Author: Nia Isehak

• I found his use of perfumes as creative inspiration very interesting. As someone who connects feelings to perfume and music I thought this link was brilliant to have as an established artist. I could see the “uniqueness”, the “my music plus X” in this regard.
• I thought most of the points he was making were quite contradictory
• Content creation is different from Art. I always knew this, but Markus Popp made the distinction a bit clearer.
• Does the length of time it takes to create something speak to the quality of the thing created??? Markus Popp seems to think so
• Artists (him specifically) don’t like AI

I didn’t agree with most of what the artist said, but again I did appreciate the love and respect he has for his art and what he brings into the artistic scene. The perfume and music combination was by far the most interesting thing he showed us/talked about. I wish he would have elaborated on that more. I do think, however, that the music he made was more for his time in life when he was wearing that perfume than it was for the feeling the scent of that perfume captures. These are two very different things. It is the latter that I find more interesting.

Edward de Bono described vertical thinking as the traditional way of thinking in which we move forward by a series of sequential and verified steps and lateral thinking as a way of thinking in which one generates new ideas and breaks out of the established patterns in one’s mind. Throughout this reading, I could see the clear difference between the two ways of thinking, and while I could think of examples for vertical thinking (because it was described as the traditional way), I could not think of an example of lateral thinking. Bono’s point could have been made stronger and clearer if he had employed real world examples. Nevertheless, I found the reading enjoyable. 

Bono referred to the patterns our mind makes as useful with certain limitations, and while I can understand that it may be limiting to not deviate from a certain routine your mind makes, one could argue that some limitations are more good than bad. In this case, the pattern making mechanism of our mind saves us time and energy. Like a daily routine, this attribute of the brain keeps us sane in that it stops us from incessantly questioning everything in our existence. Perhaps this is why Bono advises the use of both ways of thinking, because if that was not the case, I imagine lateral thinking would do more harm than good.

The topic I chose out of the five topics I wrote down in class is Froot loops. Froot loops is “a sweetened, fruit-flavored breakfast cereal produced by Kellogg’s and sold in many countries. The cereal pieces are ring-shaped (hence “loops”) and come in a variety of bright colors and they share a fruit flavor (hence “froot”)”. I wanted to make a visual creation with froot loops, but I also felt like that would need some kind of story, so I made a rainbow-themed picture using bits and pieces of pictures from the internet and gave it a rainbow-themed story: 

The Leprechaun’s Return Home

A leprechaun makes his way back to his home city Dublin, clutching a precious golden bowl. Inside the bowl lies a magical treat—the Froot Loops Rainbow Cereal, the legendary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. As the leprechaun makes his way to town, a rainbow follows his every step. Together, they bring the promise of joy and wonder to all who taste the rainbow-filled breakfast bliss. 

The Colors of the Week:

In this synesthetic realm, Monday greets us with a warm embrace of orange, resembling Tuesday but with a touch of subtlety, not as bright and exuberant. Tuesday, shines a bright sunny yellow, reminiscent of the number 22, buzzing bumblebees, and the sweetness of honey. As we venture into Wednesday surrounds us in a refreshing green, evoking the imagery of rainforests and the crisp scent of fresh air. Thursday is navy blue because it just makes sense (though for now, it finds itself in indigo hues which also makes sense). Friday ignites with a passionate red, screaming  untamed energy and wild spirit. Saturday is cyan because Saturday is time spent by the beach and the sound of crashing waves shadowed by the hoots of joy and laughter from children nearby, but we are sticking to the rainbow color spectrum so it steals Thursday’s blue. Finally, Sunday, a day of rejuvenation and new beginnings, acts as a reset button. It radiates clean and new, much like a fresh blank canvas. Though it is white without a doubt, we accept it as violet, which also somehow fits the essence of Sunday if we make it so.

For my creation, I decided to create a rainbow for the year 2022 with each day of the week being a different color (the color it embodies). Here below is the rainbow that is 2022 in colors

Creativity is a very flexible term that can be seen in so many different ways. In this video, I found Charles Bouldevaire’s take on creativity/genius being childhood recaptured at will the most fascinating of these definitions. It really spoke to me and added an extra layer of interest to the whole discussion. Another thing that piqued my interest is Kermit’s advice on collaborating during the creative process. I think this is by far the most important aspect of creating because at the end of the day creativity can be constrained by limited perspectives, even on a subconscious level. As explained by Linda Alcoff (in Race and Epistemology of Ignorance), most of what we know comes from making judgment calls within specific contexts, rather than relying solely on logical deductions or direct observations. That is why every person who has to make such judgment calls brings their own personal experiences into the mix. These experiences are influenced by many things like their social environment, personal identity, what they pay attention to, and their individual interests. This means that everyone sees things differently, even when looking at the same thing. Incorporating these different perspectives adds valuable elements to the creation and allows it to reach a wider audience base.