"Applied" is a dirty word

As with any study that is described as “applied”, from hard sciences like physics or phrenology to the softer ones like shamanism, the student is eventually confronted with the harsh lesson of the difference between theory and practice.

Applied studies - as the name implies – usually involves taking all the wisdom and knowledge of the “ancients” and distilling it down to something that someone will pay for. Now the common view of distillation is something which may leave a bad taste in your mouth, but at least gets you plastered. Unfortunately in this interpretation, the bad taste is combined with a horrible sobering sensation.

This is no different in the creative sciences…hmm. Well, except there are no such things, are there? Creative arts, right? Well the analogy still applies seeing as it’s my blog.

OK, so the same applies in the creative arts as well. There are some pretty insightful theories out there on pure creativity: how to harness it; how it can be used for the enrichment of mankind as a whole – like capturing the human condition or getting the caramel in the Caramilk bar.

Then there comes another level where creativity can be used to devise strategies for temporal gains. This is akin to pure math being used in economics; it’s pretty much accepted by most people except the pure mathematicians who see its true vulgarity. In a recent lecture we were given privy to knowledge at that level, which was perfectly fine as we are a fairly vulgar bunch. And we were hoping for an assignment in the same vein. But that’s when things sank to an even lower level; from economics to simple card tricks.

We learned about how businesses could be created and organised around a brand, creating a long-lasting interrelationship between the brand and its followers beyond established demographic groups. Instead of a case study or hypothetical business to develop, we were asked to come up with a cheesy gimmick because the creatives at the company giving the lecture couldn’t be bothered to do it themselves.

On the other hand, it was probably the most realistic example of what to expect when asked to apply our creativity “real” world. Perhaps it was just a very creative and innovative way to knock us off our high horses?

Whatever…true creativity is lost on the masses, anyway!