Do you find this cartoon funny?
Do you know the single powerful element that makes it funny?
And what makes one person creative and the other, um, not so-creative?
It’s the understanding of disconnection.
It’s the understanding of talent.
And creativity.
Talent is the combination of many emotions, memories, patterns and repetitions, implemented at high speed.
So what’s creativity?
Creativity, is simply ‘talent’ + ‘disconnected objects.’
So what is the meaning of the term ‘disconnected objects?’
When two objects or situations aren’t related, and force-fitted together, they form something we call ‘creative.’
To explain ‘creativity,’ we actually have to put in a few examples. And let’s take those examples from cartooning for instance.
Cartooning is ‘supposed to be’ a highly creative ability (yeah right)!
If you could take a movie of a cartoonist’s brain in ultra-slow motion, here’s what you’d see. You’d see the combination of many emotions, memories, patterns and repetitions. And the you’d see how that cartoonist was drawing a cartoon that’s super-funny.
So what made the cartoon super-funny?
They took a regular situation. And disconnected it.
Example 1: On Air-New Zealand we have the Koru Hour. The Koru Hour is when you actually get served cheese, grapes and wine on your flight at no extra cost. Well, so what’s so funny about an air-hostess serving cheese and wine?
There’s nothing funny.
Yet, if we changed that plane into a canoe. And an air-hostess like person was serving cheese, grapes and wine as everyone paddled. Now that’s funny.
Example 2:
Imagine a person saying in the Arctic, fully bundled up with warm clothing, saying: “I don’t care what they say. I feel cold.”
That’s not funny is it?
Now imagine Mamma Polar Bear and Baby Polar Bear in the Arctic. And baby polar bear is saying: “I don’t care what they say. I feel cold.”
Instantly, the image brings a smile to your face, doesn’t it?
Example 3:
When a person leaves a relationship, they often say: “You’ll never find another person like me.” And they storm out.
(Ok, so that is anything but funny).
So let’s tweak that situation a bit. Let’s say a comedian is reciting the same thing. Here’s what the comedian would say: “I hope I never find another like you. I mean you don’t get out of a bad relationship expecting to find another exactly like the person who’s left do you? You actually hope you don’t find another like her. Man, that would be tough on you. Having back to back trouble. You get out of a relationship, because you think it’s bad, don’t you? You don’t get out of a relationship saying: “Hey do you have a twin?”
So let’s analyse what made that funny
Oh, we covered that at the top, didn’t we?
What made the cartoons and the gag funny was a single element in each case.
In Example 1: We changed the plane to the canoe.
In Example 2: We changed the freezing person to a freezing polar bear.
In Example 3: We took a standard, stock statement, and put in a disconnected person like a ‘twin.’
In every instance, what stamped a factor of creativity, was simply one disconnection.
When every black singer was singing soul back in the 60’s it wasn’t considered creative. When Elvis Presley started singing soul, it suddenly became creative. When you write a term like “he fell to the carpet,” it isn’t considered creative. When you write “The carpet rushed up to meet the falling man,” it becomes creative.
You want the definition of creativity?
There it is: The definition of talent + Disconnection.
A to-do list isn’t funny.
Thinking about a to-do list when fighting a dragon, is um, creative. 🙂
That’s all there is to it.
