cessation of creativity - the variable here is the market/audience = a societal change. People are switched on to different things now. The traditional creativity ‘media’ such as art music sculpture writing have been overtaken by digital alternatives such as games, social platforms, apps. It’s a new dimension and a new alternative for ‘consumers’ to choose.

[@dmreturns6485]

ok. Very interesting topic. - When the internet was new it was the "wild-west" ... this was where the chaos, novelty and creativity were holding a lot of promise and expectation. Once the internet got older "normies" start to get involved. Then BIG MONEY starts to get involved. Then the "great averageing of everything" starts to happen. The nasty bits get knocked off. The weird corners get filled in. The surface gets smoother and smoother. Risks become hazards that break rules. -- Many things follow this parttern. Next big thing is AI. Right now it's in the early "wild-west" phase. But it will also be "averaged out" with the application of corporations, normies and billions of dollars worth of sand paper. (I'm being glum for dramatic effect) My basic definition of creativity is simiply "connecting things that have not been connected before". Can AI be creative? If an areoplane (machine) can be described as "flying" without having living feathers, then AI can be described as creative without a living human brain. Just my reactions to your video. Keep the discussion going, great topic.

[@lorinsmall5403]

I travel the western US and in every large city there are the same stores, same restaurants, hotels... it's sooooo boring. No wonder why huge shopping centers are closing. There's really nothing there to spark joy only fakeness.

[@dai19721]

go woke go broke. " Hard times create strong men, Strong men create good times, Good times create weak men and weak men create hard times. " -- G. Michael Hopf

[@ScottNaismithArtist]

When weak, you're not brave, when you're not brave, you're not creative. Decline in creativity might be the canary in the coal mine, or maybe one of many signals we should be paying attention to.

[@dai19721]

@@ScottNaismithArtist woke ideology is killing artistic creativity.