Tag: creativity

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The lack of self in the chaos of a typical nine-to-five

Graphic by Kevin Vaillancourt @kinda.o.kev

Should structure eclipse creativity?

I cannot be the only one who debates between having a traditional nine-to-five or rebelling against societal pressure and opting to freelance and work for myself. Before transferring to Concordia, I was at school in Toronto for the sole reason of opportunity: Toronto is where the Canadian divisions of the Big Five publishing companies are, and I saw it as “the land of opportunity” to get a start on my career. Clearly, I got disillusioned. 

My end goal is ultimately the same, but seeing how bleak people look as they’re leaving those grey office buildings makes the “Do I really want to do that?” debate rear its ugly head.

As someone who is more right-brained, the topic of how people can still maintain their creative side around a traditional nine-to-five job is of interest to me. Is a traditional, structured nine-to-five viable for a happy, creative and well-rounded lifestyle? 

Given the cycle of the same place, commute and people, the exhaustion that comes with repetition demotivates us to unleash our creative side. Routine monotony is something that characterizes the nine-to-five: tasks become repetitively predictable, which leads to a torpor of ideas and a decrease in creative thinking. In a typical nine-to-five in-person office setting, there is rarely any room to experiment with creative solutions.This lack of flexibility hinders the nurturing of our own unique creative potential during moments of inspiration. Without our creativity, we become a shell of ourselves. 

Work is a key component of our personal identity—it makes up the good majority of our time and is where we see our professional growth as well as our paychecks. With finances being most people’s Waterloo, it gets difficult to make your passion your profession, but it is our passions that make us who we are. Otherwise, we would all be slightly altered versions of the same person. 

Because of this push to earn to survive, our passions and the component of our identities they create often get disregarded and viewed as “less important” because they don’t contribute to our job. Nonetheless, it’s essential to explore avenues unrelated to work in order to be a well-rounded person. Think about it—someone that can only talk about their job and whose personality is solely their profession is far less interesting to interact with than someone who has passions they can be excited about. Your personal identity needs to be cultivated through your passions. 

Of course, a nine-to-five does not always offer time to pursue your creative passions—jobs in and of themselves are demanding, and by the time the work day is done, you might not have the energy to tune into your creativity. So much of the day turns to be in the interest of the company you work for, and not for yourself, which is unfulfilling to say the least. Creativity becomes lost when there is no space for it. 

I’m not speaking out of assumption as I’m writing this. While everything stated so far applies to an in-person job, it does not necessarily apply to a hybrid or remote position, and I was lucky enough to work a remote nine-to-five position last year. While I had a schedule to keep, the remote option gave me the chance to both work on personal projects when I wanted a break from work and to be a bit more creative with company projects because I had cultivated a motivating environment. 

I am of the mind that either a remote or a hybrid role is opportune for creativity, mostly because of the lack of repetition I touched on earlier. You have the option to create your own working environment, you can step away from your work, and it also gives a certain flexibility that a rigidly scheduled in-person nine-to-five may lack, and a job that offers a hybrid or partially remote option is something that I have looked into. Alternatively, I might do a one-eighty and work for myself—in an age of technology, there are enough resources and opportunities out there to apply creativity and passion and make a career out of it.  

Our whole lives, we’re told to create our own identity, but it is tough to do so when we’re expected to ditch our cultivated and unique selves in favour of a job that might not even bring us personal satisfaction. Constantly keeping busy does not mean productivity ensues. You could complete meaningless tasks but never actually accomplish anything.

The responsibility, networking, and steady paycheck of a nine-to-five are great, but if it doesn’t allow you to develop your own creativity and see a cultivated and personally accomplished version of yourself, then is it worth doing something you aren’t really passionate about? Why work for someone else’s dream when you can work for your own?

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Arts

Concordia-based young designers attend fashion show for the first time

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Concordia Fashion Business Association hosts fashion show


The world of fashion is constantly evolving, and young designers are at the forefront of innovation. In late March, four young designers from Concordia University showcased their talent at a fashion show hosted by the Concordia Fashion Business Association (CFBA). The event provided them with a platform to express their creativity and gain exposure in the industry. 

