Associative Creativity: Building on the Works of Others

Kent Millard, MFA ’10

thesis abstract

During the creative process, we connect memories of our experiences and then use them as an interpretive framework to build our own work. Given the limitations of relying on our experience, how can we expand our sources, and reflect on this process, in order to broaden our creative work? This thesis explores the influence of other work in our creative process, and proposes a system that visualizes a network of associations that allow us to explore the interaction between ideas, and thus to influence the creative outcome. I believe that both authors and audiences can benefit from such a system by gaining insights into the creative process, and expanding the contextual frame of their work.