I learned a foundational lesson in creativity when I designed my first stage set. It was a lab show at UT. Zero budget. I could scrounge some used flats and decking from the warehouse, but that was all I had to work with.
The play was about a superman-like hero. Of course, it took place in his “cave”.
Hmmmm, what to do?
I had my Knoxville grandmother and all her friends save up their Sunday papers for me. Then I created “cave walls” with bunched and bulked up newspapers attached to the old flats. Then papier-mached the funnies over the top. There’s a photo somewhere…
A hundred low-budget sets later and I’ve never forgotten the lesson of the first one:
Oh, how our wish our paths had crossed at UT-K so I could have been witness to the cave born of Lausanne's creativity and resourcefulness! Thinking about this idea of "necessity being the mother of creativity, " which I fully believe, as well, I wonder how many creations the world has been deprived of because the potential creator didn't want to be uncomfortable, didn't want to push themselves, wouldn't permit themselves to venture into the place of 'needing' to be creative. They stay in their safe zone, avoiding experimentation that might possibly 'fail' ... or quite possibly could end up bringing forth something wholly unexpected and beautiful.
Not 200 words, but -
I learned a foundational lesson in creativity when I designed my first stage set. It was a lab show at UT. Zero budget. I could scrounge some used flats and decking from the warehouse, but that was all I had to work with.
The play was about a superman-like hero. Of course, it took place in his “cave”.
Hmmmm, what to do?
I had my Knoxville grandmother and all her friends save up their Sunday papers for me. Then I created “cave walls” with bunched and bulked up newspapers attached to the old flats. Then papier-mached the funnies over the top. There’s a photo somewhere…
A hundred low-budget sets later and I’ve never forgotten the lesson of the first one:
Necessity is the Mother of Creativity.
Oh, how our wish our paths had crossed at UT-K so I could have been witness to the cave born of Lausanne's creativity and resourcefulness! Thinking about this idea of "necessity being the mother of creativity, " which I fully believe, as well, I wonder how many creations the world has been deprived of because the potential creator didn't want to be uncomfortable, didn't want to push themselves, wouldn't permit themselves to venture into the place of 'needing' to be creative. They stay in their safe zone, avoiding experimentation that might possibly 'fail' ... or quite possibly could end up bringing forth something wholly unexpected and beautiful.
So true.