Yabby,

You are right, of course, that creativity is still with us in varying degrees - how could it not be. I'm just as interested in the ways that people indulge their creative instincts. I do suspect, however, that people watch the cooking shows more for entertainment than inspiration.

Thinker 2,

It's interesting that you said you never had a big idea. I've always been interested in truly original creativity. I draw quite well, but have trouble composing a picture. I'm good at copying, but not so good at coming up with an original concept.

Lexi,

Funny that you mentioned Mary Poppins, as I was talking to a young girl who had seen it recently in Melbourne and who seemed thoroughly enchanted by the experience.
I often watch my son's dance teacher as she seemingly comes up with the choreography on the spot - you can almost hear her mind ticking over - very creative.

Belly,

No better creation than a garden - it feeds the soul through the senses.

* I do suspect, however, that people watch the cooking shows more for entertainment than inspiration.*

Poirot, I think its a bit of both, judging by the sales of ingredients, at places like Coles.

What I think has changed, is that now its not experts doing the
cooking, but everyday people, even kids. That gives other
everyday people and their kids, the confidence to have a go.
So the results are huge.

Australians are fast becoming a nation of good cooks, which is
a welcome change from some of the shocking British food that
was standard fare, 30 years ago. So its all good news at the
moment.

My deepest satisfactions come from creating but it does not have to be from raw materials. Our mass production, access to shared knowledge on the web and on-line shopping give me the opportunity to source components to create things that I can't just buy in the shop's. There is endless opportunity for taking what others have learned and building on it. Access to a world of materials, components and knowledge that was unthinkable for most of us not so long ago.

For most of my creative interests there are groups of people sharing their learnings on the web, for some there are groups collaborating on projects to big for one, there are suppliers of materials which I'd never find in my local community.

The opportunities are if anything greater than they have ever been.

R0bert

I hope you are right, Yabby.
- although judging by the plethora of fast-food outlets and the mass of pre-packaged "convenience" foods available, one might construe that our culinary creativity has some pretty stiff competition.

OUG,

Interestingly, I consider repetitively producing only one component of an article almost a frustration of the creative act...especially in a situation on a production line. People in such situations never experience the fulfillment of creating the article in its entirety - completing the journey, so to speak.

The other important aspect is that much of what is produced by Western man has no direct relationship to himself or his needs, he is, therefore, disconnected from the object he is creating, robbing the act of its meaning.

Poirot:

You wrote that most people don't have the satisfaction of creating an entire object but only a part of one. It is a great satisfaction to create an entire unit or subunit. I have had that satisfaction as a design engineer. It is indeed a great satisfaction.

When I was working at General Electric I felt sorry for the women on the assembly line testing cables. It seemed to me a monotonous, boring job. However, when I talked to them I found most of them liked their jobs for reasons other than the pay check. Some enjoyed checking out the connections while socialising with their mates. they made it a communal and bonding activity.

My wife is a creative individual. She works out her designs and then makes objects in wood and fabric, She belongs to a fabric group and a woodworking group. Many ask her, "Where did you get those designs?" they have seen nothing like it in their pattern books, and they don't make their own designs.

I have consulted in manufacturing. When suggesting a change in operation, the response I got frequently was, "this is the way we've always done it."

I don't think Western civilisation has sapped creativity. I think most people like to do a job right, feel secure with routine and feel uneasy with changes. Successful politicians know that.

It is the creative people who write things that many give lip service to. However, I don't think most people really want creativity even though they may benefit from it.

That's a fascinating question, Poirot. I wish I knew the answer.
Human beings uniquely manipulate nature rather than adapting to it, and I suppose the question is, is that creative ability fundamental to a fulfilling life. I suspect it is and wouldn't be surprised if the ills at both individual and social levels were the result of an utterly catered existence for many. I have Robert Burton's "The Anatomy of Melancholy", all but obsolete in most ways, excluding, among other things, his insistence that creative activity is as good as a cure for melancholy. Yet most of us live utterly passively, "sated with novelties" (I wish that was an oxymoron) cannily crafted to seduce us yet leave us wanting more. Unfulfilable desire is the bane of our lives and something to be exploited by consumer culture.