Translator: Alexandra Bauer Reviewer: Claire Ghyselen
At nineteen years old, I went to England
to study music and music production.
And that’s when I really started to discover and understand creativity.
One day at the University,
the teacher gave us a rather interesting exercise.
He gave us all a very simple sound
one second. I do listen to you.
[Beep]
Then he asked us to make an entire musical composition,
the richest and most interesting as possible
using only what’s there.
My reaction at the time was to say:
“It’s impossible.Comment do I going to
compose something beautiful, rich and interesting
with only the sound one? “
Because I was forced,
I started to ask me questions, to test things,
out of my comfort zone.
And I finally succeed in this exercise.
I show you some examples of what I did
to change the sound.
I passed my guitar amplifier with distortion,
to give harmonics.
I re-recorded with a microphone, and I imported into a program
which allows me to play as a piano.
I spare you the details, I made some changes to the sound,
and I arrived at this result it.
[Music]
I left the same sound, and I passed through a great reverb.
It gives the impression
the sound is heard in a huge cathedral
that resonates loudly.
Then I just cut the end of his for the part that resonates
and I made an instrument.
[Music]
The latest example: I left the departure of its
but I pitched several octaves lower
to have a very serious sound I after cut short
to make it percussive
and that resembles a bit the sound of a kick drum.
[Music]
You get the idea: I continued like that for a while.
I found a multitude of different sound ideas
and I all gathered in a final composition.
I make you listen a small excerpt of the result.
[Music]
Creativity is often seen as something a little mystical,
as a kind of gift from heaven
with a small minority of people have been pardoned and the other not.
Who here in the room as someone creative?
Yet this capacity, we absolutely all have in us.
I will try to convince you today.
There are three basic steps in the creative process:
The first is knowledge.
The knowledge, the more I have,
more opportunities are available to me from the start
when it comes to finding original ideas
or solutions to any problem.
For me, who composes, records and produces music,
if I know more than software,
if I know more use of musical instruments,
if my knowledge of music theory is broader,
I would have more departure tracks to be creative in my field.
In other words, it’s like my toolbox.
When I learn something new,
it’s as if I added a new tool in my box.
The second step is divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking can be defined as the ability
find a multitude of different solutions to the same problem.
Or a multitude of different answers to the same question.
In the case of my exercise initially,
I just had a sound and knowledge.
With only that, I had to find a maximum of different ideas.
The third step is convergent thinking.
And convergent thinking it, it can be defined
as the ability to synthesize all available items
to find the best solution.
It was nice to have sound ideas found in 1000,
it was still necessary that I be able
all gather in a final composition.
I quickly recapitulates.
Knowledge provides me with a series of tools.
Divergent thinking allows me to find
a multitude of different uses for these tools.
And finally convergent thinking allows me to gather all
into something coherent or useful.
If I made the music creation to illustrate my point,
This is of course because it is my favorite field.
But I would really like to emphasize that
this creative process applies to absolutely all areas.
Not only the arts.
In different proportions, of course,
but in all areas anyway.
If I take the example of a lawyer,
and thus an area which is not seen as something necessarily creative,
initially, the lawyer needs hugely knowledge.
He must know for example, laws, history, past,
be able to use a series of tools,
technological, institutional, and so on.
Then he has to know how to approach this knowledge
a maximum of different angles
to offer a series of tracks, ideas and solutions.
Finally, it must be able to collect all that
to formulate a strategy, more coherent, more effective,
to address the problem of his client.
We recover the three steps.
So why,
do as many of us are struggling to be creative?
Well, my hypothesis is that our model of society
relies heavily on two of the three stages of creativity.
Namely: knowledge and convergent thinking.
The educational system.
Almost all of our curriculum consists of:
one, learning a subject – knowledge,
and two, to prove that one has learned
by answering a series of standardized questions
which do not require special creativity.
Convergent thinking.
We are asked: 5 + 5 = how many?
What is the capital of that country?
How comes this verb in Latin?
Not only almost no time
divergent thinking is really valued or stimulated,
but even worse, if a student decides to be creative,
and interpret a statement in his way, or do anything else than that
than give the response expected by the teacher,
it will often sanctioned by bad points, a reprimand,
or worse, by criticism from other classmates.
So, this creative student, after 2, 3 times, he will have learned the lesson:
he will put his creative side, settle down and do like everyone else.
