Between Material and Ideas: A Process-Based Spatial Model of Artistic Creativity

Abstract

In this chapter, I propose a model of an artistic creative process, based on study of my own creative processes over twenty years of activities as composer and improviser. The model describes the creative process as a structured exploration of the space of the possible, emphasising the interplay between a dynamic concept and the changing material form of the work. Combining ideas, tools, material and memory, creativity is described as a coherent, dynamic, and iterative process that navigates the space of the chosen medium, guided by the tools at hand, and by the continuously revised ideas, significantly extending previous spatial models of creativity. This involves repeated misinterpretation and coincidences, which are crucial in human creative processes, adding meaning and depth to the artwork. A few examples from real life are given as illustrations of the model, together with a discussion of phenomena such as appreciation, skill and collaborative creativity. Finally, I discuss how the proposed model could form a foundation for computer implementations of artistic creative process, to increase our understanding of human creativity, and to possibly enable believable artistic behaviour in machines.