lifeasart              creativity  against  entropy    life  cannot  be  a  mere  vegetating    and  absorbing  like  a  death  star,  everyone  should  also  be   an   irradiating   source,   a   cause   and   a   beginning.   i’m   talking   about   love,   art,   design,  invention   and   creativity.   think,   have   an   idea,   have   a   opinion,   fortify   it   and   fight   for   it.  there   should  be   reactions,   emotions   and   effects.   people   should  be   enthusiastic,   i  want  people   to  be,   to   define   themselves   by   what   they  do.   i   want   people   to   be   awake   and  interested  in  the  world.  i  want  everybody  to  be  unique  and  this  can  only  be  achieved  if  we  emancipate  ourselves  from  the  consumption  of  industrialized  goods  and  start  do  be  our  own  individual  producers.        creativity,  a  definition    by   creativity   i  mean   a   active   approach   to   life.   its   a   position   towards   the  world   that   is  characterized   by   a   critical   will   that   is   aimed   at   improving   it.   being   critical   towards  everything   is   the   first   step,   finding  weak  points   the   second  and   intervening   to   resolve  them  the  third.  it  is  about  generating  something  new  starting  from  the  incongruence  of  the  existing  circumstance.  this  is  the  creative  process  that  is  so  important,  it  is  the  active  attitude.      creativity   can   be   applied   to   everything,   from   ethical   to   artisanal   problems.   mostly   i  speak  of  three  areas  of  creativity.  the  first  concerns  the  artistic  production  in  the  most  classic  sense,  the  second  in  the  individual  construction  of  the  small  things  that  surround  us,   also   called   bricolage   and   the   third   is   the   ethical   creativity,   a  way   of   living,   that   is  reflected  in  all  actions.    when  i  talk  of  creating,  i  think  generally  of  items  as  furniture,  cloths  and  all  the  objects  that  surrounds  us.  but  these  ideas  also  apply  to  artistic  creations,  which  value  is  much  more  subtle.  it  clearly  involves  beauty  as  well  as  knowledge.  the  value  of  the  items  above  is  of  course  much  more  physical  whereas  that  of  the  product  of  artistic  creation  located  in  the  mind.  they  are  both  valuable,  maybe  the  artworks  are  even  more  important,  since  the  ideas  in   it  are  easier  transmitted  and  address  not  practical  but  essential  aspects  of  life.        

20101122  -­‐  monoelemento  

creation  against  consumption:    consuming   is  passive,   it   just   requires  a  minimal   effort  of   time  and   thinking.   the   result  won’t   be   individualized   but   standardized.   you   will   usually   pay   to   get   something  somebody  else  has  thought.  you  cannot  control  the  quality  and  it  will  never  fit  perfectly  your  needs,  sometimes  it  will  even  create  new  needs,  which  is  the  highest  absurdity.  by  withdrawing   yourself   of   the   mechanism   of   capitalist   consumption   you   have   much   to  gain  in  knowledge  and  in  materials  goods.  since  you  will  produce  something  that  better  suits  your  needs  and  that  will  bring  you  much  experience.  don’t  buy  things  you  can  make  on   your   own,   don’t   adapt   your   needs   to   the   most   similar   thing   for   sale,   but   make   it  exactly  as  you  need   it.  always  your  own.  why   let  someone   impose  you  his   ideas   if  you  can  think  for  yourself?    of  course  it  is  impossible  to  do  always  everything  on  your  own.  on  the  contrary  building  on   the   work   of   your   predecessors,   or   using   the   tools   invented   by   others   is   very  important,   but   it   should   never   by   laziness   that   impels   us   to   take   from   others.   the  reflection  must  be  always  present,  orientated   in  combing,  changing  and   improving   the  work   of   others.   a   good   example   is   the   internet   with   the   wide   range   of   open   source  software.  these  programs  are  a  good  starting  point  since  it  makes  no  sense  to  start  every  time  from  zero.  everybody  having  the  necessary  skills  can  find  the  weak  points  and  try  to   improve   the  program.   so   these   software   grow  with   the  work   and  dedication  of   the  whole  community.        the  act  of  imaginative  creation:    when  i  create  something  i’ll  first  have  to  exercise  my  imagination,  to  find  a  personalized  solution  to  a  problem.  if  i  need  a  table  i  can  just  go  to  a  shop  and  choose  between  the  few  standardized   solutions   they   offer.   but   if   i  want   to   build  my   own   table   i   need   to   think  about  my  individual  needs  and  how  to  combine  them  effectively.  so  creating  for  yourself  will   force  you  to   think  consciously  about  your  personal  problem,  you  will  get   to  know  yourself  better  and  the  solution  suit  you  much  better  than  the  standardized  one  from  a  shop,  that  requires  no  personal  reflection.        the  act  of  physical  creation:    once  you  have  the  idea  in  your  mind  you  have  to  realize  it.  mostly  this  will  force  you  to  make   researches,   talk   to   professionals   and  make   a   few   preliminary   tries.   so   you  will  certainly  have  to  invest  time  in  the  acquisition  of  the  necessary  knowledge.  but  you  will  learn   where   to   find   the   materials,   how   to   use   them,   what   tools   to   use   and   how   to  combine   this   knowledge.   during   the   process   you’ll   have   new   ideas   and   discover   new  techniques  and  how  to  use  these  solutions  for  other  problems.  you’ll  notice  that  thinking  and  building  it  is  fun  and  usually  even  cheaper.  you  learn  nothing  by  buying  a  chair  or  a  piece  of  art,  but  you  can  learn  a  lot  about  techniques,  materials  and  also  about  yourself  if  you  are  the  creator  and  not  only  the  consumer.      