This hypothesis is widely supported
by a study conducted in the 80’s by two American researchers.
What they have done is try to measure divergent thinking
1,600 children five years by making them pass a simple test.
They gave them all a banal object, such as a paper clip,
and then have them request to find the maximum possible uses
for this object.
In fact, the possibilities are endless.
In the case of the trombone,
for example,
we could … the most obvious answer would be:
“We can attach pieces of paper with. “
But one could also imagine:
unfolding it, sharpen the tip and to a needle,
or a fishing hook.
One could melt, pour into a mold and to another object.
One could even imagine making music with,
but us, honestly, who would be stupid enough
for spending his time making music with a paper clip?
[Percussion Music]
I was just forced to do it,
even if it is not very useful to the presentation.
(Applause)
Thank you.
From this study, it emerged something really surprising.
At the age of five, 98% of children reach the maximum score,
which means they are considered geniuses of divergent thinking.
But that’s not all.
Five years later, they again pass the same test, the same children.
This time,
only 30% of them even reached this score there.
Five years later: 12%.
It is important to note here
the ability to be creative, we absolutely all carry within us
because at the age of 5,
98% of us are even experts.
You, in the room, or you watching this internet conference
have you in this capacity birth.
That’s the good news.
Only very often this creativity, she was restrained and put aside.
It’s a shame, because what I see is that
we live in a world of increasingly complex and unstable,
changing at a phenomenal rate.
New jobs require new skills
changing themselves constantly.
New social problems also arise
in terms of economy, politics, ecology and others.
It is my deep conviction that we must release
this creativity that we all carry within us
if we want to be able to find solutions for tomorrow.
We need super-trained citizens divergent thinking
that will put things in question
try new systems, innovate, create, shoving.
Finally, if I told you about the education system earlier,
This is no accident.
I really think we should do everything to avoid rein
this creativity that children carry with them.
Whether you are a teacher, educator or parent,
try to encourage children to be creative,
gain confidence in their creativity
because for me,
if there really is a skill that will help them get by in life,
to adapt to changing situations in life,
to thrive and be happy is that one.
Thank you.
(Applause).
At nineteen years old, I went to England
to study music and music production.
And that’s when I really started to discover and understand creativity.
One day at the University,
the teacher gave us a rather interesting exercise.
He gave us all a very simple sound
one second. I do listen to you.
[Beep]
Then he asked us to make an entire musical composition,
the richest and most interesting as possible
using only what’s there.
My reaction at the time was to say:
“It’s impossible.Comment do I going to
compose something beautiful, rich and interesting
with only the sound one? “
Because I was forced,
I started to ask me questions, to test things,
out of my comfort zone.
And I finally succeed in this exercise.
I show you some examples of what I did
to change the sound.
I passed my guitar amplifier with distortion,
to give harmonics.
I re-recorded with a microphone, and I imported into a program
which allows me to play as a piano.
I spare you the details, I made some changes to the sound,
and I arrived at this result it.
[Music]
I left the same sound, and I passed through a great reverb.
It gives the impression
the sound is heard in a huge cathedral
that resonates loudly.
Then I just cut the end of his for the part that resonates
and I made an instrument.
[Music]
The latest example: I left the departure of its
but I pitched several octaves lower
to have a very serious sound I after cut short
to make it percussive
and that resembles a bit the sound of a kick drum.
[Music]
You get the idea: I continued like that for a while.
I found a multitude of different sound ideas
and I all gathered in a final composition.
I make you listen a small excerpt of the result.
[Music]
Creativity is often seen as something a little mystical,
as a kind of gift from heaven
with a small minority of people have been pardoned and the other not.
Who here in the room as someone creative?
Yet this capacity, we absolutely all have in us.
I will try to convince you today.
There are three basic steps in the creative process:
The first is knowledge.
The knowledge, the more I have,
more opportunities are available to me from the start
when it comes to finding original ideas
or solutions to any problem.
For me, who composes, records and produces music,
if I know more than software,
if I know more use of musical instruments,
if my knowledge of music theory is broader,
I would have more departure tracks to be creative in my field.
In other words, it’s like my toolbox.
When I learn something new,
it’s as if I added a new tool in my box.
The second step is divergent thinking.
