Читать книгу Creative Synergy - Bunny Paine-Clemes - Страница 30

There is such a thing as the creative personality. There is some debate about whether a “creative personality” exists, but this chart summarizes the views of six prominent theorists. In some cases the descriptors may overlap because of varying definitions.

Can you think of anyone who has all or most of these traits? John Lennon comes to my mind.

He was unorthodox in his behavior, especially after meeting Yoko Ono, with whom he staged a “Bed-in-for Peace” during his honeymoon in Amsterdam and Montreal. The two of them sat in bed while journalists interviewed them about peace and Hare Krishnas chanted in the background. A still-famous song came out of this happening: “Give Peace a Chance.” Lennon was also highly intellectual and integrative in his ideas. His dialogues, as recorded, roam from profanity to Eastern philosophy to cynical observation to bizarre symbolism to music history, and more. He drew highly original cartoons, wrote cryptic symbolism, and played the guitar and piano. He changed directions, after founding the Beatles as a pop band, when he grew bored with perpetuating the same moptop show; he wanted to explore new styles and grow as an artist. After he began living with Yoko in New York, he took so many stands for his radical ideas that the FBI was tailing him and efforts were made to eject him from the country. He was goal-oriented, especially in the beginning. He was often quoted as saying something like, “I always knew I was going to be famous someday but wasn’t sure how. Maybe music, maybe crime.” While the Beatles were still learning their craft and playing in dives, he would ask them, “Where are we going, boys?” And they would have to answer, “To the toppermost of the poppermost, Johnny!”

Francis Ford Coppola is the poster child for Drive, Resilience, Independent Judgment, Self-Confidence, and Perspicacity. His wife’s documentary Hearts of Darkness (1991) shows the obstacles he overcame in making Apocalypse Now (1979): a typhoon, creative blocks, cast problems, equipment problems, and even struggles with his own mental well-being. Yet he said, “It’s not in the cards that we’re not going to make this film.” When he finally finished, over budget and over schedule, he wanted to show it at Cannes. He was told that he had to enter it, even though he protested that it was unedited. He entered it—and won the Palm D’or.

He also works by intuition. Hearts of Darkness (1991) captured his creative process: his openness to using whatever happened, including Marty Sheen’s drunken rage and a typhoon in the Philippines; his improvisational method of working with the actors’ inspiration and giving them cards that said, just before shooting, “Dialogue to be determined.” He had decisional skill. When he saw the rushes the first day, he was flexible enough to replace his leading man. When he didn’t like a “plantation” subplot on which he had spent much time and money, he cut the whole sequence.