http://library.bcu.ac.uk/learner/writingguides/1.04.htm
"A good literature, therefore, is critical of what has been written, identifies areas of controversy, raises questions and identifies areas which need further research." (Gould, S. 2011)
"......linked at all times to your own purpose and rationale." (Gould, S. 2011)
After reading the above statement, I felt it would be good to post my inquiry question at the top of my literature review so it remains in the back of my mind through out. Module three student, Bethany Huckle, also suggested using the 'PEE' technique when writing (i.e. Point, evidence, explanation) to help provide structure.
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My inquiry: "What interdisciplinary skills should I as dancer possess in order to impact positively on the creative success of a musical theatre production? What affect can these have on my professional, working relationships?"
"What is creativity? The National Theatre's Ollie Winser talks design, inspiration and the digital revolution." (Staff writer, 2015) www.thedrum.com
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/06/24/what-creativity-national-theatres-ollie-winser-talks-design-inspiration-and-digital
Introduction: (outline of the literature including main topics covered and the importance of this to my topic)
This interview was conducted by The Drum Magazine as part of a campaign sponsored by Millennial Media to "decode the DNA of pure creativity'". As part of this campaign the Staff Writer approaches several creative experts from different industries including television, theatre, design and music. The aim is to discover what the individuals define as creativity, the alignment between creative ideas and creative output, the impact of digital revolution; as well as what inspires them and their opinions on how creativity can be nurtured.
This particular interview was with the creative director of the National Theatre's graphic design studio, a man who is responsible for the design output across the organisation. The National theatre claims to be one of the world's leading theatre producers, staging up to 30 productions each year and having a global audience of over 4.2 million people. It is highly regarded amongst the public audience, artists, and attracts many a creative expert. Before I can look into the impact of cross disciplinary skills on creative success, I must explore the assumptions behind it with particular focus on a theatrical environment. Discovering a stronger meaning will provide me with more focus when studying the interdisciplinary skills required and how relationships are impacted upon executing such skills. Therefore, expert Ollie Winser's perspective surrounding creativity will be of great value to my research. I have decided to structure my review using the interview questions as sub headings.
"How do you define creativity?"
Ollie believes that creativity is about "making something new". This would imply that originality is key to creative success. In relation to musical theatre, there have been many a production of the same musical but you often hear the creative team say how they want to 'bring something new' to the production in order to put their own stamp on it and to make it interesting for the audience. This makes me wonder if the concept of currency (Bourdieu, P. 1972), explored in Module 1: Part 3, is vital to the creative success of a production. This links in with the actual inquiry process and the continuation of professional development in order to stay current with skills, networks and audience expectation. I was part of the 2015 UK tour of Annie, a production which was originally performed in the UK in the West End, 1978. I have found a photograph from each production and you can clearly see the development in costumes and set design. What was a creative success back in 1978, may not be perceived so now and vice versa. In regards to 'cross disciplinary skills' from my inquiry question, does that mean these are also continually advancing to accommodate these expanding, creative boundaries? I believe this ties in with the creative imperatives so looking into how these have changed in musical theatre would benefit the inquiry.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity-interviews/whats-you-wont-miss-you-7324352
Ollie feels that "creativity is most valuable when it says something about the human experience." According to the Oxford dictionary, experience is defined as an "event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone." Therefore a creative success could be measured by the emotional and intellectual impact it has on others. Musical theatre is a form of performance and entertainment combining several art forms. I believe the purpose of entertainment is to engage an audience and make them feel something. If as human beings we are positively affected by something, I believe we are more likely to value it and thus deem it a creative success. Therefore, is audience reaction towards our skills a measure of our creative success? I'd like to look into audience reviews of my current production to assess their take on the creative elements of the show.
"Where does your inspiration come from?"
Ollie states that his inspiration come from "a mixture of observation and conversation. I love looking at work but I also love discussing it. This has a lot to do with my interest in language, process and collaboration." Observation and conversation both involve others - they aren't individual activities. This supports my idea that creative success is more likely to occur when people work collectively as a team, sharing ideas and learning from one another. It also supports my chosen research methods of observation and interview in order to gain qualitative data whilst expanding and developing professional networks. I'd like to look further into the language and process I should use when conducting these activities in order to get the most out of them and conduct them as ethically as possible.