The CFBA is a club founded by Concordia students that aims to introduce students to Montreal, but as co-president Sydnee Grill put it, they introduced Montreal to Concordia. Preppy punk was the theme of the show and designers interpreted it to their liking. 

First to show was Oliver Suri-Cernacek, who showcased a collection that combined traditional fabrics and modern silhouettes. Some designs were influenced by his Indian heritage while other pieces challenged the idea of sexiness in the workplace. 

One of his pieces, for example, was a skirt that focused on the Hindu concept of Āśrama, a system that seeks to explain the stages of human life. Suri-Cernacek’s collection was a standout at the fashion show, and his use of bold colors received a lot of attention from the audience.

Next up was Hannah Silver King, who presented a collection that was inspired by her fabrics. Her handmade designs were a fusion of different recycled fabrics, all cut and sewn together. 

King’s collection was both sustainable and fashion-forward, and her innovative approach to design was praised by the spectators. She dreams of being able to work alongside other talented Montreal artisans to create collections of upcycled garments. 

Third on the list was Mariana Tropea, who showcased a collection that was entirely made up of crocheted items. Her designs were feminine and punk, and she used soft fabrics such as yarn to create tops, hats, shoulder sleeves and more.

“Seeing my friends wear my own clothes, it’s like a dream I had when I was a kid,” said Tropea. She sold many pieces at the marketplace held after the show. 

Last but not least were Ethan Irwin and Adam Garcia, who presented a collection that was inspired by streetwear and Montreal culture. Their designs were grungy and minimalistic, and they collaborated with other Montreal artists to create their pieces. 

Their collection was a mix of cut and sewn handmade pieces, made with all kinds of fabrics such as denim. It was the first time they showed their pieces on models. “It used to be made in my basement, so it’s definitely nice being on our first small runway,” said Irwin. 

Overall, the fashion show was a great success, and the young designers received a lot of praise for their talent and creativity. 

“The show was actually pretty good. I really like the designs,” said audience member Jeremie Omeomga. “The pieces actually spoke for themselves […] Concordia students can be very proud of themselves.”

Small Steps: creativity is overrated

Creativity is overrated.

Have you ever gone so deep into self-reflection that you come out the other end knowing less about yourself than when you started? It happens to me a lot. I fall so far down the rabbit hole of astrology, Myers-Briggs types, enneagrams, and Buzzfeed quizzes, that by the end I know I’m a taurus, ENTJ, 3 wing 2, Schmidt from New Girl, but have no concept of what these labels actually mean for my life.

These ways of categorizing people can be alluring because they all play on the base desire to truly know oneself. Overall, as much as I participate, I’ve become a bit wary of this desire to mine the depths of our psyches in order to gain some knowledge of our elusive “true selves.”

I think most of these characteristics aren’t innate to the core of a person whatsoever. Honesty, loyalty, warmness, sensitivity, neuroticism are subject to change for a myriad of personal reasons, this is especially true for the characteristic of creativity.

Whether or not I’m an inherently creative person is a question that has bothered me for most of my young adult life. Culturally, there is a romanticization of the sort of creativity that causes artists to isolate themselves in tiny studios and stay up all night making their masterpiece because they were compelled by some intense inspiration. But how many of us truly relate to that experience of creativity?

This focus on monumental and sporadic artistic output as the definer of who is and is not creative really limits how all of us view our own creations. This view causes us to make up excuses for why we cannot produce artistic content. You either don’t have inspiration, don’t have the right materials, have too busy of a schedule or so on. Then, you never create the art you wanted to make, and convince yourself that you aren’t a “real” artist because you don’t practice a craft consistently. The cycle continues.

I noticed this defeatist cycle most prominently in the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. I had time to make all the creative output I desired once I was staying at home indefinitely. However, I couldn’t bring myself to bust out the random craft supplies lying around my apartment for fear of not being able to achieve something I was proud of.

But since divine inspiration never struck, I convinced myself that I was indeed one of the world’s poor left-brain “uncreatives” and that was that. However, after beating myself up time and time again, I no longer believe in this sort of dichotomy.

