Conversations heard and unheard: creativity in the studio and in writing

Abstract

This article is a call for a certain kind of space for a certain kind of conversation. It is a protest against a tendency to over-define in higher education and a current emphasis on knowledge for information's sake. It is also a protest against pressures of time put upon both colleagues and students that prevent spaces for creativity. It advocates listening that is built on trust and built over time. This can apply to the conversation between student and tutor or equally, it can apply to the inner voice that each student can reach. It concerns the hidden that can emerge through a dialogue between the visual and the verbal or between object and maker. The attention paid to what is hidden, on the borders of our consciousness, accessed through reverie, is the key to creativity. The clearing away for such a path necessitates the removal of the clutter of information; it also demands full exploration by students of sources that are not imposed and that have no limit. This understanding has been built by many years of professional practice: as a cultural theory lecturer, trained in dyslexia awareness, and as a psychotherapist.