A New Spirituality, for the People

St. Ignatius of Loyola: Our university’s very own namesake. And an eminent creative in the domain of religion and spirituality.

Following his conversion in 1521, Ignatius began his travels with the goal of eventually reaching the Holy Land. One of his early destinations was Manresa, a town in what is now Catalonia, Spain. He spent a year there practicing religious asceticism while in Manresa, begging for food and living in a cave largely isolated from other people. This is where Ignatius laid the foundation for and wrote much of what would become his main creative product: The Spiritual Exercises.

About the Exercises

According to IgnatianSpirituality.com, "The Spiritual Exercises are a compilation of meditations, prayers, and contemplative practices developed by St. Ignatius Loyola to help people deepen their relationship with God." That sums it up pretty well. The Exercises can be made in a 30 day silent retreat (what Jesuits do) or a retreat in everyday life over several months (what laypeople do). Of course, many practices of the Exercises can be used on their own outside the context of a full retreat.

The Creative Process, Inspiration, and Motivation of Ignatius

During and after his conversion, Ignatius experienced much consolation, or periods of increased faith, hope, and love. His goal as a missionary was to help others feel this deep consolation. A particular tenet of Ignatius's was meeting people where they are in life, and this turned into a cornerstone of the Exercises. The Exercises are very focused on each person's own experience, which comes from Ignatius wanting to share his prayer experience with others and help them to find the consolation he found in Manresa, among other places. The Exercises were designed to be accessible by many--whether Christian, doubting, nonbeliever, or another religion altogether. I would categorize St. Ignatius's motivation as intrinsic because his deep consolation moved him from within to spread faith, hope, and love to others. He was driven from within to make the long pilgrimage to the Holy Land, preaching to many souls along the way.

Collaboration

I think it is safe to say that Ignatius's number one collaborator in his work was the Big Guy. But in terms of human collaborators, he had a lot of those as well. Ignatius collaborated with many of his friends whom he met during his studies to solidify (and test out!) the Exercises. They also collaborated in the formation of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the first educational institution run by the Jesuits. Among these early Jesuits and collaborators of Ignatius were big name saints like St. Francis Xavier and St. Peter Faber. Although Ignatius did isolate himself from people (not unlike T.S. Eliot or Nikola Tesla) while in Manresa, much of the longevity and success of the Society and Ignatian Spirituality was made possible thanks to his work and travels with other saints. 

Ignatian Spirituality Today

Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises are still in wide use today, including right around us at Loyola. carry on Ignatius's legacy and motivation to meet others where they are and help others achieve consolation. In fact, the Society of Jesus recently named helping people to make the Exercises as one of its top four apostolates, or missions. Although St. Ignatius Loyola may not be a household name in the present day for those unfamiliar with the Jesuits, his influence has been pervasive in one of the world's largest institutions for nearly 500 years now, and I'd say that's enough to call him an eminent creative.

Sources and further reading:
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-spiritual-exercises/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Loyola
A Pilgrim's Journey: The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola (print)

Curb Your Creativity

When searching for inspiration for this blog post, I drew on what was immediately in front of me. At that exact moment, Larry David was getting himself into yet another hilariously awkward situation in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" involving gift certificates and social conventions being ignored. From there, it was clear that I needed to do this blog post on one of the greatest comedic minds out there, the co-creator of one of the most successful shows of all time (Seinfeld), and the driving force behind what is currently my favorite show (Curb Your Enthusiasm): Larry David.

 

Larry David was born July 2, 1947 and grew up in Brooklyn. He didn't discover that he had the ability to be funny and make people laugh until he attended college and one of his friends mentioned that he should go into comedy. David realized that comedy was something he had never considered and realized he should give it a shot. While watching improv at a comedy club, David came to the conclusion that he should try comedy as a career and even tried to go on stage that very night before the club owner said that he must audition first. From there, David went into stand-up where he met some of the people who he would work with later in his career. One of these people was Susie Essman, who plays Susie Greene on David's show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Essman said that David is a comedian's comedian. This means that other comedians greatly respected Larry David and his brand of comedy, but that at times the audience might not have been very in tune to what David was saying. Essman has supported this concept with an anecdote about one of Larry David's sets in which he got up on stage, took one look at the crowd, then said "I don't think so." This goes to show that for at least part of his career, other comedians were more supportive of him than certain audiences. While working as a stand-up, David also held down jobs as a store clerk, limo driver (a job he makes several references to on Curb), and historian. During this time he also lived in Hell's Kitchen next to another comedian, from which he drew inspiration for the Kramer character on Seinfeld. David went on to write and perform on ABC's Fridays from 1980 to 1982 and then to write for Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. It was in this stage of his career that David met actors he would later work with on Seinfeld, like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards. David also quit his writing job on SNL only to show up 2 days later, acting like the event didn't happen, which inspired an episode of Seinfeld years later. All of these early career experiences go to show the way that David drew from his life for comedic inspirations and used his connections when casting his shows.

