Creativity Studies

Communicate to engage: storytelling, content creation, and promoting the idea of sustainability and intercultural dialogue in travel videoblogs

Anna Maj — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 09:16:07 +0200

In the area of digital media narratives, an important communication role is played by influencers who, thanks to original media messages, become creative gatekeepers of specific ideas. Travel videoblogs are often underestimated as pure entertainment, whereas they can be seen as important tools for public discourse creators. The research uses methods of compositional and content analysis, supplemented with narratology and netnography. In the space of popular travel videoblogs, the main ideas promoted include the ideas of sustainable development and intercultural dialogue. Bloggers create and stimulate the existence of online communities, express specific ideas, concepts and worldviews that partly come from the area of scientific discourse, particularly anthropological, cultural and ethical ones. The research highlights the serious public role played by the digital nomads as influencers and new kind of friendly authority and presents case study of successful communication strategies, narrative skills and technical competences of authors. The online travel narratives can be seen as marketing of ideas and thus used as practical tool of communication for institutions, non-governmental organizations and other actors of communication. The paper analyses new material (new genres of communication, new channels, new strategies) and topic of high importance in the context of intercultural conflicts and ecological problems. One of the most influential Polish travel vlogs, Globstory by Kaja Kraska (initiated in August, 2014), serves here as a case study. It was chosen because its content is typical for this genre and because of creative and engaging practices of the vlogger who successfully influences the public and its understanding of specific ideas and problems.

Creative processes of emotional images: the effects of aspect ratio on the emotional and aesthetic properties of images

Arvydas Kuzinas, Rasa Pilkauskaitė-Valickienė, Mykolas Simas Poškus — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:55:50 +0200

Proportions are one of the primary components of successful image composition during the visual art creation process, which, in turn, is determinant of the variety of effects of images on the viewer, including emotional reactions, attention, and aesthetic preference. The importance of image width and height ratio is especially visible in the current trend to adopt the widest possible screens in a variety of modern creative media applications: photo, video, computer games, etc. In the present study emotional and aesthetic evaluations of the three most popular aspect ratios that are used in digital media devices were compared. This was achieved by assessing emotional arousal and valence ratings together with the interest and appeal evaluations of realistic photos presented in 4:3, 16:9, and 21:9 aspect ratios. The results demonstrated that the widest images did not have an inherent advantage – photos presented in the mid-wide aspect ratio of 16:9 could be considered as more effective, because they were rated as evoking the most positive emotional reactions and as the most liked pictures. This demonstrated that single design features can have an independent emotional effect, which needs to be considered in visual design aiming to evoke emotional reactions to the viewer.

Enhancing learners’ awareness of presentation literacy to stimulate interactive and creative learning in tertiary education

Ivona Baranovska-Vasiljeva — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:28:47 +0200

Learning methods play a significant role and receive more and more attention in this digital era where everyone wants something exciting, dynamic, effective, and interactive. This paper argues that one of the essential tasks of the current communication age and of a modern-day teacher is the enhancement of presentation literacy through the encouragement and development of students’ creative, communicative, and interactive skills. The article provides some of the reasons why present-day teaching should lay account on a new type learner, i.e. a net gener, and his needs as well as his expectations in the learning environment in the 21st century. The skill of effective public speaking or the practice of the commonly called presentations is brought into focus alongside. The study employed a survey on the usefulness and effectiveness of the presentation assignment which integrated TED Talks and topic-related creative activities. The research involved the students of Creative Industries study program at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania. As a result, a more creative and interactive learning method of delivering presentations and becoming more self-confident speakers proved to be beneficial among students. Their reflections revealed their attitude towards the effectiveness of the activity and offered insights into the learning process on how to help teachers cater to changing students’ needs. The implications of this article are relevant to all stakeholders in higher education.

Creativity management within the aesthetical situation regarding the in-real or digital form of participation in arts: art receivers’ perspective

Michał Szostak, Łukasz Sułkowski — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 09:43:32 +0200

Because digitalisation of the aesthetical experience, a process speeded up by the not-yet-finished COVID-19 pandemic, should be considered in the context of growth or loss of artistry/creativity, this paper aims to assess the influence of the participation form in the aesthetical situation by receivers on the level of artistry/creativity potential loss. Assessment of the quality of participation by the receivers in each of five types of arts (musical arts, performing arts, literary arts, audio-visual arts, visual arts) was done using the same ten criteria for each type of art: satisfaction, pleasure, engagement, the possibility of experiencing catharsis, contact with the artwork itself, contact with the performer itself, comfort of participation, possibilities of shaping the aesthetical experience, own motivation to participate, easiness of participation. The literature review was run using NVivo Pro software. Data analysis (n = 221) was executed using IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Answering the research hypotheses: H1) the digital form of participation in arts determines the level of quality of participation in the aesthetical situation by receivers; H2) the form of participation in art shapes the level of quality of participation in the aesthetical situation by receivers of each type of art differently: in musical arts, performing arts, literary arts and visual arts, in-real participation gives higher quality than digital participation; in audio-visual arts, in-real participation gives lower quality than digital participation. The research results may be helpful for: art creators wanting to choose the optimal way of distributing their artworks; art managers to better understand art receivers’ perspectives and their opinion about participation in arts in real or digitally; art receivers to compare their private opinion about the ways of participation in arts with the general opinion of art receivers.