Creativity looks different on everyone. As children, we’re all fairly confident in our artistic abilities, and then something happens throughout the years to knock that out of most of us. And through our adolescence, as we’re no longer practicing drawing, music, dancing etc., the skills stagnate. Then, when we try to pick the habit back up, nothing has progressed. That’s not a failure of us individually, but of a system that convinces us that as we grow up, creativity becomes a skill we either have or don’t, rather than a component of every choice we make. Viewing creativity as something inherent to the human condition, rather than a personality quirk can be helpful to escape from the confines of what you expect from yourself.

 

Feature graphic by Taylor Reddam

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Arts

Veteran journalist Francine Pelletier on making documentaries

Documentary journalism workshop series invites students to become creative storytellers

The Department of Journalism held a workshop on Oct. 21, led by Francine Pelletier, the department’s journalist-in-residence, about different forms of documentary making, what makes a good documentary and what makes it a unique form of storytelling.

The workshop was the first of a visual series, through which Pelletier plans to increase the profile of documentary journalism within Concordia. Documentary filmmaking lies at the intersection of journalism and arts, where the artist uses creative storytelling to raise awareness and make an impact in the world.

“Documentary filmmaking combines the best of journalism, telling great stories, and the best of you, finding the creative side in you,” said Pelletier.

After leaving her job at CBC in 2001, Pelletier became an independent documentary filmmaker and has made 11 films so far. She made the switch because documentary making “had exploded” in the 1990s and was a hot medium. She also found it to be a more creative type of journalism and more satisfying to work independently.

Pelletier said the oldest feature-length documentary is perhaps Nanook of the North (1922), which captures the struggles of an Inuk man and his family in the Canadian Arctic. It established the cinéma vérité form, where the filmmaker is but a passive watcher. Pelletier said the film Harlan County, USA (1976), which narrates a coal mine strike in the US, is a notable example of this form. She emphasized that this does not mean the filmmaker is neutral.

“In fact, documentary filmmaking is often called point-of-view filmmaking,” she said. “In this case, [the filmmaker] is definitely on the side of workers and not employers.”

Michael Moore, with his first documentary Roger & Me (1989), invented a new documentary form, in which the filmmaker is the main character. Another documentary form, which is simply an extended television news item, shows an orthodox correspondent who represents the audience and interviews affected people of the story. An example is the Canadian film Just Another Missing Kid (1981), which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1982 (Pelletier said it is “too corny” for today’s taste and would never win an Academy Award today).

Pelletier said that the 1990s was a wonderful decade for documentaries, as the equipment required to make one became more accessible, causing the number of independent documentary makers to explode. Digital cameras were invented, which are much smaller and lighter than analog ones. 

“[So] little women like me can go out and actually use a camera and not die from the 50-pound weight of the television cameras,” she said. Also, many documentary film festivals, like Toronto’s Hot Docs festival, the largest documentary festival in North America, started in the 1990s.

Today, documentaries have various ways of reaching people; they appear on newspaper websites and services such as Netflix. Pelletier said the first documentary she watched on Netflix was Blackfish (2013). It is about the consequences of keeping whales in captivity, and narrates the story of Tilikum, a captive whale at the marine park Seaworld, who was involved in the deaths of three people. The film was quite impactful, and in 2016, SeaWorld announced it will end its live performances involving whales.

“What’s amazing about documentary filmmaking is that anyone can do it; if you’re really passionate about something, it’s possible to do a great story and really make a difference,” Pelletier said. “I always joke that it is the easiest way for a nobody to become a somebody.”

Another reason to make documentaries is to keep the light shining in the right direction, Pelletier said. 

“There is a truth in the documentary because you aren’t telling people what to think; they’re seeing it for themselves.”

To make a good documentary, “The story is key,” Pelletier said. “The essential ingredient to any good story is conflict or tension.”

One does not need a huge scandal — even telling a personal story compellingly can make an effective documentary. For example, Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) describes the decline of the filmmaker’s old father in a creative, playful manner.

Pelletier said that another ingredient of a good story is a strong character.

“Any story is carried by a character,” she said.

Finally, she stressed that there are many ways of making a documentary about a given story; the filmmaker needs to be creative and find a suitable form for their message.