I read a book on psychology by Dr Nick Hayes. He spoke about 'comparative psychology' which is where we compare our individual behaviour to that when we are interacting with others. He also talks about humans being 'social animals' and learning what we need to know from our 'direct social influences', including our working communities (Lave and Wenger). This also supports the idea that collaboration and interaction are key to creative success. What I am interested to explore is how interdisciplinary skills can affect the approach and success of such interactions and in turn, the relationships formed with colleagues.
"Good creative conversations can be inspiring because they forge new ideas", says Ollie. I found this statement particularly interesting because a definition of 'forge' in the Oxford dictionary is to 'create
(something) strong, enduring or successful.' Therefore, it would seem that ideas formed from experts working together lead to a bigger creative success.
"Can creativity be taught or is it entirely instinctive?"
A main purpose of my inquiry is of course, to learn and to continue professional development in Musical Theatre. I am hoping that the interdisciplinary element of my inquiry enables the obtaining of new skills. Ollie believes "people with creative instinct also want to improve their output, and that's often through learning - learning from their own experiences but also the experience of others." This supports the idea that I wish to explore as my inquiry topic. How developing skills, not only as a dancer, but in the areas of other experts will improve creative success. Now the questions is, what skills in particular? I feel that this is where professional conversations and observations of people in other departments will provide useful.
"How closely do the two sides of creativity - thinking and producing - need to be aligned?"
Ollie again suggests that creative success is a result of collaboration and shared ideas that complement one another. "You can have a good idea badly produced and a brilliant production of a bad idea, but I think they need to be aligned if you want to make great creative work." The above quote made me wonder if the producer is actually classed as part of the creative team. When Ollie states that the ideas and producing should be aligned, it probes curiosity about how much creativity a producer should possess and how much business and administrative skills a creative should possess. It suggests interdisciplinary skills and understanding of other experts is required for the creative success of a production. However as in my inquiry, it is not about stepping on other people's toes when questioning, observing and learning elements of their area; it is about a creative meeting budgets and requirements, and the producers helping to make a vision happen for example. It also made me think about the concept of leadership in creative success. I did some research on the role of a producer and came across an article in 'What's on stage' discussing a new titular addition - 'creative' producer. It seems this has formed from some people's attitude towards the producer being purely an administrative role. The opposing debate is that producers have always been 'creative entrepreneurs' and that those who are successful have always required creative skills in the form of taste, presentation and judgement on creative aspects such as the script and choreography. I believe that the producer can be a great influencer when it comes to the creative imperatives. Working with them and forming positive relationships, I feel, will only help when it comes to their facilitating of ideas and creative success.
"What impact has the digital revolution had on creativity in its widest sense?"
"There's a lot of imitation out there - as people see more, they imagine less." We have discovered in module 1 that the internet and web based communications have done wonders for collective intelligence, collaboration and the sharing of ideas. It has helped facilitate independent learning by providing a huge reference base but what has it done for creativity? I think it is important to distinguish the difference between getting inspiration for ideas and copying them, whether it be subconsciously or consciously. I believe that we must use information we see and read on the internet to feed our own imagination rather than relying on it. It supports Ollie's earlier definition of creativity - you "make something new". In other words, a creative success something that is imaginative and original.
"Social media has opened up creative communications and has enabled us to engage better with audiences." Ollie talks about interaction with others, implying that creativity is more obtainable or successful in numbers. We have established that creative environments, such as the arts, are collaborative environments. Increased communication helps to feed creative activity. There is huge stress on interaction with our personal and professional communities, as well as our special interest groups, at Middlesex University. This is because these interactions can instigate ideas or provide evidence for our own topics of interest. Having a larger network of creative communications that involve varying experts, will also help to facilitate each other's ideas and provide deeper understanding and support. More over, creative access is often a team effort.
"How can creativity best be nurtured?"
