Meaning of Creativity

Student name: Poon Long Yin         Student ID: 4169804

CLA9007 Creative Thinking Take Home Examination

Submission Deadline: 3-12-2015

Selected Part: 1[pic 1]

Question 1

Meaning of Creativity

With reference to Guanlett’s view, his own definition of creativity can be generally understood as a process or feeling about developing everyday ideas, everybody is permitted to determine what is creative.

First of all, Gaunlett begins with stressing the weak point of Csikszentmihalyi’s definition of creativity. For example, creative ideas must be something brilliantly original which are never been seen before in the world. Thus Gaunlett thought that the standard of creativity within model is too high and newcomers are always not accepted.

On the other hand, he stated that creativity can be found and understood as the ideas that how we carried out common things in our everyday life, such as how to write our speeches or make presentations. Besides, he thought that creativity not only restricted to one’s original ideas, it can be consisted of a group think or connecting different materials and ideas together in order to make something which is novel in that category or type.  

Creativity also consisted of emotions, though the process of creation, joyful feeling will be aroused. Furthermore, social dimensions will be constituted with creativity. By creating something new, it provides people opportunities to connect with each other. It can also increase our engagement and connection with our social and physical environments. By sharing and making ideas together, it may leads to the changes towards current culture. Moreover, not only the professionals or the creator can make judgements, all people can determine their own standard of creativity and share their making in the world.

Why it is politically important

Gaunlett think that everyday creativity is politically important because people have made their own choice.  They create something by themselves rather than just consume what’s given by big suppliers. People reject things that are given by others and make new things which are well-accepted and feel pleasant with them.

In political saying, referring to Gaunlett’s statement, people will not always accept and consume the things given by government or society such as the social welfare and policies, they will rather make their own choice. People find jobs to meet their needs and desires but not rely on the social welfare, people make protest towards the policy which are not accepted by them and raise their own opinions in order to construct their ideal society.

A more concrete example is that the universal suffrage policy in HK. Although Chinese government didn’t plan to promote universal suffrage in Hong Kong originally, but though the struggles of Hong Kong citizens by revealing their ideas and opinions, a concession have made by Chinese government and thus a so-called 2017 universal suffrage plan have been promoted. Hong Kong citizens not just reveal their views though demonstration or protest, on the other hand, they have used different creative ways to show their ideas. For instance, they create and share some interesting video and altered pictures though “Web 2.0” (youtube, facebook etc.) in order to satirize the current political situation in HK or even show their hope towards our society. This is a great example which proves politically importance of creativity. The everyday creativity has created a political shift within Hong Kong citizens which we not just consume and accept government’s offers, people try to fight for our desire about our rights and ideal policy. People make their own choice to construct a society that they want but not the given one. Thus the choice of people embodied the spirit of Gaunlett’s belief on the political impact of everyday creativity.  

New Question for take home exam[pic 2]

1. Make a creative improvement plan towards one current TVB program (all programs which currently broadcasting are accepted. For example: 東張西望, 愛回家, News at Six-Thirty) which help them to increase their television viewing or noise within community. Post your plan on online forums (HK Golden, HK Discuss etc.) and collect the discussion with other users. Print the original plan and all of discussion and hand-in. (At least 20 replies from other internet users should be collected. To ensure the number of replies is sufficient, you can post your plan on different forums in same time.)
2. Refer to the discussions on forums, discuss or comment the difference(s) of their standard of creativity comparing with yours.

First, the students can develop their plan based on current cultural resources which is not restricted to be originally new ideas. As the TV program nowadays are considered as not creative or boring, different criticizes towards TVB are common on various Web 2.0 platform, thus students may absorb different related ideas and others’ thinking every day.  Students can screen the defects of TVB programs and promote their absorbed and own ideas to carry out a creative plan. It consists connect different materials and ideas together towards Guanlett’s views on creativity.

Besides, TVB programs are something closed to our daily life and I believe every people have experience on discussing them. This situation is common within HK citizens. Their comments and ideas can translate to a report though the examination which help practicing their everyday creativity practically.

Also, by developing the plan, more engagement towards social environment can be evoked. Students may put more emphasis towards the current trends and issues (social environment) in order to help them develop their plan.