In 1989, David collaborated with Jerry Seinfeld to create the pilot for what would become Seinfeld. The show would go on to become one of the most popular. David used elements from his own life while writing episodes of the show and even went so far as to as to base the character of George Costanza on himself. The show garnered a great amount of critical acclaim and David even won an Emmy for the episode "The Contest," which TV Guide ranked as number 1 on its list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time." David wrote 62 episodes of Seinfeld before leaving the show in the 7th season, then returning for the series finale. In total the show received 19 Emmy nominations and won 2 times: once for writing and once for comedy.

David then went on to release "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with HBO in October of 2000. The show focuses on a depiction of a fictionalized, post-Seinfeld Larry David that Larry David says he would be if he lacked the social conventions that he has. The writing style for this show is centered around improvisation that is based mainly on a story outline, direction, and creativity of the actor. This allows for more of an individual's comedic style to play out. The show follows Larry David, his wife (played by Cheryl Hines), his best friend/manager (played by Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife (played by Susie Essman). The show also features recurring appearances by the likes of Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, and other comedy and acting figures. The show also features cameos from the cast of Seinfeld as themselves. The reception for "Curb" was also very good, receiving 30 Emmy nods, 1 Emmy win, and 1 Golden Globe win. The show has also entrenched itself in American pop culture with the concept of a Larry David moment in which one finds oneself in a socially awkward situation of inadvertent creation.

 

Larry David has found great amounts of success in the television industry, creating 2 television giants in the process (including what is likely the most successful show of all time, certainly for a comedy). David has found his success through collecting throughout his life and finding the humor around him. None of his success would have been possible had it not been for the way he viewed the world around him and his determination in sticking to his comedic styling. David has created two great testaments to what television is capable of doing as a medium, specifically with respect to comedy. Not bad for someone who started out at just a comic's comic. 

Other Relevant Links:

https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/larry-david-talks-dating-post-divorce-seinfeld-and-wealth-193518/

https://www.npr.org/2017/09/29/554503358/larry-david-on-his-curb-persona-the-character-has-emboldened-me

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-neurotic-zen-of-larry-david-165644/

Du Hast to Listen to This

I was recently introduced to the music of German metal band Rammstein while riding in an Uber over the weekend. When the Uber driver played “Du Hast,” my friends and I were startled to say the least. I encourage you, the reader of this post, to take a listen. Perhaps I found the song so unique because I am not familiar with many metal bands, but I immediately wanted to know the name of the song as it blasted through the speakers. Our driver described Rammstein as a band known for their clever lyrics (this song makes a pun of “hast” meaning to have or possess and “hasst” meaning to hate) and incredibly daring live performances that feature pyrotechnics. I decided to do more research.

According to Independent, Rammstein was one of the pioneers of the new German hardness movement in the mid-nineties, creating a blend of alt-metal, groove, and electronica that made them “the only example of the genre to reach a truly seismic global audience.” What about this band in particular has caused their rise to fame? If we employ Gardner’s triangular model of creativity, I would hypothesize that the answer lies in the relationship between the work and other people — the ability to appeal to their audience.

Their choice of lyrics and topics over the years have led to plenty of controversy, so much so that in 2009, Rammstein’s album "Liebe ist Für Alle Da" was banned from public display in German stores under the “Youth Protection Law” for images and lyrics that conveyed sadism/masochism and therefore deemed to be harmful to children and young people (see the article from billboard.com). However, the album had already been topping the Billboard charts across Europe, gone platinum in Germany, and reached No. 13 in the United States. Since 1995, the band’s albums have apparently touched on various controversial topics, including pyromania, cannibalism, and even incest. These sensitive topics do not seem to have had a negative impact on the band’s success, but rather have drawn people into their fanbase. 

