Biz Extra
Published: January 11, 2022 | Updated: 13th January 2022
Welcome to 2022!
LinkedIn ranks creative thinking as the business world’s most in-demand skill, writes Jason Ward.
This month in Creating Atmosphere we help you get your creativity started by understanding the first step in the creative process – preparation.
Bridport-based artist Kit Glaisyer shares his views on creativity in Six Degrees of Inspiration.
We also have the pick of this month’s local arts and culture in The Lookout and a review of the spectacular new Moulin Rouge musical.
Coming your way in the next month:
30th January – Virginia Woolf: Killing The Angel. Collaboration between actor Lucy Stevens and pianist Elizabeth Marcus tells Virginia Woolf’s life story in her own words with music from her contemporary female artists. Dorchester Corn Exchange. dorchesterarts.org.uk
28th January – Chase & Status. Drum and bass duo famed for cutting edge collaborations bring their DJ set to Bournemouth’s O2. Expect deep bass, and a euphoric crowd!
4th-6th February – The Solem Quartet (pictured, above, by Bertie Watson). One of the UK’s brightest classical music voices with concerts featuring Bartok, Beethoven, Purcell and more in Bridport, Ilminster and Upwey. Details and tickets at concertsinthewest.org
Review: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre, London
If you need an excuse to step out of Dorset for the day then this grown-up musical is it! Enter the auditorium and you are in Bohemia. The space has been visually transformed, there is a pulsing soundtrack and….. so much more!
The show is big, fast moving and impeccably performed by an outrageously talented cast. There are updates from the movie and fans will enjoy the same sumptuous visual style and glorious musical mashups, medleys and mixes that creatively (and seamlessly) weave together 73 songs from Bizet to Bad Romance! This is a big show that cost millions to stage and every penny is on display.
Moulin Rouge is a true sparkling diamond!
Kit Glaisyer
Kit specialises in mesmerising, cinematic paintings of the Dorset landscape.
What inspires your creative ideas?
Currently it’s the West Dorset landscape, where I’ve lived for over 20 years. But I also find inspiration all around, in films, books, architecture, music, travel, Youtube, Instagram, or just conversations with visitors to my gallery.
Why are arts and culture important to everyone?
In the modern world we’re surrounded by advertising, propaganda and social media, all of which want something from you. But art really has no agenda. Instead it invites quiet reflection, a deeper appreciation of the world at large, and can offer inspiration for enjoying a richer life.
What advice would you give to a business to help them become more creative?
Find ways for your staff to explore their own creativity. The more they are able to access their own creativity then the more that will enhance their ability to think creatively at work. Perhaps set up a fund to encourage staff to choose their own courses in painting, art history, music, meditation or Tai Chi.
Who is your creative hero?
The artist Damien Hirst. He makes very different art to me, but I have great respect for his attitude to both art, business and innovation. He has the ability to think on a far bigger scale than most people, and to always be pushing himself into ever more outlandish projects. Ones that most of us probably talk ourselves out of. He is a constant reminder to get out of your comfort zone and pursue those ideas that no-one else would dare to try.
What piece of creative work are you most proud of?
My series of cinematic landscape paintings, an ambitious series of paintings over the last 15 years across the West Country. Many of these paintings were commissions that took me to unexplored locations, and the challenge was to then capture an atmospheric moment of great beauty. It might take me several weeks of visits before I chanced upon a moment of particular interest, or I might simply be overwhelmed by all the choices of what to paint. I also insist on having eight months to work on each commission as I use a traditional oil painting technique of slowly building up glazes (layers of paint) over several weeks and months. The rest of the time is spent on research, preparing ideas and sketches, and then allowing the painting time to evolve into something truly unique and siqnificant.
What are you working on now?
My current series of theatrical landscape paintings is inspired by the ever-changing views from Eggardon Hill in West Dorset. I started this series during the first lockdown as I wanted to find a nearby vista through which I could express the full range of emotions that we were all going through.
This month we look at how to get a creative project started.
The answer comes from Graham Wallas’ 1926 book ‘The Art of Thought’ which first identified a four stage creative process and continues to be cited by academics and creatives.
The first step is Preparation. This seems obvious but so often we rush ourselves and our teams to get end results and reduce or eliminate this important stage.
Preparation is about immersion, inspiration and information.
Immerse yourself in the project, gather every piece of information and inspiration you can about it. Build a mood board, a playlist, or stick Post-It notes all around you.
Things may occur to you that seem unrelated, but put them on your board or in your file anyway.
Einstein referred to the act of gathering seemingly unrelated information as ‘combinatory play’.
This means that you trigger a subconscious series of actions in your brain that are connecting the unconnected and will start to build the solution for you.
As Steve Jobs said: “Creativity is Connecting the Unconnected”
Check out next month’s column for the next step and please contact me directly for insights and support.
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Business Contact; jason@dawsonward.co.uk
Speaking Agent; sylvia@tidymanagement.com
