OUGD501 - Creative AI : On the Democratisation and Escalation of Creativity

Creative AI : On the Democratisation and Escalation of Creativity by Roelof Pieters and Samim Winiger

Defining creativity objectively is difficult however studying creativity has meant different industries have been able to use creative processes at scale.
Engelbart believed that computers could become extensions of our thinking and his aim was to raise the potential of humans.
Tools have been used to increase creative possibilities for thousands of years.
Originally mastering a creative skill was only available to a few, however with technology creativity is easily accessible.
Technology makes it possible for people to put more time into being creative.
Lowering what is needed to master a skill means that people are able to experiment more and  undertake complex tasks.
Creative skills are more accessible through the use of Assistive Creation Systems.
Platforms for collaboration make it easy to learn new skills.
Technology is accelerating the time it takes to learn a skill and democratising creativity.
Assisted Creation Systems allow people to spend more time being creative, whilst making lowering the price of creativity.
Engelbart wanted to increase collective intelligence of groups making them more creative.
Creativity is a collaborative process that is helped by technology.
Escalating creativity allows creativity to be highly accessible, therefore redefining skill levels and what design is as a whole.
Technology allows a wider amount of possibilities and time between intention and finalisation is lowered.
Generative Creation techniques are allowing the democratisation of creativity allowing the amount of time it takes between idea and product to be lowered. 

OUGD501 - The Do - It - Yourself Lobotomy

The Do - It - Yourself Lobotomy by Tom Monahan

To be successful in business today you have to be an effective idea generator
There is a need for constant creative thinking within the industry.
Creative thinking is no longer restricted to certain people, companies or disciplines.
Within the information age access to technology has meant knowledge has become available to everyone no longer the few.
Being successful creatively does not mean regurgitating other peoples ideas but instead creating their own ideas.
Within business there is value seen in original thinking however it is seen as difficult to achieve.
High technology is reducing the need for left brain jobs so right brain thinkers are sort after.
Imagination is more important than ever because many left brain jobs are being taken by high technology.
The constant accessibility of knowledge in the information age can lead to blocks in creativity.
By letting go of what is known and wondering about other ways, creativity can then occur.
Thinking in the known does not lead to new ideas, however considering the unknown leads to creativity.
Willing ideas does not work instead the known has to be let go of.
By knowing lots there is little room for imagination.

To be creative a problem is needed to for a solution to be found.
If there is already a solution to a problem then wondering about a better answer is what creative people do,

Change creates problems that need to be solved creatively.

Techniques

Probing questions allows for things outside the known to be imagined.
Asking a question early allows the subconscious to work on the problem.
100MPH thinking focuses on coming up with a large amount of ideas in a short amount of time. By aiming for a quantity of ideas, quality will be found. The speed of generating ideas allows judgement and fear to be navigated around.
180 Degree thinking involves looking in the opposite direction to the what is first considered allowing for predictable patterns to be broken and creative outcomes to be produced.
Intergalactic Thinking is looking for ideas outside of the known home galaxy and making links between them and you own galaxy.  
Collaborate with a Genius involves going to an excellent mind within your own field and asking how they would approach this.
Conceptual Solitaire is a individual brainstorming session that involves writing out the problem then rewriting it in a list format, whilst leaving a keyword within the new version, to create different perspectives on the topic. By putting effort into the problem then this can help solve or make progress towards the solution.   


If creative techniques are not used then they are lost.
The repetition of creative techniques leads to new habits.
The more the tools are used then they will start to become unconscious.

It is wrongly considered that to be creative means being active in the process of generating ideas, however stimulating creativity is just as important.
Observing and wondering / questioning what, why and how things are and how they could be better rather than taking them as they are is important for creativity.
Listening actively without distraction to a speaker allows your mind to be engaged.
Thoughts while listening can be jotted down as a gist rather than writing the whole thing down.
Jotting down ideas when they are thought of means they are not forgotten.
Accidental Genius is when things happen accidentally, having an open mind to these can make you more creative.
Planning too much means that better ways of doing things might be missed.
If something happens that wasn't expected don't dismiss it as wrong.
The rational mind always goes to what you know already. 
Original ideas don't always make sense and others may not see the benefit of the new idea, however this does not mean it isn't a good idea. 
By enlarging the acceptable range, past what feels comfortable, a greater amount of ideas can be evaluated. This enlargement also makes the original range less scary.

Five Greatest Barriers to Creativity

New ideas bring fear because they are in the unknown, however this fear also suggests that the idea is new.
Fear of what others think and of failure stops new ideas from moving forwards. 
Judgment of ideas both of others and our own particularly in the idea generation phase can stop ideas from being developed.
Being attached to an idea and not exploring other, possibly better ways of doing things can be detrimental to creativity.
When successful ideas or styles are held onto this stops creative growth.   

OUGD501 - Questioning Creativity

Debates in Art and Design Education Questioning Creativity by Olivia Gude

pg 37 
There is an emphasis now in education for creativity.
Creativity is understood by other fields as the process of creating things on demand.
However there are many other aspects to creativity and factors that affect it, such as insight, culture and ethics.

pg 38 
Teaching creative process rather than artistic process has been brought on by the need of creativeness and ideology shift in wider society.
Creative process is more practical and has wider applications thn artistic process which aims to radically rethink and change perspectives.
There has been a move to teach creative approaches to solve problems.
Understanding both ways of thinking and ways of making allows students to engae with what is given to them.
Curriculum focus on creating students who can meet needs of modern society and help economic growth.
Need workers to use new technologies to compete individually.
Curriculum provides tools to solve problems posed by teachers / employers.

pg 39 
Not a focus on teaching knowledge but enabling the creation of new knowledge.
Knowledge about the discipline however provides tools for further use.

pg 40 
Playing is defined as a pleasurable investigation and aims to connect unconscious aspects.

pg 41 
Being able to accept uncertainty and openness of design / art and not shutting down ideas because of this uncertainty.
To make meaning in art / design there must be understanding of other aesthetic practices which helps broaden ideas, rather than viewing it as a solely intellectual exercise / problem.
Different approaches and aesthetic practices can be combined to create and shape future cultures.