Carnivalesque, creativity, and the becomings: a critical assessment of the politics of resistance in Batman: Arkham Asylum

Anupama Kodencheri, Gandhapodi K. Chithra — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 09:04:56 +0200

There is a growing academic interest in respect for critical game studies from the domains such as cultural studies, literature, ludology, and gender studies. However, the research done on videogames from the perspective of the political discourse is not broad enough. Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009, director Sefton Hill) is a franchise that has redefined the superhero videogame genre. Although previous Batman transmedia adaptations would usually portray Gotham City as the prime location to narrate the story from the perspective of Batman, the videogame utilizes the carceral setting of Batman to subvert the traditional narratives and makes it completely a Joker’s (character) game. Therefore, this version of storytelling carries a character with a more nuanced demeanor and a setting with socio-political influence. The current paper examines the underlying structural inequality present in Batman using Giorgio Agamben’s bare life theory and the subsequent discourse of resistance using the theoretical framework of Mikhail Bakhtin. The analysis reveals the various carnivalesque elements present in the game and illustrates how the game takes advantage of them to mount an attack against the bare life status of the antagonists that are usually seen in Batman transmedia universe. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on the posthuman traits of Joker’s becoming through a Gilles Deleuze-inspired perspective.

New creative perspective on existential and social undercurrents in British Gothic novels

Aswathy A. S. Nair, Laxmi Dhar Dwivedi — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:56:06 +0200

Changes that occur often in the world around us in accordance with each period’s change. It is a common trend in writing to introduce new tendencies, and the Gothic subgenre exhibits this tendency. The term Gothic has its roots in the early 16th century and refers to a mysterious quality that appears in some metaphysical items. This paper is a humble attempt to explore the history of the Gothic novel and demonstrate how mystery alone recreates this genre in British literature. The ability of intangible components to incite fear in readers was lessened with the rise of the mysterious portrayal of a story in day-to-day life. As the Gothic novel began to examine reality, readers’ desire to learn the truth increased. This paper investigates to understand the reasons for the abrupt disappearance of metaphysical components and increased focus and importance on existential and social issues by examining a few randomly chosen modern novels and comparing them to the earlier Gothic classics. It highlights the differences occurring in readers’ views according to the various times while also evaluating the variance occurring within the Gothic genre.

About folklore in the creative activity of Mykhailo Starytsky and Mykola Lysenko and its influence on the formation of the Ukrainian professional music and drama theater

Liudmyla Kokhan, Larysa Kokhan — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:05:41 +0200

The article is devoted to the study of folklore activities of Ukrainian playwright, writer, poet, translator, theatrical and cultural figure, director, philanthropist, director of the first Ukrainian professional theater, the so-called “theater of luminaries”, Mykhailo Starytsky (1840–1904) and the founder of the Ukrainian national opera, composer, pianist, conductor, folklorist, public figure Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912). The main attention is paid to the analysis of the playwright’s use of descriptions of rituals, customs, traditions, folk morals of Ukrainians, as well as examples of the use of small folk genres, phraseology. It was found that for the Ukrainian community the study and preservation of folk traditions in the second half of the 19th century played an important role in the formation of national self-identification and national consciousness. The origins, features and functions of ethnography in Starytsky’s works are determined, in particular it is proved that the playwright’s use of descriptions of Christian and pre-Christian rites was primarily aimed at a true image of traditional Ukrainian society, an important component of which were ancient rituals, games, music and drama actions. It is shown how the rites of the winter and summer cycles of the folk calendar are reflected in various ways in the artist’s work, which is the most saturated with various bright rituals and customs. It is proved that the study of folk music significantly influenced the composer’s creativity. It is confirmed, that folklore in the works of Starytsky and Lysenko had a positive effect on the formation of the Ukrainian professional theater as a music and drama one.