After an eight year hiatus, the band came back together to work on new music and plan live performances for their fans. An article from loudersound.com describes Rammstein’s previous tours as “fantastical” and “downright shocking.” Band member Paul described their creative process as such: “The way we think about it is: what would we like to see if we were watching a concert? How would we like the concert to begin, how would we like the middle section to be, and how would we want it to end?” Based on this statement, it seems as though the band relies on vivid mental imagery to craft their highly anticipated live performances (Guilford). The combination of visual spectacle along with the controversial topics undoubtedly makes Rammstein’s music exciting and keeps fans eagerly anticipating the next surprise. 

The work ethic and motivation of the group seems to enhance their creative output as well. “We put as much effort into the music as we do the show. Just as we put as much effort into the photos, the lights, the videos because we know that they all belong together. Every element has its part to play and supports each other,” says Schneider to Independent. His band mate Landers stated, “We try to have more moments in Rammenstein music that make you feel good; if it looks good, then it also sounds good.” Again, the group seems to focus on the sensory experiences of listening and playing their music to guide their creative process, following the direction of what they themselves enjoy. There is plenty of intrinsic motivation behind their most recent album, which comprises part of Amabile's "componential model" of creativity, along with the strong work ethic described by Schneider. Paul explained that it had been “more of a voluntary process” since the band is not under contractual obligation (an extrinsic motivator!) to bring out albums at specific intervals, so they had been “following fate and not trying to determine it.” Richard sums up their source of motivation by saying, “The only pressure we have is from us. That is way enough anyway. If it’s shit, we just don’t put it out!”

Overall, Rammstein’s success seems to be a product of their bold experimentation with music and performance, mastery of mental imagery and sensory experience, and a deep personal desire to produce music that they love to create. 

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266766/rammstein-album-banned-from-display-in-germany

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/rammstein-german-band-film-metal-paris-seventh-studio-album-interview-live-shows-a7868951.html

https://www.loudersound.com/features/rammstein

Living in the Shadows: The Pioneer of Silhouette Animation

Lotte Reiniger, born in 1899 and died in 1981, was a German film director. She was the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation and was also responsible for having invented a predecessor to the first multiplane camera. She used this camera for more than 40 of her films, and the later to come multiplane camera would be used in works such as Snow White. By creating the predecessor to the multiplane camera, she preceded the work of Walt Disney by a decade. Her interest in silhouette puppetry began as a child with her fascination with the Chinese arts of paper. She even built her own puppet theatre so that she could put on shows for her family and friends, drawing on the superstructure that Gardner claims to account for creativity in Creating Minds. Gardner emphasizes the importance of the relationship between the child and the master, which Reiniger executes through her young fascination with silhouette puppetry and her later pioneering of silhouette animation as well as her supportive friends and family referring to Gardner’s ‘relationship between an individual and other persons.’

While Reiniger was the pioneer of silhouette animation, she was also the first to make a feature-length film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, in 1926 which was quite the feat. However, she is not credited with this accomplishment. Instead, Disney was given credit for inventing the feature-length animated film with Snow White which was released to the public in 1938, over a decade after Reiniger’s Prince Achmed. It’s important to note that production for Snow White began in early 1934, so Prince Achmed had already been out for years before the film Snow White was even conceived by Disney. Unfortunately, because Reiniger used silhouette animation and silhouettes aren’t considered cartoons, Disney was still credited with inventing the feature-length film. In other words, you could say that Reiniger, the creator of silhouette animation, lived in the shadows of Disney. 

As for creating the films themselves, Reiniger was nearly a one-woman show. She would cut all of the puppets by herself, draw the storyboards, and devise the plots and characters. If a figure needed to make a complex or supple movement, it would have to be built using 25-50 separate pieces, then joined together with a fine lead wire. If a character needed to appear in a close-up, a separate, larger model of the head and shoulders had to be built – as well, possibly, as larger background materials to stand behind it. While Lotte did all of the behind the scenes work, when it came time to make the productions, she worked alongside her husband, Carl Koch, who usually ran the camera and occasionally also helped move the puppets with her. For larger projects like Prince Achmed, she had a staff of five. Lotte’s close work with her husband and her small staff are perfect examples of collaboration. It would be interesting to compare Reiniger’s staff of five to however many people worked on Snow White. (Okay, I looked it up: over 750 artists worked on the sketches alone, not even accounting for the rest of what needs to happen to make a film.)

Reiniger’s distinct art style set her apart from other artists in the 1920s and 1930s, especially in terms of characters. In the 1920s, characters relied on facial expressions to express emotions or actions. Reiniger’s characters, on the other hand, used gestures to display emotions and actions. While Reiniger’s characters are not always biologically correct, they are able to express a fluidity that is very important to her style of expressionism.

