Greetings all!

I would like to talk to you about imagination and the tools we use in the creative process.

I’ve been thinking about it lately and it seems to me that it actually works on both sides.

Sometimes we are struck by a brilliant idea – like the first time they put Peter Pan on the stage and wanted him to fly – and then you try to find a way to make it happen. You look at all of the technology and tools at your disposal and say, what will I/we need to do to actually make that happen? How can we make Peter Pan actually fly?

So you try this and you try that, configuring and reconfiguring your hydraulics, wiring, pully systems and whatnot, and then, next thing you know, you’ve just make a huge development in the area of theatrical technology that can be shared and used for ages to come!

This is the “necessity is the mother of invention” kind of approach and it has been responsible for some amazing things!

And on the flip side, sometimes you see a tool’s potential and you are inspired to find a place for it in your creative process.

I remember going to a Sarah Brightman concert some years back and they had this big mylar screen on stage – it was the first time I had seen such a thing and I didn’t know what it was going to be used for. But I was amazed at how the projections onto the screen placed Sarah in the middle of a pool of water, then in a garden in bloom. I was mesmerized. And then you wonder, did the producers of the show say, “Hmm… they have this technology now. How can we use it in the show?” Or were the asking, ”How can we turn Sarah Brightman into a mermaid?”

A real chicken or the egg kind of thing, isn’t it?

So, that being said, I invite you to be creative with your creativity from both sides. Think about what you might like to achieve – whether it’s a new art project or a new way of connecting with your students – have a look around and see what tools you might already have to assist you. Then, explore all the tools and technology that exist in and out of your field and let you imagination run wild with ways you might be able to apply it to your craft.

You never know what you can come up with!

On that note, I would like to share with you an amazing video by Enra – Motion Picture Performing Arts – you can check out their Youtube channel here. This dance number called Pleiades by Saya Watatani and Maki Yokoyama will blow you away as it makes use of cutting edge technology and has the dancers interacting with objects of light on the screen behind them. Chicken or egg? Who knows? But the results are stunning!

Enjoy!

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And if you would like to add your two cents or a nickel to the conversation and let us know how you’ve found some new tools to use in your craft or discovered a new way to use the tools already in your repertoire don’t hesitate to comment below! It would be great to hear from you!

Have a great day everyone!