A Lack of Inspiration

I’ve hit a brick wall (insert Iron Curtain joke here). Normally I tear down these walls with books, doodles, internet surfing, or music among other things, but this time it’s not working. Nothing is inspiring me. Then the lack of inspiration inspired me to write this post.

I started wondering about the effects of mediums such as television and video on creativity. I remember my dad fondly calling the TV the “idiot box” followed by my mom exclaiming “Television rots your mind!”. After asking a few of my friends I found out that most had similar childhood memories. Is it true though? Sometimes I find a film or a YouTube video inspiring and my mind goes off in a tangent trying to piece it together.

A guilty pleasure of mine.

In a study by Valkenburg and Beentjes, it was discovered that children have more “novel ideas” when they listen to radio as opposed to watching television. They hypothesize that because television is pre-made images and content it doesn’t give children an opportunity to think about what they’re watching. Radio, on the other hand, forces visualization of the content by the audience, leading to more creativity.

This makes me think of books. You read and visualize a world based on your personal interpretation of the text, much the same as with radio. Then when you watch the Hollywood version there is disappointment galore because you had an oppositional reading. Yet, if the movie is viewed prior to reading the book the novel may seem less interesting or even better than the film because you did not have time to think and form your own visual interpretation. For me, the later occurred with Carrie.

I expected more from the King of Horror.

This would be because of our personal interpretations are stronger than the visual interpretations presented to us. In a world where dominance of meaning equates power, I can see why movies are promoted and people have never set foot in a library.

Valkenburg , Patti M. , and Johannes W.J. Beentjes. “Children’s creative imagination in response to radio and television stories..” Journal of Communication 47(1997): 21-39.