CLAT Step 5 - Spark Creativity Flashcards
Goal of Step 5: Spark Creativity
Our goal is to help you design an activity that will result in new artistry in a genre which, when performed in a community event, will likely produce particular kinds of effects in those who experience it and thereby provide a chance for the community to move toward a kingdom goal.
Process of designing a sparking activity
- Think about what a sparking activity is.
- Identify opportunities to capitalize on and barriers to overcome.
- Decide on the type of activity.
- Design a new activity or modify an existing one.
- Perform the activity.
- Think about what a sparking activity is - 4 main points
- A sparking activity is “anything anybody does that results in the creation of a new artistry.” (192)
- can be simple/complex, large/small, one-time, one goal/multiple stages, multiple goals, etc.
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6 Elements of a sparking activity to include in CAP:
- Title and summary
- Participants
- Check CAP for any info about the community or genre needed for the activity to succeed & fill in any gaps
- Resources needed
- Tasks to perform to complete the activity
- Big-picture analysis: 1) CLAT steps included in the activity; 2) CLAT steps already done outside the activity; 3) future plans for doing any missing CLAT steps
- Prepare to Draw on Familiar Methods of Composition from the Community
- Think carefully about the Meristem (artists need to be the most skilled, with a positive community reputation)
Meristem
Think Carefully about the Meristem, the growth point in a plant comparable to the artist(s) who will produce new creative works; so they must be nourished, protected
- the community should find someone with good artistic skills (respected)
- but also respected socially (character, reputation)
- Considerations about commissioning a non-Christian: Neeley (1997), Wedekind (1975)
- Identify Opportunities to Maximize and Barriers to Overcome
Discuss opportunities, barriers (using PMEC Force Field Analysis tool), and then ask:
- What might help us spark a rich flowering of new works in this genre? How could we draw on these opportunities when designing a sparking activity?
- What might stop us from achieving this flowering? How could we overcome these barriers when designing a sparking activity?
Put results in the CAP
- Decide on Type of Sparking Activity (list of 7):
- commissioning
- workshops
- showcase events (festivals, concerts, etc.)
- mentoring
- apprenticeship
- publications
- creators’ clubs
Commissioning (def)
Commissioning: to charge an artist or group of artists with the task of creating a new instance of an artistic genre for an agreed-upon purpose.
- consider commissioning in almost all circumstances
- often the most direct way to spark creativity because it requires as few as two people in dialogue
- consider compensation, how much influence the artist has in the end
Workshops (def)
Short events that gather people together to make progress on a given task (arts workshop is basically the CLAT cycle in abbreviated form)
Workshops - 5 things to remember
- Pray for long-term impact
- People to invite:
- community leaders/gatekeepers
- artistic experts
- content experts
- Outcomes (among others): written descriptions of community genres; at least one new local artistic work or recording; written plans for sustained creativity in response to community needs
- Methodologies: use high engagement, participatory approaches like Learning that Lasts
- Elements: promote group cohesion, establish theological grounding, encourage spiritual transformation & inspiration, do 7 CLAT steps
Showcase Events (def & 1 source)
Festivals/contests that highlight creativity in local artistic genres (look for existing events, or introduce new ones)
- e.g., Barz (2003) using kwaya contests, Tanzania, to highlight creativity
Showcase Events 5-phase process
- Imagine/plan (ask lots of questions about what types of arts, what kind of budget, competition elements, recording/ documentation….)
- Promote/network
- Compose/prepare: will artists have time and resources to create and practice their performance?
- Run the event
- Evaluate/plan: relate to 7 CLAT steps and discuss possibility of future events
Mentoring (def)
Transmitting artistic tradition through long-term relationships and reciprocal learning!
Apprenticeship (def)
Experts transfer their skills to other community members; successfully draws on familiar educational forms, sustainable schedules, and adequate time to reach a level of competency
Publications
Increases long-term success of ideas/artistry:
- consider: target audience; editors; system for distribution; system for ongoing publication; feedback tools for improvement
- e.g., Hodges (2007)—created an advisory panel and publication around Nada Dasar, the “central tone of melody and harmony,” like Jesus Christ. It was a forum to discuss musical issues in the church
Creators’ Clubs (source)
King (1999): coined term new song fellowship, akin to sub-Saharan African groups that practice each week to improve songs of certain genres—these compose new Scripture songs
