HTI2 Seminar 6 – Transreal & slipstream fictions

Trans-realism is a form a subject that leads audiences & readers away from reality. Trans-realism is the possible reality created by author. It is how the author sees what realism is, through his/her mind.

It cannot be compared to science fiction or fantasy simply because these genres use materials & creatures that completely do not exist, or have yet to be proven. Whereas Trans-realism are assumptions that when considered & given some thought, may actually hold some facts & truth behind it. It is like a twisted reality that makes sense.

Slipstream fictions are different as they are more of an introduction to different types of realities that make readers ponder. It plays with imagination.

Although classified as a sub-genre of fiction, these can actually be considered as new types of genres as they actually take the purpose of fiction, & take it to another level. These new genres emerge from new ways of understanding & questioning, as well as a new ways of writing.

HTI2 Seminar 5 – Realms of Fantasy + Worlds of Magic

Fantasy is created from the basis of reality. Commonly, a fantasy world is very different from that of the actual world; however it always retains certain traits of similarity, such as races, beliefs & emotions.

Fantasy is a product created from ideas that is nonsensical in the real world, or impossible to ever happen in reality. It is a world where the creator is “God”; things happen how the creator wants it to happen. In my opinion, fantasy & fiction are quite similar in terms of imagination & creation of things that defy reality. However, fiction focuses on the theory & aspect of the idea, & how it works while fantasy focuses on the way the world runs.

Fantasy is a form of escape for people. Fantasy is a way for people to escape their problems, or create their ideal world. In fantasy worlds, magic is common. In some cases, magic is used to power technology or sometimes, even rivals technology & science. The laws of physics can be altered. Basically, anything is possible.

A Review of Brainstorming Issues: Six Critical Areas for Inquiry

Brainstorming is by far one of the most well-known methods of creative problem solving. It basically is a way of solving problems, or creating ideas through team/group discussions, to understand what the other has in mind. Four basic guidelines/rules were created for the brainstorming process.

Firstly, criticism is not allowed, meaning every idea contributed is considered useful at the moment. Secondly, nothing is impossible. Since criticism is out, the weirder & wilder the idea, the better it is. Thirdly, the more ideas contributed, the better, meaning greater numbers equal the chances of more useful ideas. Lastly, combining & improving the ideas contributed can result in new, better & even never previously thought of ideas.

The guidelines were however, only the basics of brainstorming. Preparation & training was required before using the process. Both preparation & training allowed time to play its part. Preparation meant having to start generating ideas/solutions even before gathering together for a group discussion. Training on the use of the guidelines helped to create a more familiar environment when gathered together. It means that the feeling of awkwardness or chance of “spacing out” during the sessions.

Currently, brainstorming has become a well accepted form of problem solving/creative solution in society. It is used in offices, used by designers & even used/advised by top creative personnel in their idea generation. Schools encourage students to use this process to stimulate thinking & creativity. Overall, the brainstorming process is by far one of the, if not the best method in problem solving/creative idea generation.


Article referenced from: http://www.cpsb.com/resources/downloads/public/302-Brainstorm.pdf

HTI2 Seminar 3 - Folktale as a way of Reflection of Society

Folktales are stories that are passed down from generation to generation, re-told over & over again. A great number of folktales are based on mythology & religious belief. These stories tell of mighty heroes battling hideous creatures, & even facing the might of the Gods, to save/protect a person or survival, & vengeance.

Modern stories share similar traits with folktales. Firstly, the setting in which the protagonist/hero/main character is based in has to suit the timeframe, attire & environment. The environment has to suit the story & characters. Secondly, both stories have a specific goal/purpose/objective for the character to partake in a journey. E.g. A hero has to slay an evil dragon to save the Princess. Finally, character development/relations must be portrayed during the journey. You will definitely learn new things as you travel, such as survival skills. In mythology, the hero often learns the reason of his purpose & accepting it during the journey.

Slight differences between modern stories & folktales are the beliefs of the people & how they think. Often, modern stories are inspired, if not based on popular folktales. In fact, modern stories add new content & factors that make it more interesting for readers. A sense of familiarity with a touch of ideas can be found in these stories.

Modern stories are in a way a more creative & refined version of the traditional/original folktale. Stories that we are familiar with is retold through a different point of view or with new twists & factors that affect the final conclusion of the story.

