From Nothing, Something

This week we started to focus on the concept of producing ideas in depth within are lectures and seminars, to help understand this process further and looked at how other creative people produce their ideas we watched a really interesting documentary called 'From Nothing, Something' the film looks at idea generation as well as the creative process.

The documentary features a number of creative thinkers from all disciplines, exploring different techniques and process that occur to lead to breakthrough ideas. The documentary was released back in 2012 showcasing "sixteen creative people all in different areas" often when you think of or hear the word 'creative' you automatically think of a fine artist, fashion designer or anything along those lines, it's a stereotype most of us have grown up with but this isn't what the word creative means. Creative - 'Relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something' - and this is what is highlight to us within the documentary the sixteen people featured come from all aspects of this definition.

The cast includes the typical people associated with the creative process such as Alex Adams and Flora Gill fashion designers (Ohne Titel), Choreographer Kaith Younge and Huma Bhabha an artist but along side these people are the creative thinks from more academic fields such as cancer researchers Moungi Bawendi and W.David lee, which admittedly I would quite surprising but when thinking about if an artist has an idea for their next sculpture or paints that idea is just the same as someone coming up with new technologies and medicines to fight cancer, an idea is an idea no mater what form it comes in.

In this documentary you hear from the cast members personal experiences that you can achieve anything as long as you have an idea/ ideas that you believe in, we also learn that this journey is never plain sailing and your first idea might not be the right one but eventually it can be achieved. The documentary has received a number of positive reviews but there are two that really stand out of me, that I feel summaries the general message that the creators are trying to communicate with us;

"Waves away the magic dust around inspiration and presents the development of successful ideas as a combination of chance, timing and dedicated hard work. Inspiring." - The Rocker

"Offers refreshing insight on many industries, disregarding stereotypes to break down what "being creative" truly means. From Nothing, Something connected on a much deeper level than I thought possible." - The Sneaky Sneak