The workshop was the first of a series of three. The second will be on Nov. 18 with Julian Sher, about making documentaries amid conflicts and wars, and the third will be on Dec. 9 with David Gutnick about radio documentary and podcasting.

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Student Life

The MUTEK international festival of digital creativity turns 18

The TouchDesigner Workshop gathered technicians to learn more about audio visualization techniques. Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Inviting media artists from around the world to discuss the future of creative spaces in cities

The evolution and future of creative spaces in urban cities was the focus of the 18th edition of the MUTEK international festival of digital creativity and electronic music. Top artists within the digital media realm from London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Berlin gathered in Montreal from Aug. 22 to 27.

The festival featured panel conferences, an exhibition focusing on subversions of reality and electronic music parties. There was also a digital lab workshop set up by TouchDesigner, a real-time visual development platform used for creating interactive media systems, such as visuals for music. The workshop allowed digital technicians to learn more about audio visualization techniques on the TouchDesigner platform.

Immersive technology, visual art and live music performances under a stratosphere at the SAT for MUTEK. Photo by Sébastien Roy

On the second day of the festival, the focus was on the city of London and its creative spaces. Londoners who play a role in their local digital art or music communities were invited to participate in panel conferences to discuss their projects and challenges. One speaker was Marie McPartlin, the studio director for Somerset House Studios, which commissions one of those more well-known series of events in London. McPartlin explained how this creative space, Nocturnal City, plays a big role in London’s nightlife and pushes the boundaries of underground culture.

Alongside McPartlin at the panel conference was the director of Montreal’s Never Apart, Anthony Galati; Oliver Baurhenn, the curator and organizer of the CTM Festival in Berlin; and Danji Buck-Moore, a collective member of the creative events space, La Plante, in Montreal.

The panelists discussed the need for spaces that allow artistic experimentation in urban environments and how new, creative spaces can foster diversity and inclusion.

Galati is the music director at Never Apart, a non-profit organization in Montreal which aims to bring social change and spiritual awareness through cultural programming.

Galati has been helping creatives in Montreal gain visibility by providing them with resources to evolve their artistic endeavours. According to Galati, access to creative spaces is difficult and venues in Montreal are lacking. “People are creating more, but access to creative space is a bit tougher nowadays, and this is why we need spaces that promote and perpetuate artistic behaviour and endeavours,” he said.

While there is a general need for creative space in the city, Galati put a particular emphasis on providing such spaces for low-income families and teenagers. The reason is that price is another limiting factor for participants. “It’s expensive to make music, it’s expensive to make art — more collaboration is what cities need,” Galati said.

Immersive technology, visual art and live music performances under a stratosphere at the SAT for MUTEK. Photo by Sébastien Roy

The second panel conference discussed the present and future of audiovisual practices in music festivals, film and digital arts. The panel invited the senior director of the British Film Institute, Tim Stevens; Montreal-based digital artist Myriam Bleau; Antonia Folguera, a content creator for the Sonar Festival in Barcelona; and multidisciplinary artist Paul Purgas from London.

“It’s a very fertile time for art because everyone has a story to tell — we want to support experimentation in the U.K,” said Stevens, who has more than 16 years of experience in film, live cinema and digital media. This was his third time attending the MUTEK festival in Montreal. According to Stevens, creative expression is currently too focused on technological mediums rather than the story itself. “We’re at a time where people are thinking, ‘I want to tell a story, now what’s the best form of technology to use to tell this story?’” he said. “I think my biggest advice would be: don’t worry about technology. Think of the story that you want to tell because that’s where the emotion, passion and the drive comes from.”

“When you are telling a good story, it doesn’t matter what you use,” he added. “I think people obsess too much about the form that they are using when they should just focus on their story.”

Furthermore, the panel discussed the role of immersive technology in the future of audiovisual practices, such as sound and visual aesthetics in movies. According to Stevens, at the moment, VR is only monetized through video games. As it transitions to film and art, people are trying to work out what that means for the future of these mediums. “My biggest concern about VR is that it takes away community experience,” Stevens said. “There is no audience there — it’s just an experience that one person is having. What I love about visual and audio stuff is doing live cinema and seeing everyone’s reactions.”