hazard  in  creativity:    creativity   is   not   without   risks,   for   one   thing   you   have   to   be   careful   about   your  motivations.  the  main  cause  of  being  productive  should  never  be  the  need  to  be  admired  by  others.  if  you  create  extraordinary  and  beautiful  things,  people  will  admire  it,  you  can  continue   creating   because   you   want   them   to   smile   and   like   the   object   itself   but   not  because  you  like  them  admiring  you  as  the  creator.  an  other  point  is  common  sense,  you  should  be  able  to  see  when  it  makes  sense  to  do  something  on  your  own  or  when  it   is  just   better   to   accept   the   work   of   others   because   it   is   cheaper,   of   better   quality,  timesaving  and  maybe  even  more  beautiful.        the  quality  of  creations:    most  of   the   times  your  creations  won’t   reach   the  aesthetic  perfection  of  bought   items,  because  those  are  made  by  professionals.  you  have  to  chose  between,  buying  something  and  receiving  the  quality  you  have  paid  for  or  doing  it  yourself,  being  satisfied  with  your  unprofessional  results  but  gain  much  more  in  experience  and  knowledge.        creation  as  a  seed:    there  can  be  created  an  infinite  number  of  objects,   ideas  and  pieces  of  art.  but  the  fact  that   they   have   been   produced   trough   a   creative   act   doesn’t   mean   that   they   are   also  ethically  good.  there  are  no  objective  values,  of  course,  but  i  think  that   it   is  possible  to  formulate  a  few  guidelines.  for  example  there  is  a  difference  if  you  build  a  gun  or  a  life  west.  but  there  is  also  a  big  difference  if  you  make  a  drawing  that  makes  sense  only  for  you  or  if  it  is  a  piece  of  art  that  speaks  and  inspires  a  wide  range  of  people.  there  is  also  an   important   difference   between   sterile   creations   or   those   that   are   made   to   be  continued  and  impel  other  in  doing  something.  those  are  the  democratic  creations,  those  who  are  not  a  finite  object  or  system  but  one  that  is  open  to  development  by  anybody.  the  open  source  software  in  the  internet  or  the  projects  of  friedman  in  architecture  are  an  example  for  it.        inspiration  trough  creation:    apart   from   our   inner   gain   of   experience   trough   creation,   the   product   can   also   be   an  important  inspiration  for  others.    every  change  in  our  life  or  in  that  of  others  must  start  form  an  act  of  creation  that  is  powerful  enough  to  touch  those  who  come  in  contact  with  it.  it  can  be  a  drawing,  a  piece  of  art,  a  book  or  even  an  idea.  according  to  the  message  it  contains   it   can   sparkle   everything   from   admiration   to   rage.   it   is   legitimated   to   create  only  for  ourselves,  but   it  will  be  a  one-­‐dimensional  production.  not  much  compared  to  the   gain   that   can   be   obtained   by   making   it   public.   the   reactions   will   vary   from  admiration  to  rejection,  but  either  way  we  gain  something.    

the  best  creative  processes  and  productions  are  those  that  not  only  enrich  ourselves  and  the   world   around   us   but   also   initiate   new   thoughts   and   processes   in   others.   the   last  verses  of  rilke’s  poem  “der  archaische  torso  des  apollo”  exress  this  quite  good:    

und  bräche  nicht  aus  allen  seinen  Rändern  aus  wie  ein  Stern:  denn  da  ist  keine  Stelle,  die  dich  nicht  sieht.  Du  mußt  dein  Leben  ändern.  

