Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

A personal exploration of the creative process

Thesis (MA (VA)(Visual Arts. Jewellery Design))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bader, Angela
Other Authors: Klopper, Sandra
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch 2008
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613977092030464
access_status_str Open Access
author Bader, Angela
author2 Klopper, Sandra
author_browse Bader, Angela
Klopper, Sandra
author_facet Klopper, Sandra
Bader, Angela
author_sort Bader, Angela
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv University of Stellenbosch
description Thesis (MA (VA)(Visual Arts. Jewellery Design))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1546
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:42.460Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2008
publishDateRange 2008
publishDateSort 2008
publisher Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
publisherStr Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/1546 A personal exploration of the creative process Bader, Angela Klopper, Sandra Cassar, Errico University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts. Dissertations -- Art Theses -- Art Dissertations -- Visual arts Theses -- Visual arts Dissertations -- Jewellery design Theses -- Jewellery design Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Psychological aspects Creative ability -- Psychological aspects Art -- Psychological aspects Jewelry making -- Psychological aspects Thesis (MA (VA)(Visual Arts. Jewellery Design))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. In this thesis I concern myself with a rather particular process of making jewellery – a creative process which epitomises repetitive, labour-intensive and timeconsuming actions, results in an “optimal” experience (Csikszentmihalyi 1990) and leads to meticulous and refined products. In dealing with this process I present its conceptual framework which I understand as a sequence of physical, mental and emotional elements through which I move from fascination (the initiating factor of the process) to product (a concrete and legitimising by-product of the process). As I progress from fascination to product, I move through the distinct, yet interwoven stages of ideation, planning and preparation, production, meditation, incubation and insight. These stages, together with fascination and product, constitute a continuous, three-dimensional spiralling form which characterizes the conceptual structure of my process. Within that conceptual structure, I differentiate between the phase of decisionmaking and the “experiential” phase (here signifying “to experience”). The former phase comprises the stages of ideation, planning and preparation, and production; whereas the latter phase stretches over the stages of production, meditation, incubation and insight. I define decision-making as a sequential thought-process and distinguish between an open-ended and a highly restricted or defined type of decision-making. The open-ended type takes the form of free experimentation and dominates the stage of ideation, leading to those ideas which I choose to translate into concrete jewellerypieces. As I move from ideation to planning and preparation, and subsequently to production in developing and implementing my idea, I increasingly make use of the restricted type of decision-making in the form of relying on previously accumulated knowledge and experience. Understanding decision-making as “a logical process leading to a conclusion” (Loy 1988:146), I interpret decision-making in general, and the restricted type in particular, in terms of the philosophical notion of dual thoughtprocesses, based on the causally and sequentially linked elements of decision-making. As the stage of production progresses, the dual thought-processes of decisionmaking are increasingly relegated to my sub-conscious. Consequently, my consciousness is free to engage in what I refer to as meditation, as a result of which I move into the experiential phase of my process. My meditative state of mind can be ascribed to non-dual, spontaneous and random thought-processes which bring with an atmosphere of incubation out of which insights arise. As a result of my non-dual mind-set I experience both my thinking and my acting during meditation as non-dual, accumulating or resulting in an exhilarating, overtly positive, worthwhile and fulfilling experience. Even though this experience acts as a motivation for engaging in the process and is therefore of enormous significance, the tangible product of the process does serve a legitimizing function as it endows my almost excessively time-consuming and labour-intensive acts with purpose. However, as a result of the input of enormous amounts of personal energy over prolonged time-spans my process leads to an intimate relationship between my products and me, causing a dilemma and paradox as I struggle to let go of my jewellery-pieces. Masters 2008-06-30T10:17:35Z 2010-06-01T08:27:03Z 2008-06-30T10:17:35Z 2010-06-01T08:27:03Z 2006-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1546 en University of Stellenbosch application/pdf application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
spellingShingle Dissertations -- Art
Theses -- Art
Dissertations -- Visual arts
Theses -- Visual arts
Dissertations -- Jewellery design
Theses -- Jewellery design
Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Psychological aspects
Creative ability -- Psychological aspects
Art -- Psychological aspects
Jewelry making -- Psychological aspects
Bader, Angela
A personal exploration of the creative process
title A personal exploration of the creative process
title_full A personal exploration of the creative process
title_fullStr A personal exploration of the creative process
title_full_unstemmed A personal exploration of the creative process
title_short A personal exploration of the creative process
title_sort personal exploration of the creative process
topic Dissertations -- Art
Theses -- Art
Dissertations -- Visual arts
Theses -- Visual arts
Dissertations -- Jewellery design
Theses -- Jewellery design
Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) -- Psychological aspects
Creative ability -- Psychological aspects
Art -- Psychological aspects
Jewelry making -- Psychological aspects
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1546
work_keys_str_mv AT baderangela apersonalexplorationofthecreativeprocess
AT baderangela personalexplorationofthecreativeprocess