Later, under Hitler’s rule in Germany, Reiniger was forced to make propaganda films for Germany, working under harsh and limiting conditions to please the German state. During this time, around 1944, her work appeared to be creatively stifled. However, after a period of seclusion after her husband’s death in 1963, Reiniger returned to her work with renewed interest and passion. This period of seclusion could also be referred to as a sort of incubation period for Reiniger, something that helps the flow of creativity, as she went on to make three more films before she died.

Although not many know of Lotte Reiniger’s work, it has been referenced in several famous works. Disney’s Fantasia uses Reiniger’s style in the opening scene. Her cut-out animation style was used in the credits of the 2004 film Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Reiniger’s style of animation was also used perhaps most notably in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part I, when animator Ben Hibon used her style in the short film “The Tale of the Three Brothers.” So while I still feel Reiniger has been robbed of fame as the pioneer of silhouette animation and maker of the first feature length film, her work can still be seen in pop culture today.  

https://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.3/articles/moritz1.3.html

https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/lotte-reiniger/

The Heisenberg Behind Breaking Bad

The actors and creators of Breaking Bad have returned to the spotlight yet again now that El Camino has been released. Being a Breaking Bad fan myself, I took this blogpost opportunity to learn more about the man behind it all: creator, executive producer, and director, Vince Gilligan.

Gilligan was born in Richmond, Virginia and at an early age, his parents divorced. Despite the initial instability from this event, Gilligan quickly found people that would support him and help him along his path. Gilligan became best friends with Angus Wall (a film editor and title designer; he has won Academy Awards for Best Editing for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Wall's mother, Jackie Wall, would Vince Gilligan and his younger brother, Patrick, her Super 8 film cameras to shoot movies on. Already at a young age, Gilligan realized his passion for film and even submitted and won first place for a junior film division at the University of Virginia.

Jackie Wall would continue to expose Vince Gilligan to various films and genres by taking the boys to Richmond to see movies at the mall. In an interview, Gilligan explains how crucial Jackie Wall was in his development. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Jackie. She was a wonderful lady and a real inspiration," he recalls. People around Gilligan noticed his talents early and he even received a scholarship to attend Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious arts school in Michigan. Gilligan moved back to Virginia after the 8th grade for high school. He would go on to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. While attending NYU, Gilligan submitted a screenplay for Home Fries (which would later be turned into a movie starring Drew Barrymore) that won the Virginia Governor's Screenwriting Award in 1989. One of the judges, Mark Johnson (film producer of Rain Man) called Gilligan "the most imaginative writer I've ever read".

As for his personality, Vince Gilligan was described by his professor to be polite and charismatic. His extroverted personality is an advantage in his field and domain because film-making is highly collaborative. Csikszentmihalyi explains in his text The Creative Personality that "creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. Nevertheless, Gilligan knows exactly how he wants his product and explained in an interview with GQ that he "sweats the small stuff". This following excerpt from the NY Times shows how Gilligan has this dual ability to write as well as entertain his fellow students. This talent helped Gilligan become successful at NYU and beyond.
"His instructors included Jesse Kornbluth, who remembers a polite kid who was so good at drawing bent, violent characters that Kornbluth initially pegged him as the 'go postal' type. 'In the end, he turned us all into his audience. We were all just mesmerized. Attendance was unnaturally high on days when he was reading his scenes,' Kornbluth said" (NY Times, 2011). 

As highlighted in Gardner's book, developmental psychology explain that "many creative individuals do point with some distress to the restrictiveness of their early childhood". This observation partially resonates with  Gilligan's experience following his parents' divorce. However, Gilligan finds a support group and professionals who recognize, support, and help facilitate his growth in the world of film. Thus, he establishes strong grounding points in Csikszentmihalyi's individual-field-domain triangle. As for motivation, Gilligan is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Gilligan genuinely loves his work yet is extrinsically motivated because he has reached a pro-C level where he is heavily decorated for his accomplishments and success in his field.