     creativity  as  the  sense  of  life:    i  personally  see  creativity  as  a  way  to  justify  my  existence  and  the  love,  wealth  and  time  that  my  parents  and  my  society   invested  in  me.  carpe  diem,  what  to  do  with  the  given  time?  and  how  to  justify  it?  creation  is  my  personal  answer.  but  even  more  important:  it  is   a  way   to   justify  myself   in   front   of  myself   and  my   ethical   values.  when   i   have   done  something,   created   something   and   am   satisfied  with   it,   i   feel   realized   and   that   i   have  used  well  my   time.   these   things   are   a   testament   of  me,  my   capacities   and  my   values,  maybe   for   some   years   to   come.   i   think   i   can   say   that   for   now   the   sense   of  my   life   is  exactly  this:  to  create.    i  was  reading   fernando  pessoa’s  small  book  "il  banchiere  anarchico"1  when   i  stumbled  upon  this  remarkable  sentences:2    "Ter  uma  acção  sobre  a  humanidade,  contribuir  com  todo  o  poder  do  meu  esforço  para  a  civilização  vêm-­‐se-­‐me  tornando  os  graves  e  pesados  fins  da  minha  vida.  E,  assim,  fazer  arte  parece-­‐me  cada  vez  mais  importante  coisa,  mais  terrível  missão..."3    "Não   faço   visitas,   nem   ando   em   sociedade   alguma   [...]   Fazel-­‐o   seria   sacrificat   minha  unidade   interior,   entregar-­‐me   a   conversas   inuteis,   frutar   tempo   señao   aos   meus  raciocinios   e   aos  meus   projectos,   pelo  menos   aos  meus   sonhos,   que   sempre   são  mais  belo  que  a  conversa  alheina.  Devo-­‐me  a  humanidade  futura."4        creation  as  a  philosophical  act:    there  is  something  beautiful  into  being  the  god  of  a  piece  of  paper  or  of  a  piece  of  land.  being   free  to  shape  and  change   it  according  to  your  wishes.  doing   it   in  a  creative  way,  producing   something   is   what   makes   us   feel   realized.   for   hegel   and   marx*,   work   had  exactly  this  meaning,  self-­‐realization.  only  trough  the  active  shaping  of  our  world  we  can  feel   human,   and   the   mere   consumption   is   the   exact   contrary.   creating   is   recreating  ourselves.   creating   is  existing.   the  creative  way  of   living   is  a  standing  against   inaction,                                                                                                                  1  il  banchiere  anarchico,  Fernando  Pessoa,  Firenze-­‐Antella,  Passiglio  Editori,  2001.  2  i  don't  make  visits  and  don't  have  a  life  in  society,  doing  so  would  mean  sacrificing  my  personal  integrity,  dedicate  myself  to  useless  conversations  and  steal  time  to  my  thoughts  and  projects,  which  are  always  more  beautiful  than  the  chattering  of  others.  exercising  an  action  for  humanity,  contributing  with  my  forces  for  civilization  are  becoming  for  me  the  grave  and  heavy  purposes  of  my  life.  and  so,  making  art  seems  to  me  every  time  the  most  important  thing,  the  most  terrible  mission.  3  Correspondecia  1905-­‐1922,  ed.  Manuela  Parreira  da  Silva,  Lisboa,  Ássirio  &  Alvim,  1999,  pp.  140-­‐1.  Or:  http://multipessoa.net/labirinto/vida-­‐e-­‐obra/17  (25.04.2010)  4  Pessoa  por  conhecer,  Lisboa,  Editorial  Estampa,  1990;  vol.  ii,  p.  74  

conservationism,  hedonism,  consumerism,  disillusion  and  couldn’t-­‐care-­‐less  attitude.  it’s  all  about  criticizing  the  status  quo  and  trying  to  change  it,  at  least  for  yourself  and  your  immediate  surroundings.      creativity  and  art:    i   consider   this  art.   it’s  being  creative,   thinking  on  your  own,  posing  yourself  questions  and  solving  them.  it’s  a  way  of  living,  of  seeing  the  world.  it’s  an  active,  productive  and  creative   way   of   living.   it   may   not   be   as   refined   as   the   art   in   the   museums,   but   it’s  infinitely  more  important  for  yourself  and  the  world.