OUGD501 - The Hijacking of creativity: The dilemma of contemporary art education

Debates in Art and Design Education

The Hijacking of creativity: The dilemma of contemporary art education by Jan Jagodzinski 

pg 23 
Originally arts education was humanist in approach with self expression at the centre.
Humanist techniques such as ddrawing, printmaking etc considerd old fashioned unless explored with digital technologies which have increasingly become part of education.
Arts education is being used for capitalist purposes and is being pushed to satisfy industry / job expectations.

pg 24
Arts have to be seen as useful to the economy to continue getting funding.
Designers have skill sets aimed at industry .....
Design education provides a skill set aimed at industry with digital technologies important and necessary.

pg 26 
Curriculums encourage discipline, perserverence and promotion.
The industry looks for the most productive and creative.
In Finnish education there is less focus on testing and more freedom to explore allowing for the more divergent thinking that is needed within industry.

pg 27 
'immaterial labour' (knowledge, information, imagination, ideas) is needed for capitalism to thrive.

pg 28 
Technological and economic successes linked to creativity.

pg 29 
Creativity has been turned into a technique so it is 'open' to anyone.

pg 32
The idea of transcendence has created impossible definitions and expectations for creativity.
This elevation of creative thinking and the need for transcendence fuels the fear of not making it.

OUGD501 - The Democratisation of Design and Design Learning

The Democratisation of Design and Design Learning: How do we educate the next generation designer by Katja Flieschmann

All aspects of design are changing because of the democratisation of design, including how it is produced, accessed and learned.
Open online courses enable everyone access to free design education.
Online design services mean that more people are moving into the designers domain.
Democratisation of technology allows everyone to become a designer.
The industry is becoming more competitive wit the rise of online design services.
Technology enables the public to have a go at designing.
The changes in the industry question how design is practiced and by who.
Questions are being raised about how and by who design is being practiced.
Democratisation of technology enables people to have a voice.
Online marketplaces for graphic design have meant the relationship between designer and client has been minimised.
Social media has allowed users access to different parts of the design process democratising creativity.
Access to online marketplaces means little distinction between ameteurs and professionals.
Community workshops have allowed proactive consumers access to technologies giving them the ability to create.
The DIY culture of production has affected many areas of design allowing the public to create what they want.
Design education has to adapt to reflect how design is changing.
MOOC's question how design is being taught and learned.
Face to face learning is needed in design education which cannot be provided by online courses.
The thinking and concept of a solution is the foundation and future of design.
Problems are becoming more difficult so students need a broad knowledge and skill set to respond.
Multidisciplinary education and engagement with other disciplines are needed in a changing profession.
Through access to technology the skills of a graphic designer are devalued.
Learning about the design fundamentals is critical to design education.
Technologies effect on design education is seen as a threat not an enabler.
Collaboration and flexibility of a student is improved by teamwork. 
Critical and creative thinking are vital for students to be equipped for a changing industry.
There needs to be a focus on critical and creative thinking in design education now and in the future.
Educators do not see the democratisation of design learning as a threat to the current system. 

OUGD501 - Steal Like an Artist

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon 

Studying and taking inspiration from a range of other people allows for ideas to be created.
Nothing is original and things always come from somewhere, instead new work is built on what came before.
By accepting that originality is not possible, influence can be embraced to allow creativity.
Ideas are a mix of multiple ideas and are the sum of influences.
The computer has taken away the feeling that designers are making things.
Motion in the creative process allows for creative thinking.
Bringing analogue tools into the creative process allows for play which increases enjoyment and improves the work.
Computers can be alienating because they distance the designer from the process of making.
The computer is effective at editing and publishing ideas but not generating them.
The computer is not good for generating ideas because it encourages perfectionism and editing of them before they are formed.
Analogue processes leave physical traces of the process whereas digital does not.
Knowing what to leave out and having constraints creates freedom from limitless possibilities. 

OUGD501 - Creativity is Not a Trait. It's a Habit

Creativity is Not a Trait. It's a Habit by Srinivas Rao

The creative industries as well as others look for people who are creative
It is a desirable thing in business
Creativity has to be practiced regularly
The productivity and consistency of a person is more valuable than individual projects
By practicing you become more engaged and passionate about the subject leading to the creation of more meaningful work
The constant and repeated practice changes creativity from a habit to a skill
 Creativity involves discipline and routine which are all things that can be controlled
Creativity is a habit rather than a trait

OUGD501 - The Democratisation of Design

The Democratisation of Design by Joshua Taylor

Design needs to be redefined as a way of thinking that solves problems creatively, rather than viewing design solely as a technical skill. 

Wants to educate non designers on how design solves problems. 

A multidisciplinary approach is need within design. 

Suggests design has been turned into a design process rather than a way of thinking that anyone else can use. 

The availability of design tools and their ease of use has increased.

Designers sometimes want to own the design process for self gratification.

Wants to share tools and knowledge with people who want to know more. 

Designers do not have ownership over design, it is not a physical thing but a way of thinking.

By making other people better designers businesses and design teams will be more successful.

When everyone in a company is better at design thinking then collectively people are more successful.