In an interview when asked about how Gilligan came up with the idea for Breaking Bad, Gilligan responded with "I'm not sure where the idea for the show came from. I remember the exact moment in which the idea hit me. But as to where the idea came from, I'm not quite sure" (here's a link to the full interview). He goes on to further explain that at the time, Gilligan was nearing his 40th birthday and was preoccupied with his own impending mid-life crisis. From a psychoanalytic perspective, this sounds like a case of the unconscious at work. Andreason outlines the Archimedes Archetype of creative process: preparation, incubation, inspiration, and finally production. The ideas and experiences that Gilligan collected had been "marinating" and incubating in his unconscious mind until they finally came to fruition at 40 years old.

Breaking Bad is notorious for its themes regarding issues of morality. Vince Gilligan was raised Catholic, but is currently agnostic. Gilligan said that "I'm pretty much agnostic at this point in my life. But I find atheism just as hard to get my head around as I find fundamental Christianity. Because if there is no such thing as cosmic justice, what is the point of being good?" The show reflects this struggle as well. In the first season, Walter White is torn between the decision to let the hostage in the basement free or kill him. Walter makes a pros and cons list, echoing Judeo-Christian beliefs that "killing is wrong". On the "kill" side of the list he writes that the hostage would kill him and his entire family were he to let him go. Spoiler alert (but if you haven't watched BB yet, why-it's been out for years) Walter eventually decides to kill him.

!!!WARNING!!!! This clip may be disturbing!!!

Gilligan himself wrote that episode and explained that this episode showcased the core of the entire show. Walter White, the protagonist, "breaks bad" from being an honest high school chemistry teacher to the mastermind behind the methamphetamine industry plaguing the American Southwest. Faced with a premature death sentence due to his lung cancer diagnosis, Walter refuses to die without having reached his full potential. Vince Gilligan beautifully weaves into his show various issues of American ideals and day-to-day hardship and calls the show's fans to evaluate their own lives. Gilligan has brought into this world of mass media feel-good stories a gritty, "real" American story (he calls a modern-day Western). Though his products are bold and phenomenal, Vince Gilligan is most appropriately categorized as a pro-C creative as he is heavily decorated with numerous nominations and awards.

https://www.amc.com/shows/breaking-bad/cast-crew/vince-gilligan
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/11/769312766/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-reflects-on-meth-and-morals
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html

Dave Grohl, man, that is all.

 Dave Grohl is someone who stays cool with the times (or stays cool with dads of all times). Even if you don’t know his name, you do know him, whether it’s from his kickass drum solos in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Team Spirit”, or in the soulful vocals in Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” He makes music that moves you.
In doing research for this post, I realized how much I didn’t know about this legend. He owns his own record label, meaning that none of his money is being taken by another company. He also appeared in an episode of X-files and expressed that his dream job was once to investigate alien activity.

More recently, Grohl decided to make a television series with HBO that documented the making of the Foo Fighter’s album Sonic Highways. This album is revolutionary. The series follows the band as they travel from iconic city to iconic city in the United States and talk to famous creatives and take part in the culture. From their experiences, they piece together a song that has elements from the people they interacted with and the cultural sites they visited. One of the most obvious example of this is in the song "Something From Nothing." This is the song they wrote about the great city of Chicago (and therefore, it is my favorite song on the album). In the HBO series, they speak to Muddy Waters, the father of Chicago blues, who inspires the tone of the entire song. In the lyrics of the song, they reference him by singing, "washed them in the muddy water", followed by a quote by Muddy Waters himself: "looking for a dime I found a quarter."

This is the most obvious form of creative collecting I have seen. No, I believe that it takes collecting a step further. It is a type of anthropological work, perhaps, trying to capture the soul of a city’s past creativity in music. They are assembling a collage: of ideas, words and phrases, social tensions, and overall mood. Despite this intensity, Dave Grohl and his music often still remain lighthearted. He has a fascination with the world that leads him to asking intense questions about the societal structures and histories of the cities he encounters. This, naturally, reminds me of Einstein's child-like questioning about the universe expressed in Gardner's text. Both of these creatives delve into questions that other people don't think to ask because they are already a part of daily life. You don't just ask someone "How did you get here? What social boundaries were keeping you out of this space?" While Dave Grohl asked these questions in the series, Einstein asked the universe questions no one had thought to ask. Curiosity is absolutely fundamental in someone's ability to be creative and transcend normal bounds of thought.

In Csikszentmihalyi’s article, “The Creative Personality”, creatives are said to be “both humble and proud” simultaneous. Dave Grohl adheres to this description. Although he stays humble as he puts great effort into raising his daughters to be openminded and kind, he still is proud of his accomplishments in two successful bands and a record label owner.

