“What is art for? To make us feel something” Brian Eno Iris Murdoch observed that “tyrants always fear art because tyrants want to mystify while art tends to clarify” and Auden insisted that “the mere making of a work of art is itself a political act.” Art critic, novelist, painter and poet John Berger adds: […]
If you create when under the influence of a muse does that mean the work requires less effort? Aeolian harp at South Carolina, by Prof Henry Gurr The recent post in this series about how some people struggle to call themselves creative while others are very happy to say they are artists sparked a few interesting […]
How many times do you hear people say “But I’m not creative”? I’m one of those annoying people who is quite good at a lot of things – drawing, painting, music, cooking, sewing, gardening – but not very good at any of them. This is probably because I never felt interested enough to practice. I’m […]
The link between Einstein and Coltrane I started this series of essays on creativity with some thoughts inspired by Quincy Jones’ book “12 Notes: On Life and Creativity.” In the introduction Quincey Jones says the number 12 has always had a special meaning in his life. His former music teacher explained that every musician from […]
Are wealth creators creative people in the same way as artists or writers? When I was writing this series of essays on creativity I read the novel “Trust” by Hernan Diaz. It’s set in 1920’s New York and it’s all about creating wealth. I’ve been thinking about all kinds of creativity for these essays but […]