Field Guide (gj)

One important question that needs to be asked is why the two forces ? Why only two ?

I am NOT inventing any new terms in an attempt to analyze the many things that are happening all together in the process of art or design making.

“Logical Decision” vs “Intuitive Decision”; “

“Factual/Rational” vs “Subjective/Emotional”

“Common Knowledge” vs “Personal Preference”

etc.

If only being put in a vacuum of theoretical discussion,

All these terms are vaguely the same, and could almost be exchangeable.

What matters to me, and what motivates me to set the parameter and phrase the forces and how they work, is not the possibility of building a static theory that looks back at a process, but building a dynamic and applied strategy framework that can be applied in the live process of creative work, and even more, in the process of my pedagogical practice of teaching creativity.

And if we start from here, the next question to ask is,

During the fluid and dynamic process of design, in every single moment (imagining a section along a timeline), would the designer be capable of staying both “logical” and “intuitive”?

My answer is no, not at that single moment, and it is important here, because, if not, then all the statements that “design is the mixture of logic and intuition” and alike are NOT applicable to the designers while they are in the actual process of designing.

As a response, I have been working on the phrasing of the two forces as such that these mental states are mutually exclusive in the split moment, but are organically weaving together the creative process.

Sport like soccer or basketball, would be a proper analogy here, that the switch between offence and defence is the definition of the game, but in every split second, one is the top priority or driving force guiding players in terms of their tactics, thinking and moves,  and the other is not, depending on where the ball possession is.

One of the most common things I would see in beginner level art or design courses, is students can easily feel confused whether they need to pick up a new theory, method or skill as guidance to do coursework, or to let their intuitive talent take control and let it out and when to do which.

In my own teaching practice, I respond to that by creating worksheets with step by step questions. These worksheets become extremely useful in guiding students through the process of constant switching gears between the two forces without confusing them, as they might come in with the presumption that they are looking to be in one state or the other.

So, going back to the previous post about the two forces.

I could still be revising the actual name of them, but the intention here is not to give another similar “summary” of the creative process from a point of view that is outside the artist/designer, but to establish a way to offer a field guide to navigate the process whilst in the middle of it.