THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS

TEiP DEEP 24

REWARDING CREATIVITY

SPOILER ALERT

Here is the Thought Experiment that we’ll discuss at TEiP DEEP.

It is broken into three chapters.

I recommend waiting to read the chapters sequentially at the event

…but if you’d like to know what they are ahead of time, here you go… :-)

CHAPTER 1

The meeting room is large and tall-ceilinged. There are chandeliers and lots of mirrored surfaces. It’s a beautiful day and sunlight refracts around the space.

The organiser clears her throat:

“OK guys, we have a tough challenge ahead of us. We’re going to need all of your input.”

The assembled group is an unusual one. Everyone is wearing something interesting; has cut their hair/beard in an interesting way. Nobody is drab or nondescript.

The organiser continues:

“You’ve all been invited because you are creatives. I mean, just look at you! You’re the perfect bunch to decide who should win the award.”

The group smile and look around at one another.

The organiser goes on:

“This award, for those of you who don’t know, is unprecedented. It is far bigger than existing awards like the Nobel Prizes, the Praemium Imperial, the Grammys, the Oscars, or the Pulitzer, etc. It is bigger in terms of prize money, and bigger in terms of scope:

Instead of recognising achievement within a field, this award seeks to recognise achievement regardless of field. So we’re looking at musicians, writers, actors, dancers, painters, sculptors, screenwriters, designers etc.

There are a few critics who think we’ll be be comparing apples with oranges. But we’re going to give it a go.

As an opening exercise, we’re going to ask you to compare a few renowned creatives. We want you to decide who is the most creative of all of these legends:

Shakespeare - writer
Margot Fonteyn - dancer
Aretha Franklin - musician
Elizabeth Taylor - actor
Michelangelo - sculptor
Dolly Parton - songwriter
Coco Chanel - designer
Pablo Picasso - painter
Jane Austen - writer”

The ‘creatives’ huddle round and start discussing.

You are a ‘fly on the wall’ in this scenario; part of the catering team hired for the day. Your job is to make sure there is a ceaseless supply of good hot coffee, but otherwise to remain unobtrusive.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

How do you feel about this exercise?
What do you think the creatives will talk about?
Which person do you think they are most likely to choose? Why?
Putting yourself in their shoes, how would you go about weighing up the contenders?
Is creativity comparable across fields?
What is the purpose of an award in the arts?
How important are the judges? How do you think they should be chosen?

CHAPTER 2

After a long discussion, the ‘creatives’ eventually settle on Shakespeare, some more enthusiastically than others.

They justify this decision by highlighting four key aspects of Shakespeare’s work:

“Original contribution to the lexicon”
“Unbelievably prolific output”
“Timelessness”
“Beautiful use of language”

They are then asked to put together a list of criteria for award winners based on their justifications in the previous exercise.

They come up with:

Work must be unique
Work must be influential
Work must be likely to stand the test of time
Work must be beautiful

The organiser is happy with this.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

How do you feel about the ‘creatives’ decision in favour of Shakespeare?
What about their criteria for award winners?
Have they forgotten any key aspects of creativity?
Why do you think they decided on these key qualities? What about them is likely to have led them to this decision?
If you were the ‘organiser’ and tasked with establishing criteria for award winners, what would you have done?

CHAPTER 3

A few weeks later, you’re watching the news. There’s a breaking story about a famous songwriter declining an unprecedented international award. It’s big news because the award was for an eye-watering sum of money.

The story cuts to an interview with the songwriter. She says:

“I am of course grateful to be recognised for my work, but I can’t accept this award for several reasons.

Firstly, I stand on the shoulders of many great people who have come before me. 1% of my work is ‘unique’ to me, the rest is the cannon.

Secondly, I think its debatable whether even that 1% is me. It’s like Leonard Cohen says:

“You don’t write the songs anyhow. If you’re lucky, you can keep the vehicle healthy and responsive over the years. If you’re lucky!

Your own intentions have very little to do with this. You can keep the body as well oiled and receptive as possible, but whether you’re actually going to be able to go for the long haul is really not your own choice.” (Cohen, 2016, in Painted Passport, 2021)

I believe that my unique contribution is from the universe, or god, or whatever you want to call it, rather than ‘me’.

Creativity is a force that moves through humanity, not something that we individual humans do.

So, my third reason for declining this award is because I believe if we do anything to encourage creativity, it should be nurturing the next generations. I am already known for my contributions. That’s why you’ve chosen me. I don’t need more recognition. None of us successful artists do. Instead of giving us award after award, we should focus on supporting future creatives to find space and time to flourish. This money would make a bigger difference in schools.”

The interviewer looks somewhat stunned. The story cuts to the panel of ‘creatives’ in a press conference. Their expressions range from indignant to sheepish.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

What do you think of the award winner’s perspective?
What about Leonard Cohen’s claim that “you don’t write the songs anyhow”?
Should creativity be attributed to individuals?
How might acknowledging successful creatives positively impact society?
How might it harm society?
If you were to be put in charge of redirecting the award money, how would you go about it (we’re talking billions)?

SOURCES:

BA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Member inspired by AA and SA, THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS Group Members

Painted Passport. (2021, March 13). Leonard Cohen on Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize in Literature [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc4VYwK9fz4