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The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor)
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614083419734016 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Woermann, Minka Louisa |
| author2 | Viljoen, Stella |
| author_browse | Viljoen, Stella Woermann, Minka Louisa |
| author_facet | Viljoen, Stella Woermann, Minka Louisa |
| author_sort | Woermann, Minka Louisa |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132315 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:23.902Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132315 The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) Woermann, Minka Louisa Viljoen, Stella Moe, Ledelle Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts. Creative ability Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Philosophy Phenomenology Attention Drawing -- Philosophy Art -- Philosophy Aesthetics Artists -- Psychology Art -- Psychological aspects UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Woermann, M. L. 2025. The Phenomenology of Creative Flow: A Philosophical Reflection from Drawing Practices (in conversation with Diane Victor). Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/d5264a82-bc74-405d-979d-f9bd578f47b7 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As suggested by the title, in this dissertation I seek to develop a phenomenology of creative flow within the domain of drawing practices. The concept of flow was pioneered by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the field of positive psychology. Flow refers to a specific mode of engagement in activity that elicits the experience of total task focus, the merging of action and awareness, a loss of reflective self-consciousness, time distortion, and meaningful engagement in activity. Even though flow is a very particular experience, no systematic account of this experience has been forwarded in the phenomenological literature. In this study, I attempt to fill this gap. More specifically, I argue for a view of flow as a potential channel or guide for creativity. Concerning the experience of creative flow, I argue that creative flow is phenomenologically distinguished from, but also related to, artistic work or labour (what I call grind); creative flow is necessarily embodied, which contributes to a type of engagement that supports self and world-making; and creative flow evokes the feeling of blindness in thinking, as we seek to translate experience in practice. This conception of creative flow also feeds into my understanding of drawing as open-ended practice, as well as of how drawing-in-flow allows us to authentically express our sensibility of the world. Along with Csikszentmihalyi, I argue that the value of exploring creative flow (and thus the motivation for this study) lies in its potential to contribute to our understanding of what makes life worthwhile. However, beyond Csikszentmihalyi’s conception of the good life (which focuses on the quality of our engagement with our contingent practices), I argue that creative flow can also contribute to our sense of purpose by facilitating a certain experience with world via drawing. The experience of flow, in other words, connects us to something beyond our immediate phenomenological selves. Since the study frames creative flow within drawing practices, the nature of drawing as art form is also investigated in several reflections. Because the focus is on the experience of flow in drawing, the theoretical analysis is conducted in conversation with South African artist, Diane Victor, who was selected as the practice-based guide for this study. She shared her views on her drawing practices (and her experiences of grind and flow within these practices) in a semi-structured interview that I conducted with her in June 2024. The full transcript of this interview is also presented in four installments alongside the theoretical analysis. Since none of the extant academic literature engages Victor’s experiences of her drawing practices so directly, this study also contributes to the growing body of literature on her work. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar nie. Doctoral 2025-06-03T10:38:23Z 2025-06-03T10:38:23Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132315 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 196 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Creative ability Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Philosophy Phenomenology Attention Drawing -- Philosophy Art -- Philosophy Aesthetics Artists -- Psychology Art -- Psychological aspects UCTD Woermann, Minka Louisa The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title | The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title_full | The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title_fullStr | The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title_short | The phenomenology of creative flow: a philosophical reflection from drawing practices (in conversation with Diane Victor) |
| title_sort | phenomenology of creative flow a philosophical reflection from drawing practices in conversation with diane victor |
| topic | Creative ability Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Philosophy Phenomenology Attention Drawing -- Philosophy Art -- Philosophy Aesthetics Artists -- Psychology Art -- Psychological aspects UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132315 |
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