Creativity and Knowledge
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Hello neighbours. I’ve heard for some time a discourse that takes the premise that too much knowledge negatively impacts creativity. Perhaps I have passed into the world of the curmudgeon and grumpy old fellow, but I really cannot find any value in this concept. It’s just stupid. Let me share why I know this to be so.
While we talk about the subjects specifically of photography and videography here, let’s step back into human endeavour in general. Were knowledge immaterial to creativity, humanity would not have achieved what we have. While I understand that there are people who would much prefer that we went back to living in caves, with no pollution (never mind burning wood smoke), no big pharma (life might be less stressful if 29 was your time of dying) and other moronic ideas, the point is that part of our evolution has come from our desire to question, to learn, and to take what we have learned to grow. We are most effective when we stick to the facts and the real world data, what is and not what we think it should be, but that is a topic for a different place.
In photography and videography we have rules. How exposure is determined is science not whim. One can certainly make creative decisions around exposure but it only works when one understands how exposure is defined, and the controls that we have to manage it. Randomly twisting dials and wheels and hoping for something is not growth, it’s randomness and as the science of exposure is quite constraining, the odds of a random action resulting in a successful image or clip are extremely low. As there is no intent, other than to have no intent, and no story other than to be unconstrained by story, what is achieved most often is wasted.
Thermodynamics teaches (uh oh there’s that knowledge thing again) that everything is in or continuously approaching a state of entropy. Disorder is where things end up, why rush the process?
Consider the amount of content generated on forums and newsgroups about sharpness and digital noise as examples. While much of this is just noise for the sake of noise, if no knowledge was preferable, no one would know anything about focus or digital noise in the first place and no one would be making efforts to change their outcomes for what they see as better.
Great painters had knowledge. The knowledge of colours, and mixing materials for paints (no local art supply stores), brushes, stroke types and materials created a platform to unleash creativity. Did Titian have knowledge? How about Rembrandt? Did their knowledge negatively impact their creativity? What about Leonardo DaVinci?
Bring that forward into our current times. Creativity is not the same as likability, Instapuke and influencers notwithstanding. In my opinion, Steven Spielberg is extraordinarily creative as a filmmaker. This creativity is fostered on a framework of deep knowledge in filmmaking. Vivian Maier had sufficient knowledge of photography, more than just exposure, that fostered some of the finest images of mid 20th Century America. The photographer that inspired me, Alfred Eisenstadt, had the knowledge that permitted him to bring his creative eye to his work.
Steve Jobs is partially quoted as saying “great artists steal” The part that is missing is that the theft involves gaining the knowledge on which to build a creative foundation. If all you can do in your photos or videos is make a copy of someone else’s work, that is tragic because there is no creative flow there. Xerox machines and duplicators can do the same job, probably better and definitely faster and produce the same output. Just another copy of some other source of creativity.
While there are a number of popular musicians who say that they cannot read music, they typically do have the knowledge of how scales, modes and chords work together. Perhaps gained through experience rather than schooling. If they don’t, their output is often found to lack musicality. There was only one Beethoven, and while one may play Beethoven with feel and gusto, there is little creativity therein. There was only one Jimi Hendrix, and all the Hendrix clones don’t add anything.
We can say that this photographer had influences. I did. But my work is not just a replicant of the works of my teachers and influences. The same is true for filmmakers. Creativity is deviation away from something established. Sometimes it results in wonder, sometimes it results in utter dreck. Any viewer can have an opinion, but only the creator can make the final determination. If I as part of a learning process can duplicate a Joe McNally shoot, that is learning, but it’s not creative until I build on it myself in my own way.
If you’ve ever looked at some of your own work that you think should be really exciting, but isn’t, it is often because there is nothing of you and your vision in it. An instructor who tells you “the rules of photography are there to be broken” is not a coach, this person is an idiot. The rules are a knowledge platform not to be followed slavishly but to foster a platform for your creative growth. Knowing that generally dropping your subject dead centre is going to fail, does not mean never do it, it means if you will do so, have a good reason with intent and story that helps you achieve your goal.
The decision to discard knowledge in favour of “unbridled creativity” is neither and there is no benefit to behaving so.
This has been on my mind for some time, but I have to give credit to my online music theory teacher, Mr. Rick Beato, for directly addressing the subject, from the perspective of writing music. His statement that there is no creativity without knowledge summarized the ideas in my brain and fostered this article. For this clarity, amongst other things, I am very grateful.
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I'm Ross Chevalier, thanks for reading, watching and listening and until next time, peace.