HTI2 Seminar 2 - De-constructing & Re-constructing the Hero Archetypes

Archetypes:
Altruist – Self-sacrificing
Warrior – Willing to excel
Wanderer – Adventurous but is a loner
Innocent – Has faith & is creative
Orphan – Realistic & practical
Magician – Innovative & charismatic

What would a hero archetype be? Although heroes are portrayed as great & powerful, they share the same weaknesses/reality as normal people. The archetype of the hero (based on the top examples) is shown via the actions & deeds performed by the hero. The archetype of the hero also shows that he or she definitely has weaknesses. E.g. The hero fails to stop a villain on multiple occasions, his pride is shattered & goes into a state of depression. Hence, the hero is weak emotionally, & is afraid to fail.

The weaknesses of the hero play an important part in both character & story telling. E.g. How the hero overcomes his/her fears. “Facing ones demons!”. Also, a hero can have more than one archetype.

The archetype gives character & traits (strengths & weaknesses) of an average Joe to a hero, to make him/her more appealing. Another meaning for this is making something so powerful more human for us to understand. Archetypes show that even heroes are not perfect. They too face incredible hardships & problems just like us, & have to find their own way of solving the problems.

HTI2 Seminar 1 - The Mind of a Hero: The light & dark side of Heroes

What defines a hero? Is it a character that serves & protects? Is it a character that fights crime & injustice? Must he/she have superpowers? Do all heroes necessarily have to be good?

Well, in my opinion, a hero is someone that steps up & takes action in the face of a dangerous situation. He/she is willing to risk their own life to save others. Examples of everyday heroes include; Police officers, firemen.

Let’s move on to superheroes instead. In most superhero stories, such as Spiderman & Batman, the main protagonist starts off as an ordinary person. An instance/incident causes the protagonist to step up, or in another case, fail to accomplish something. E.g. Spiderman – Lets a burglar escape. Moments later, the burglar kills Spiderman’s uncle for his car.

The grief of the failure/realisation causes the protagonist to “want to be better”. Hence the development of powers /gadgets begins, along with costumes & hero names. Now with a new purpose & identity, the hero fights back, fighting crime & saving citizens. Then with every hero, comes a villain to stand against him/her. Facing off against this threat will pit the hero to make hard/painful decisions that affect either the public’s opinion of him/her, or engage in deep & personal feelings.

So what are the light & dark sides of a hero? The light side shows the strengths of the hero. He/she fights crime, saves many lives & even aids other law enforcements. The dark side however, portrays the hero’s bad/alter ego & weakness. Although a hero fights crime, the real reason for doing so is to get revenge against someone, in which case the hero’s intentions do not match with their acts. When a villain threatens to kill or destroy something/someone precious to the hero, anger/hatred is portrayed from the hero(dark side).

For a hero to be interesting, he/she must always have light & dark sides within their character. These ‘sides’ play an important role in telling the story of the hero.

Conceptual Experiments Journal

From the article I have read, there are 6 phases in a creative process:

Inspiration is the 1st phase. To get an idea of what you want to create, you must something conjure up feelings that reflect on the subject matter. When you get a positive feeling that “this” is what you want to do, then that’s your inspiration. Also, most good ideas actually come from a huge pile of bad ideas.

Clarification is the 2nd phase. What exactly are you trying to achieve? Always remind yourself of this question because we tend to easily fray from our path. If you get stuck, you need to clarify where you want to go exactly, rather than wasting time sitting down & think. Having a clear sense of purpose is important for a designer!!!

Evaluation is the 3rd phase. Basically, this is when you check your idea for its strengths & weaknesses, & improve on it. Take out the weaknesses, & fortifying on the strengths. This step work the Perspiration phase.

Distillation is the 4th phase. This is a self-critical phase. It requires cool analysis and judgment on how the idea has progressed. Remember that ideas are only ideas & not complete solutions.

Incubation is the 5th phase. This happens when you take a break, relaxing or move to work on other projects. Although your mind is “somewhere else”, it is important to keep your idea at the tip of your mind, still thinking about it & aspects of it. Subconsciously, other ideas or solutions can pop up. This can further improve on it.

Perspiration is the 6th phase. This is the most important phase, where often pushes the developed idea back to the other stages for further improvement. It is a good habit to have multiple drafts of the idea to not only compare the old & new but to also check for faults. This phase is the toughest but most important to get the idea finalised.

These are the 6 phases that are necessary in a creative process.
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