A preliminary study of regional creative vision: insights from creative enterprises’ founders in Indonesia

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 14:44:36 +0200

A creative enterprise (i.e. enterprise in the creative industries) can be understood as an enterprise that relies principally on the creativity of individuals engaged in it. Thus, creativity can be said to define the entire pursuit of creative enterprises. This paper highlights the motivational aspect of creativity in the notion of ‘creative vision’ based on interviews with founders of creative enterprises in three different regions in Indonesia (Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Bali), encompassing three creative sectors (cuisine, craft, and fashion). Three forms of creative vision have been discovered (collective self-actualization, collective altruism, and co-creation), with each form predominantly signifying each region sampled. Through a collaborative effort of sensemaking in the research team, the current preliminary study contributes to discourses about the nature of creativity or what it entails; it is derived not from the conscious understanding of what creativity is or means by experts and the likes, but from the actual vision of practitioners of creativity from the field where creativity is the soul. The findings emphasize how creativity can be defined: what does it mean to be creative?

Fostering creative English for specific purposes studies: implementation of flipped classroom method during COVID-19 pandemic at Antanas Gustaitis’ Aviation Institute, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania

Alisa Stunžaitė, Pavel Skorupa, Tatjana Dubovičienė — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:05:58 +0200

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences, including those within the realm of higher education. The flipped classroom method was adopted as an innovative teaching tool and creative approach within English for specific purposes classes at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Antanas Gustaitis’ Aviation Institute to increase student motivation and enhance the teaching and learning process. The study’s results demonstrated that the flipped classroom method yielded both positive and negative outcomes, including more efficient mastery of learning material, improved planning of in-class and out-of-class activities, opportunities for additional research on covered topics, increased workload and time consumption, and other.

Digital democracy during COVID-19 pandemic: use of information and communications technology between creativity and inability to promote the practice of democratic values. Case study of Jordan

Sultan N. Alquraan, Haytham Adouse — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 10:41:10 +0200

This study aims to examine the extent to which information and communications technology was used as a tool for political socialization and promotion of democratic values, and the purpose and extent of Jordanian university students’ use of information and communications technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. A total of 1171 students were selected from science and humanities faculties at three universities to participate in the study. Questionnaires were sent to some of the university students to distribute to other students through their electronic learning platforms. The findings of the study revealed that, although most participants used information and communications technology to “high” and “very high” extents, they did not use it to promote democratic values, as the purpose was mainly for education, entertainment, and other services.

Differences between the creativity of people who are deaf or hard of hearing and those with typical hearing: a protocol for the further scoping review

Petra Potměšilová, Miloň Potměšil, Miloslav Klugar — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:28:42 +0200

As a step prescribed by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology before conducting a scoping review, the protocol aims to describe differences in creativity between deaf and hard of hearing and typically hearing people. Creativity as a mental process is important for the development of personality, imagination, communication skills, and interpersonal relationships. For this study, the focus was on creativity of deaf and hard of hearing persons. Deaf and hard of hearing people show specific characteristics in their mode of creativity. All the studies that deal with creativity in deaf and hard of hearing people will be included. Studies of any design in English, German, or Czech will be accepted as sources for assessment and analysis for systematic review. The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for a scoping review will act as a framework for the review that will be prepared. 14 scientific databases will be chosen for this review. Two independent reviewers will identify and evaluate all the titles and abstracts that are acquired. The selected data will be extracted and reported in tabular form and a descriptive format.

Creativity and the doctor of philosophy: the case for creativity education within doctoral programs

Ryan Daniel — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:04:56 +0200

Doctoral education is an increasingly prevalent part of the worldwide higher education landscape. Although there are variations in how programs are constructed and delivered, there is general agreement that evidence of creativity is expected in the final thesis. Despite the significant attention the supervisory process has received in the literature, students’ views on creativity as it applies to their candidature have not been extensively explored. This article reports on interviews with a sample of 12 current doctoral students in the areas of the arts, social sciences, and education from the theoretical perspective of the systems model of creativity. Interview participants were invited to reflect on the concept of creativity, and the factors which support or constrain their potential to be creative. The findings reveal that on reflection, students are able to identify the creative elements of their work, however the findings also indicate that creativity education should be given greater focus in doctoral programs, in order to embed this important concept and process to support students’ learning journey.

Mediating effects of creative home environment and self-directed learning ability on the relationship between creative personality and creative achievement intention

Ga Hyung Lee — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 08:17:59 +0300

This study verified the mediating effects of creative home environment and self-directed learning ability on the relationship between creative personality and creative achievement intention of university students. Creative personality was set as independent variable, creative home environment and self-directed learning ability as mediating variables, and creative achievement intention as dependent variable. This study was conducted from June 10 to July 10, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea, and the participants were 587 university students. Data was collected through an online–offline test and analysed using SPSS Statistics 25.0. Creative personality affected creative achievement intention through the medium of creative home environment. However, self-directed learning ability had no mediating effect in the influence of creative personality on creative achievement intention. Therefore, creative home environment is important to improve the creative achievement intention of university students. Further, that the family’s environmental support affects the creative achievement intention to express creativity in course of development bears implications for parent education.