"By allowing and embracing failure as a necessary part of any creative process", says Ollie. I feel that this supports my chosen research method of trial and error as part of participant observation - particularly in a practical environment. A common saying is that 'we learn from our mistakes' implying that failure can be a positive thing. You must have a go and get things wrong in order to learn and better yourself as a professional. Therefore I believe acknowledgement of failures and areas for improvement, are key when it comes to creative success. In regards to my role as a dancer, this could be through my knowledge of different steps and how they should be executed or reaction from others (such as the audience) to my movements for example. This also suggests that having a broader skill set can allow for increased creativity and the importance of relationships when it comes to defining the successes. In regards to making mistakes and failures, although they are accepted and acknowledged as part of the creative process, is there a time and a place? For musical theatre professionals and dancers, I believe the rehearsal room is where this should happen. When reaching the stage you're expected by the producers, creative leaders and audience to demonstrate the performance consistently and to a certain standard. Continual mistakes will become frowned upon. At the end of the rehearsal process, i.e. the creative process, the aim is to have achieved creative success ready for the technical period and paying audience. This clarifies what Ollie says in the sense that failure is a vital part of the process - not the product.
Ollie also feels that "creative spaces" are imperative for creative success. "A good creative leader won't have all the ideas but they'll build an environment in which they will flourish." I feel that both practical and atmospheric elements of the environment are imperative. Auditions are a great example
of this. They can be very nerve wracking experiences for the people auditioning which can make it difficult for the individual to reach their full potential. I had a lovely experience where one director actually had a chair out for me; he shook my hand and we had general chit chat in order to make the environment a relaxing and encouraging one before singing my song. It's in the directors interest after all to get the best out of the performers and to see the most successful representation of their ability. I think this can also be applied in the rehearsal room for a musical theatre production. The more comfortable you are made to feel, the more you can focus on the creative aspect of the process and flourish. In a more direct application of the theatre setting and for a dancer in particular - i believe it is more the practical elements of the environment allowing for the creative success to happen and grow even more. Things like even flooring, sufficient temperatures and costumes that facilitate the choreography. Therefore it seems the level of creative success achieved is partly dependant on the working environment.
Conclusion: (summary of what has been written, identifies areas of controversy, raises questions and identifies areas which need further researching relation to topic)
From this interview, I have come to understand that originality is key to creative success. Ideas should be imaginative and different, as well as up to date with the ever advancing skills, facility and expectation. I would argue that this applies more to the creation of a new production or concept. In regards to an existing, successful, musical theatre production; creative success can be defined by the impact it has on the audience and their reactions. This in the form of emotions, applause and reviews of the company delivering the creative aspects. It would be great to compare reviews of a brand new musical against a musical that has been running for years, and see how they vary in judgement in regards to the creative elements.
It has also been established that there are factors affecting creative success. Creative imperatives such as skill set of individuals, equipment available and surrounding environment all being big contributors to this. Collaborating, communicating and interacting with others is also mentioned by Ollie on various occasions in regards to creativity. This would imply that creative success is a team effort and other company members influence this. In 'how to start your new job successfully', Christine Harvey states that your success often depends on others around you, which supports this analysis. We've also learnt that the Internet can both help and hinder creative success as it enables the expanding of networks for such collaboration as well as validation and inspiration for ideas. However, having the ability to obtain too much information and referencing can cloud individual thoughts and restrict imagination - something we deemed as essential to creative success.
I would like to focus on the creative imperative that is skill set when studying creative success and how obtaining and possessing interdisciplinary skills impacts on this. Ollie believes that thinking and producing should be aligned in the creative process. This has made me want to study any connection between interdisciplinary skills and leadership roles. Does the importance and need for these vary between positions? How do leadership roles impact on the fulfilment of these skills in regards to other creative imperatives mentioned?
Bibliography:
Bourdieu, P.
http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/1373187/job-description-creativedirector
Harvey, C. "Start your new job successfully."
Hayes, N. "Psychology in a week."
Lave and Wenger
Millennial Media
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/about-the-national-theatre
Oxford dictionary
The drum magazine
http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/01-2012/year-of-the-producer-defining-and-debating-the-cre_5710.html
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