If you're at all intrigued by this amazing man and his amazing music, give Sonic Highways a listen. You might just find yourself asking the broader questions.

The Internet Would Die for Claire from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen

If you haven’t been on YouTube in the past two years, you may not be familiar with Claire from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen, but I'm here to tell you why the Internet loves her. Bon Appetit is a culinary magazine famous for their delicious recipes featuring artistic foodie pics, and in the past year their YouTube channel has gained significant well-deserved attention for their series Gourmet Makes, featuring pastry chef Claire Saffitz attempting to recreate various junk foods from scratch. She has reverse-engineered everything from Twinkies to Cheetos to Oreos to Pop Rocks, and each video is typically 20 minutes of closely documented troubleshooting. The series consistently appears in YouTube’s list of top trending videos, with every video spawning thousands of comments supporting Claire’s efforts and praising her talent.

Claire studied American history and literature at Harvard before enrolling in culinary school. Originally, she did not see a long-term future in cooking, but she enrolled because she enjoyed “knowledge for the sake of knowledge.” Following culinary school, she earned her Master’s in history at McGill University because she fostered a deep love of school and learning. Eventually, she got her first job at BA as a recipe tester, working her way up the BA ladder until earning the title of Senior Food Editor for Bon Appetit Magazine. But she never imagined she would be the center of a growing internet fanbase as she is today.

Her first Gourmet Makes video challenged her to make Twinkies from scratch. Claire later described how much she hated the process due to the challenging nature of the task. Being a very detail-oriented, tenacious person who craves order, hosting a chaotic show like Gourmet Makes would be understandably stressful. The videos are filmed over the course of a few days, and throughout each video, you’ll commonly see Claire lamenting failed attempts, complaining to her coworkers, asking for help, researching, troubleshooting, making specific utensils to get the job done, and so on. The videos are a new brand of cooking entertainment altogether. Gone are the days of picture-perfect TV chefs completing recipes with spotless technique and every hair in place. The Internet wants to see the messy, frustrating, stressful process that is cooking, and they want a delightful bright-eyed pastry chef to warm their hearts in the process.

Claire’s creative process can be understood from the lens of the Componential Theory of creative processes which is broken up into five stages: task identification, preparation, response generation, response validation, and outcome. In task identification, the individual first identifies the task at hand. Then, in the preparatory stage, the individual relies on their domain-relevant skills to prepare to complete the task. In the response generation stage, the individual produces possible solutions, and in the response validation stage the individual tests those solutions using their domain-relevant skills. Finally, in the outcome stage, the individual asses if their solution was successful or not and returns to stage one to try again until the task is complete (Amabile et. al. “Perspective on the Social Psychology of Creativity”).

Gourmet Makes provides the perfect documentation of Claire’s creative process as she talks through her logic behind every step. This method of studying creative individuals is called introspection, and it works so naturally in this context. First Claire introduces the snack in several varieties, tastes it, picks it apart, inspects it, and takes notes on what she plans to do (task identification and preparation). Next, she invites her coworkers to contribute their general thoughts about the snacks and help her generate ideas to go off of. Often, Claire will turn to the internet to research how the snacks are made in a factory setting, and she will also read aloud the lengthy ingredients list of the snack, typically featuring several preservatives and chemical names (response generation). Then, Claire jumps right in to her first attempt at making it (response validation). Typically, this test will fail, and she might troubleshoot ways to fix it (outcome). When she gets too fed up with unsuccessful attempts, she might call it quits for the day. “I go home, I intend to go think about it, and then I forget, and then I come back the next morning without a plan.” This incubation period likely allows her to arrive at the solution faster than if she had worked continuously on the project from start to finish with no breaks.

Claire also heavily relies on collaboration with her colleagues to look at things from different perspectives in her troubleshooting. The seemingly ridiculous suggestions by Brad Leone may turn out to be the key step to completing the recipe, and the sensitive pallet of Chris Morocco may uncover the final missing ingredient in that Cheeto dust powder. Finally, Claire learns from her failed attempts, makes compromises, and adds creative flair where she can in picking flavor combinations that are slightly classier spins on the original. When she successfully completes her task, she’s beaming with pride at her accomplishment, and runs around the Bon Appetit office offering her creation to her coworkers, effectively receiving an extrinsic reward.

Claire from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen truly exhibits Pro-C level creativity in her achievements as a professional pastry chef and food editor. At this rate, she might even reach Big-C level internet recognition for her culinary contributions on YouTube.