Psyberspace

Here is a summary of J. L Moreno’s theory, the Canon of Creativity:

• Creativity is innate, universal, it is everywhere. We all have it.
• It is awoken by spontaneity, without spontaneity it is useless.
• Spontaneity can be trained.
• Spontaneity comes through warm-up, and warm-up is expressed through roles.

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Is that a good summary?

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There are lots of roles needed to produce art. Ability to manage time, money, resources. Knowledge of the culture, networks, marketing, techniques, organisation. I think of these as functional roles, and they can be taught, coached and trained, and yes they will help, but there is more…

Question:

What are the roles involved, what is the warm-up, say, when Marcel Duchamp exhibits “Fountain”? Or Pollock drips for the first time? Or Warhol mass produces every-day objects as art in a Factory?

Are these moments of newness simply a product of being functional? having lots of functional roles. Will inspiration come from perspiration?

I imagine great inspiration comes from another type of role… or states? Angst. Pain. Trauma, mania, love, hate, despair… attitude, belief.

Perhaps the central role is to be able to put ones madness to good use?

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So it is an age old question: Can art be taught? Or are we born with talent? Or is it circumstantial, luck, being in the right place at the right time?

Moreno, I am sure, believes we are all geniuses, and that we can train ourselves and others to be great innovators of our time. That is the sort of role training I want to see happen!