creativity killers

The Korea herald has an article about ways to block, blunt or reduce creativity.

The article, by Aaron Raisey, is a review of "The Inspired Eye" by David duChemin*, which is about photography.

There are ten 'creativity killers' in the book and Raisey describes four. The listed examples appear counter to common sense: one in particular says that if you want to be a good photographer, don't take your camera everywhere. The reason seems to be that you need a rest from photography so you can be refreshed when you return to it.

Creativity killer No. 1: Not knowing when to set the camera down

Creativity killer No. 2: Impatiently press the shutter

Creativity killer No. 3: Own and carry expensive gear

Creativity Killer No. 4: Become talented and take yourself very seriously.

My own brand of creativity killer seems to be too much planning and not enough action. Thinking about being creative rather than being creative.

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*I cannot find this book at Amazon. David duChemin does have many books out and one , by Michael Freeman but on the duChemin page, is called "The photographer's eye".

Food Court, Judge Roy Bean Presiding

Now, I only need to learn how to draw.
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Added later:
The Comics Curmudgeon voices his two cents.

...a brainstorm for a hit new reality show, Food Court, in which an ersatz jurist in a black robe would preside over faux trials in which, say, snacks that claim to be “healthy” would be cross-examined by medical experts who would prove that their sodium levels were off the charts and nutritive value was essentially nil. But then I saw the guy in the background in the vaguely Renaissance outfit, and I imagined Food Court, a historical comedy-drama in which a 15th century Italian prince rules over a Italian statelet and spends his time mediating the sometimes violent battles between rival restauranteurs.

creativity in Korea

As I live in Korea, this should probably be a regular feature. We'll see.

Recently I read "Cracking Creativity", a guide on how to be more creative. One of the techniques described is called forcing connections. you deliberately take a few concepts or ideas or words that have no obvious connection and work to create connections. Dokdo Is Ours has publicly begun such a process and has asked for assistance.

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Bill Costello was recently in Korea and impressed with the Education system.

Making teacher training selective and paying teachers high starting salaries attracts the strongest candidates to the teaching profession, which is important because teacher quality significantly impacts student outcomes.

South Korea is able to pay teachers high starting salaries because it employs relatively fewer teachers than other nations. As a result, the student-teacher ratio in South Korea is 30:1, compared to the OECD average of 17:1.

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South Korea’s high level of respect for teachers is an exemplar for other nations that want to improve student outcomes.

I've included him in this post because he is the author of several books on teaching creativity, but I am less than impressed myself in his shallow understanding of Korean Education. Part of the impetus for this blog was noting how education in Korea stifles creativity and mostly teaches test-taking ability. I am unaware of Korean public-school teachers being paid all that well, but cramming school, or after-school, teachers can make enormous sums.

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Oh, the dangers of delaying posts. Earlier in the week, the headlines for one Korean newspaper were filled with the word, "creative", but now I cannot find that issue.