In my facilitation practice - whether it's a session for creative writing, pub philosophy or at a conference - I always try to use creative ways to get people thinking together. This might be a specifically 'creative' activity or just a thinking activity that encourages creative thinking.
In the pub last month, inspired by a visit to John Ruskin's old house I started the session by asking everyone to draw a shell. (I'd brought my shell collection with me so that everyone had one to look at.)
There was a beautifal silence in the room for a few minutes, rich with concentration while 22 people gave this a go.
We then considered some quotes from Ruskin as way in to developing questions the one chosen for discussion was, "To what extent can we trust our perception?" (see above) Comments at the end included "Once you start looking, there so much more you can see." A thought that I've been musing on all month. Anther participant said that they thought the enquiry had been particularly philosophical that evening. I wonder if that was do with engaging with a creative process at the start?
My session online creative writing session, Write from the Art, always involves looking at a painting. In September it was Impression III (Concert) by Wassily Kandinsky (detail left).
By pure coincidence, the next day I found myself looking at the original on a trip to the Tate Modern. It was glorious.
I was struck by the difference in texture when looking at the painting itself. But I don't think it's just the physicality of a painting that makes looking at the real thing such a difference experience.
There are so many elements to nature of that experience that I'm going to be musing on that for a long time to come.
I was also privileged to join the Society for the Furtherance of Critical Philosophy's Colloquium in Durham this month. I delivered a workshop on taking a creative approach to community philosophy. The theme of the event was 'community' so that was the starting point for the workshop too. As part of the workshop process, I invited participants to make a simple corner structure (see below) in response to the discussion we'd had so far.
The act of making provides good opportunity for reflective individual thinking as well as a collaborative sharing when looking together at what's been made.
One of the participants in this workshop told me afterwards that she hadn't liked it when I asked them to make something. That kind of creative activity is something she doesn't like. But she did it and she made something meaningful and beautiful and said, yes, actually it hadn't been that bad actually. "I thought I didn't like this kind of thing for 50 years," she said, "but maybe I've been mistaken all this time."
As a facilitator, there's always a balance between encouraging people to join in with something that might feel new or risky to them, and not pushing them too far out of their comfort zone. Something that helps me with finding that balance is my growing experience that there's richer thinking to be had when creative work is part of the process.
A day out at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park with a friend was another delight in the month for me. We lucked out with the weather and enjoyed playing with photo angles - a creative exercise programme for body and mind.
I hadn't happened upon this ENORMOUS bag previously and I loved it. Because it's hollow there's a fun percussive element that kept me entertained for quite a while.
I'm not sure how philosophical my giant metal handbag sculpture rhythms were, but given that they're clearly memorable I guess the experience meant something to me.
What creative activities do you use to prompt thinking? And how do they help?
Comments