Divergent thinking can be defined as the ability
find a multitude of different solutions to the same problem.
Or a multitude of different answers to the same question.
In the case of my exercise initially,
I just had a sound and knowledge.
With only that, I had to find a maximum of different ideas.
The third step is convergent thinking.
And convergent thinking it, it can be defined
as the ability to synthesize all available items
to find the best solution.
It was nice to have sound ideas found in 1000,
it was still necessary that I be able
all gather in a final composition.
I quickly recapitulates.
Knowledge provides me with a series of tools.
Divergent thinking allows me to find
a multitude of different uses for these tools.
And finally convergent thinking allows me to gather all
into something coherent or useful.
If I made the music creation to illustrate my point,
This is of course because it is my favorite field.
But I would really like to emphasize that
this creative process applies to absolutely all areas.
Not only the arts.
In different proportions, of course,
but in all areas anyway.
If I take the example of a lawyer,
and thus an area which is not seen as something necessarily creative,
initially, the lawyer needs hugely knowledge.
He must know for example, laws, history, past,
be able to use a series of tools,
technological, institutional, and so on.
Then he has to know how to approach this knowledge
a maximum of different angles
to offer a series of tracks, ideas and solutions.
Finally, it must be able to collect all that
to formulate a strategy, more coherent, more effective,
to address the problem of his client.
We recover the three steps.
So why,
do as many of us are struggling to be creative?
Well, my hypothesis is that our model of society
relies heavily on two of the three stages of creativity.
Namely: knowledge and convergent thinking.
The educational system.
Almost all of our curriculum consists of:
one, learning a subject – knowledge,
and two, to prove that one has learned
by answering a series of standardized questions
which do not require special creativity.
Convergent thinking.
We are asked: 5 + 5 = how many?
What is the capital of that country?
How comes this verb in Latin?
Not only almost no time
divergent thinking is really valued or stimulated,
but even worse, if a student decides to be creative,
and interpret a statement in his way, or do anything else than that
than give the response expected by the teacher,
it will often sanctioned by bad points, a reprimand,
or worse, by criticism from other classmates.
So, this creative student, after 2, 3 times, he will have learned the lesson:
he will put his creative side, settle down and do like everyone else.
This hypothesis is widely supported
by a study conducted in the 80’s by two American researchers.
What they have done is try to measure divergent thinking
1,600 children five years by making them pass a simple test.
They gave them all a banal object, such as a paper clip,
and then have them request to find the maximum possible uses
for this object.
In fact, the possibilities are endless.
In the case of the trombone,
for example,
we could … the most obvious answer would be:
“We can attach pieces of paper with. “
But one could also imagine:
unfolding it, sharpen the tip and to a needle,
or a fishing hook.
One could melt, pour into a mold and to another object.
One could even imagine making music with,
but us, honestly, who would be stupid enough
for spending his time making music with a paper clip?
[Percussion Music]
I was just forced to do it,
even if it is not very useful to the presentation.
(Applause)
Thank you.
From this study, it emerged something really surprising.
At the age of five, 98% of children reach the maximum score,
which means they are considered geniuses of divergent thinking.
But that’s not all.
Five years later, they again pass the same test, the same children.
This time,
only 30% of them even reached this score there.
Five years later: 12%.
It is important to note here
the ability to be creative, we absolutely all carry within us
because at the age of 5,
98% of us are even experts.
You, in the room, or you watching this internet conference
have you in this capacity birth.
That’s the good news.
Only very often this creativity, she was restrained and put aside.
It’s a shame, because what I see is that
we live in a world of increasingly complex and unstable,
changing at a phenomenal rate.
New jobs require new skills
changing themselves constantly.
New social problems also arise
in terms of economy, politics, ecology and others.
It is my deep conviction that we must release
this creativity that we all carry within us
if we want to be able to find solutions for tomorrow.
We need super-trained citizens divergent thinking
that will put things in question
try new systems, innovate, create, shoving.
Finally, if I told you about the education system earlier,
This is no accident.
I really think we should do everything to avoid rein
this creativity that children carry with them.
Whether you are a teacher, educator or parent,
try to encourage children to be creative,
gain confidence in their creativity
because for me,
if there really is a skill that will help them get by in life,
to adapt to changing situations in life,
to thrive and be happy is that one.
Thank you.
(Applause).
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