Stevens also made a point to reflect on the challenges creativity faces in his city. “London is a big city, and there is a lot going on. There [are] a lot of problems with the culture there when it comes to art because you need to make a very loud noise and spend a lot of money to be able to cut through.”

The common thread that emerged throughout the festival was the need to include more space for creativity in urban cities and to make these spaces more accessible and inclusive. “In an ideal world,” Galati said, “there would be cubes everywhere that people can use as multi-purpose spaces.”

Feature photo by Sandra Hercegova 

Categories
Arts

How to unleash your inner artist

Here are some ways you can tap into your creative energy in the city

Are you feeling academically unmotivated? Creatively unfulfilled? Well we have the solution for you! No really, there are ways to deal with the feeling of wanting to quit school and join a garage rock band.

Many students can relate to feeling creatively or artistically stunted while trying to manage an academic workload. In a world of requirements, GPAs and memorization, it’s easy to neglect your artistic side.

There are always those who seem to effortlessly find time for “fun” activities while juggling other responsibilities—but for the most part, striking a balance between work requirements, social activity and downtime is a serious struggle. Putting time aside to find activities that are creatively stimulating becomes increasingly difficult, especially when you’re not sure where to start. If you find yourself sinking behind the shadow of impending assignments, take a breath, find something creative to do—either with friends or by yourself—and schedule it in as if it were an appointment. Here are a few suggestions to get you going.

  1. Le Milieu

Le Milieu Co-op is an “open and inclusive creative art studio and exhibition space,” according to their website, as well as a vegetarian café. The studio and café offer a variety of workshops and free studio space which are open to the public, whether you’re an amateur artist or a skilled professional. A large variety of second-hand materials, such as paint, clay, and fabric are available upon donation. Studio space is free, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 to 5. Some of Le Milieu’s events include a knitting circle, kombucha making, silkscreening, and a clothing swap.

  1. Ceramic Café Studio

This café offers cheap ceramic painting for adults and children. It may seem like a juvenile activity, but it can be really relaxing and fun. The process is simple: choose a ceramic object from their selection, go to town on your mug or lamp or piggybank, leave it with them to bake, pick it up later and put your masterpiece on the mantle for all of your friends to admire. The café is open late most nights, doesn’t require any reservations, and is a great activity, whether you bring a large group of friends or a few close buds.

  1. Le Gym

If you’re looking for more of a commitment, Concordia’s Le Gym offers a wide selection of weekly dance and fitness classes. This may not be what immediately comes to mind when discussing creativity, but a dance class can be challenging both physically and artistically. Le Gym hosts classes that range from belly dance and hip-hop to swing and salsa. You can try out your first class for free and then sign up for the semester if you find something you enjoy. The schedule and more information is available on the Concordia website.

  1. The FOFA Gallery

Visiting one of the finest galleries in the city has never been easier. Located in the EV building on the Sir George Williams campus, the Faculty of Fine Arts (FOFA) Gallery not only displays the work of Concordia fine arts students, but that of alumni and faculty as well. The quality of the FOFA exhibitions is known to be of high caliber, which always makes it a pleasure to visit. Making Spaces, an undergraduate student exhibition, opened at the gallery on Jan. 16. If you’d like to branch out of the university community, Arsenal Montreal ($8 for students) and DHC/ART (free admission) are both known for the quality of their exhibitions. From January 13 to March 11, Arsenal Montreal is displaying the work of Marc Seguin, a Canadian multidisciplinary artist. At DHC/ART, Wim Delvoye’s exhibition runs until March 19. His work breaches the subjects of economy, globalization, and technology through a multidisciplinary approach.

  1. Create an art studio at home

When trying to implement artistic practices into your routine, having an accessible space to create and express yourself makes all the difference. Some easy and affordable ideas to start off with are sculpting, painting, sketching, collage and embroidery. DeSerres stores have a wide variety of supplies at various prices, so you are bound to find what you are looking for. If you were particularly inspired by—let’s say—an exhibit at the FOFA Gallery, but don’t know where or how to start, start at home! Grab some basic clay, a set of watercolors, thread or yarn and old magazines and you’ll be good to go. If you need some advice or extra help to complete your vision, stop by Le Milieu. Their volunteers would be happy to help.

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