Upcycling for repurposing waste into creative products

Jong Boonpracha, Panupong Chanplin, Chutima Ngampipat, Nichanant Sermsri — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 11:06:50 +0300

Upcycling is the process of repurposing non-used materials or products to make them more valuable or usable, with increased quality and value. However, truly little research has been conducted on the design process and/or creative ideation of upcycling in order to produce higher-quality and more valuable products. This study presents the four stages of the design process, consisting of selecting the waste products, emerging conceptions, generating ideas, and rendering a series of creative ideas. SCAMPER (substitute, combine, adjust, modify, put to other uses, eliminate, reverse), one of the practical and effective techniques to create various creative ideas, was applied in the stages of emerging conceptions and generating ideas. With the upcycling concept of waste product design utilizing SCAMPER, the results demonstrated that waste soft drink cans could be converted into five creative products: a desk watch, a picture frame, a spring paper clip, a pencil holder, and a lamp. The five products featured the upcycling of waste soft drink cans, removing the need to recycle or send them to landfills at that point in their lifecycle. Consideration was given to the design process’ compatibility with creative concept generation and design. The study indicated that upcycling should be viewed as an essential component of waste management and repurposing in order to provide an intelligent answer to escalating product waste problems.

Creativity in project management teaching: the evidence from systematic literature review

Rasa Nedzinskaitė-Mačiūnienė, Inga Minelgaitė — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 12:11:39 +0300

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the empirical studies on project management teaching in higher education, examining to what extent teaching methods are oriented towards creativity. The systematic review is based on an analysis of relevant papers published between 1983 and 2019 and extracted from the electronic the ProQuest database and International Journal of Project Management. Literature suggests diverse benefits creativity can bring about to project environment including communication, conflict management, goal setting, and addressing increasing complexity of projectification impacted environment. However, the systematic review revealed that creativity is virtually not addressed at all in teaching of project management in higher education, even though overall diverse teaching methods and learning methods are used in the education of future project managers.

The role of communication and creativity in the implementation of sustainability and sustainable innovations

Zenona Ona Atkočiūnienė, Daiva Siudikienė, Ingrida Girnienė — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:01:17 +0300

Sustainable development becomes a strategic goal of modern business organizations and an aspiration to ensure long-term economic growth through the creation of innovative products and services, saving resources and their sustainable use, nurturing the environment, and contributing to the creation of public welfare. It should be noted that communication and creativity constitutes a significant part of the innovation generation and implementation process. Promotion of idea generation, the interpretation of the need for innovation, the provision of opportunities for expressing new ideas, the development of relationships both within the team itself and with stakeholders are important in each phase of communication. The article presents the research, the purpose of which is to determine how creative communication solutions condition the involvement of the organization’s stakeholders, developing sustainability and creating sustainable innovations in Lithuanian business organizations. The applied research method is qualitative content analysis of the web pages of the largest Lithuanian business organizations, seeking to collect data on the essential organization of sustainable innovation development activities, challenges and features of stakeholder involvement. The data required for the research was collected by reviewing the publicly available information of 100 websites of Lithuanian business organizations in order to determine the essential communicated sustainability topics. Documents related to sustainable activities of organizations were also investigated (sustainability performance reports, corporate social responsibility reports, etc.). The results of the study show that Lithuanian business organizations consider the development of a sustainable activity strategy an important priority in the near term. However, although they understand the need for sustainable activities, developing sustainable innovations by involving stakeholders in these activities is difficult due to the lack of such practices and various organizational factors.

Conceptual problems with disembodied cognition in learning environment(s) and the alternative of embodied creativity

Mindaugas Briedis, Mariano Navarro — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:55:59 +0300

The article is motivated by today’s practical realities and theoretical transformations that have affected education on a major scale. The shift from in-person to online classrooms at the beginning of the pandemic brought forward a series of issues related to embodied conditioning for creative strategies in the learning process. After presenting the shortcomings of the disembodied approach to education, we emphasize the role of the embodied (somatic, motoric, affective) aspects of education and discuss the embodied skills of creativity in a variety of learning environments. While so called embodied creativity became a fast-developing field due to mostly quantitative experiments in teaching-learning environments, it still lacks some conceptual clarification, especially in relation to its genesis in the paradigm of embodied cognition. Hence the main goal of this conceptual article is to extend, through the method of theory adaptation, the existing body of research on embodied cognition in academic environments to show how the embodied teaching and learning paradigm presents embodied creativity methods as an alternative to the disembodied approach to education and how technological environments provide an opportunity for such purposes.