Creativity, Now!

Creativity and the appreciation of another being's creativity are two traits that we currently believe are uniquely human. Here creativity, the expression of one's imagination, is not limited to art but any expression of an original idea. Even when one considers the animals that come close to our intelligence — for example the Chimpanzee which has been observed creating tools — we see that they only create or make things to serve physical needs, never to express themselves. Our creation and appreciation of the art itself isn't a new thing. People were making art over 5,000 years ago during the time of Egypt and ancient India. However, these two traits have experienced rapid changes recently, due to the increasing accessibility and use of digital media, which threaten to upset the relationship between the artist's creation of a work of art and the other's appreciation of it.
Today a vastly increased number of people are able to create art and express their creativity because of computers and other digital devices. These new devices and medias, such as digital photo editors, tablets, and Twitter, offer artists the chance to really take their art form to a whole different level and express themselves in ways never thought possible a century, fifty, or even ten years ago. Technology also allows for others to discover their own fundamental creative impulses by making being creative easier, more appealing, and affordable. Take for example cell phones. Most people today, artist or not, own and use a cell phone which, because of the current technology, is able to take photos that actually look good and no longer require the apology of "This was taken on a cellphone".
Once created, thoughts, videos, songs, and other expressions of human creativity can be "shared" much easier than ever before, thanks entirely to the growth of social media networks and the internet. Someone could think "My life sucks more than a vacuum" and in less than 30 seconds have it as their Facebook status, an amazing feat considering that it would usually take you longer just to run and tell your neighbor. Though it goes against logic, the amount of "sharing" of products of human creativity that we are seeing today may in fact not be completely beneficial to the process. With more people than ever expressing and sharing their creativity, we come to the point where human beings must be able to appreciate more art than ever before; otherwise that vital second half of art, the appreciation of it by another human being, will be lost in a sea of blurry photos, out of tune songs, and rambling essays.
The rituals of creating and displaying art have changed drastically in the past twenty years. What historically was a lengthy cooperative process is now a quick and simple singular activity. This transformation has occurred both in the process of actually creating the art as well as in the sharing. Actions that in the past involved physical changes now take place digitally without the idea ever entering the "real" world. Photos can be viewed instantaneously and discarded without the slightest hesitation, likewise drawings can be erased with the click of the erase tool in Sketchbook, and an entire book could be rewritten without inking a single page.
Ideas and creations can now be shared and distributed more easily and cheaply, thus making artists less selective about their creations. Rather than sharing five really well taken photos with the world, a photographer can share 100 just by uploading them to Flickr or Picasa. By eliminating the process of selection and self-criticism that photographers once had to go through when the only way of displaying their work was by paying a lot of money for it to be displayed, the proverbial filter is removed and art is free to flow in an unrefined form. Collectively these processes end up devaluing the art that is created by sheer volume alone; clouding the pool of art and spreading our appreciation out among many.
As a Waldorf student, I have had the unique opportunity to be able to express my creativity through many different media. I have painted, sculpted clay, forged metal, and even carved stone. I did not enjoy working with some of these media because I found them difficult and time consuming to work with; however, by being forced to express myself through a medium that I wouldn't have naturally chosen, I not only form the sculpture, drawing, or cloth that I am working with, but I also form part of myself. The most recent example was during our stone carving block when I came to the realization that I am often afraid to act, lest I might make a mistake. This stemmed from the observation that at first I was quite reluctant to make any major changes to the stone. As I chipped away at the shapeless piece of marble, I loosened the bands of reluctance that restricted the flow of creativity from my heart to my hands. Working with an unfamiliar media allows one to discover unknown inner truths about one's self.
Besides just learning about what are now often considered outdated processes, I have also experienced what it is like to self-critique as well as have a connection to what I am creating through the creation of main lesson books. For over ten years I have created main lesson pages, each one thought out and then carefully brought into form. For most of those years, I have had to do the pages completely by hand, a very time consuming process. In recent years teachers have allowed us to use a computer generate our pages, which saves time but also leaves me, the creator, less attached to my creation because I  have less(in this case time) invested in it . No bad grade on an essay typed on a computer will ever come close to a bad grade on an essay that I had to hand write three separate drafts of. Although identical in thoughts, words, and composition, the essay which I pen by hand will be closer to my heart because I can touch it, feel it, know it, and destroy it.
The contrast between modern and outdated methods is especially pronounced in the art of photography. Instead of light being captured on film via a chemical process it is now directed towards a sensor which converts it into electronic impulses.  Both ways are at the same time alike and yet so radically different that it is hard to remember that the idea and the end result are virtually the same. The process can best (and possibly only) be described by the following metaphor. Taking a picture with a digital camera, with which you see the end result immediately, is like going to the store and buying the headphones that you want. You see the headphones, an idea is sparked, and you get to enjoy them almost instantly. Taking a picture with a film camera though, which requires a period of waiting during which first the negative and then the print is developed, is like asking for the headphones you want for Christmas and then finally opening the box on Christmas morning. You see them, an idea is sparked, and you must wait to be able to enjoy them.
The waiting is perhaps the most essential factor in connecting the artist to his work. A digital photograph, while still able to evoke satisfaction or disappointment within the artist, can never reach level of connection that a film photograph has to its creator. The moment the shutter closes, the photos are in fact both the same, but the photo that holds its taker in suspense the longest is the one that holds his heart. Just like wine which is fermented and is able to please or displease the drinker far greater than grape juice, the work of art that an artist has to wait for can satisfy or disappoint him far more than that which comes quickly.
In our ever more connected world, instant (or as close to instant as you can get) seems to be the trend, especially when sharing the gems of human creativity. People want the fastest internet, 4G, or WiFi, connection possible so that they can upload a funny video of cats playing to YouTube, a picture of a sunset to Instagram, and an original song to Soundcloud, not to mention the increasingly necessary requirement of tweeting about the whole process. All of the sites available for sharing contain a feature that allows users to quickly show how they feel about that certain idea or creation by allowing the viewer to "like" or comment on it. Recent studies have shown (though I don't remember which ones) that people are actually becoming addicted to having other users "like", "thumbs up", "retweet", or otherwise broadcast their appreciation for, the content that the would-be artist posted. I have definitely noticed this practice in myself. For instance, when I post a status which I think is clever or witty pertaining to current events on Facebook, I find myself coming back often to check if my "friends" have "liked" what I said, appreciated my creation, clicked a mouse button.
Whether this predicament that we have gotten ourselves into, the imbalance of creation to appreciation, will find an equilibrium or become destructive to our own creativity is something that only the ticking of the clock will tell. What we do know is that the amount of creative production that the world is seeing from the rest of the connected world is at a level that is unsurpassed by any other time in history. I hope that in our struggle to correct this imbalance human beings increase their capacity to appreciate art rather than decrease the production of it. We are in our essence creative beings and we will create a solution to this quandary if we are to retain our humanity