Anatoly Volynets

“ Beta: It is simple. If they both do the same work in terms of art— namely, engage their readers in the events they portray—then the public gets involved in the same manner. The public fools itself about the real value of a fictitious story and the real value of a newspaper story. Kappa: They all are fools, ha ha ha. But listen, Beta, you contradict yourself. You said a few minutes ago that the two stories have different relations to reality, didn’t you?
Alpha: The fiction writer can write about his dreams, what the world could be like. The journalist writes about reality. ”

“ Culture Beyond Art My deliberations on the nature of art as a branch of culture were both difficult and easy. They were difficult because the subject is quite mysterious, and they were easy because the arts are the most typical representative of culture. Moreover, the peculiarities of the arts reveal a lot. Now the question is: What about other areas of human life and activities? Can culture reside in any of these?
The first answer I can offer is that because culture is defined as creativity and dialogue, we come face to face with culture whenever we encounter these. ”

“ Kappa: Alpha is right. A creator has to be ready . . .
Beta: Actually, yes, you don’t know for sure what happens in the end; it wouldn’t be creation otherwise.
Gamma: But this equally applies to both pictures! You don’t just “take a picture” if you want it to turn out well.
Delta: Thus, there has to be some sort of goal.
Kappa: OK, suppose you know what you want, I mean a picture. . . . OK, you have a goal. . . . You may even have two goals.
Delta: I know. Goal number one—to get something special on film. Goal number two—to make it beautiful.
Alpha: Here we go! ”

“ That, in fact, was the question . . .
Beta: Agreed. So, what about the journalist and his story?
Alpha: And his news?
Gamma: I see no difference between that and fiction writing.
Alpha: Fiction is the same as news?
Gamma: Wait, let me finish. I just want to compare the two.
Kappa: It is interesting.
Teacher: It is. I am dying to hear.
Gamma: All right. Obviously, creativity itself is the same in both instances. Both the fiction writer and the journalist have to arrange things in an attractive form . . .
Alpha: Except the writer makes facts up. ”

“ Beta: Actually, the first thing that comes to mind is that a journalist does not create facts, does he?
Kappa: So?
Alpha: It is like photography.
Delta: Quick shot, eh?
Kappa: Oh, God! Won’t you ever stop?
Alpha: That’s all right. I don’t care and I don’t mind.
Beta: You don’t mind what?
Alpha: The quick shot is still more important.
Delta: But seriously, Alpha, I fail to see it there. A journalist gets a job to go somewhere and bring back a story. Say there was a car accident. The editor of the paper sends some guy to cover the story.
Beta: Well, the question stands as it was. ”

“ OK, what if we ask another question. Do these points of yours apply only to art?
Alpha: The initial question was about creativity in general, not about arts.
Gamma: Yes, and we even have questions, whether art is always creative and whether all we asked about art could be applied to non-arts and vice versa.
Teacher: That is right.
Kappa: Listen, Beta. One can be really, really non-creative even with a subject, right?
Beta: . . . Yes, . . . obviously.
Gamma: Can one be non-creative and still have a creative goal?
Beta: You mean one can want to create something? Just want? ”

“ It is a new form, but it is not just a “new form.” It is the new form in which to arrange old things, . . . a rocket and an aircraft. Can we separate them from each other? . . . I mean the form and those things? ”

“ Alpha: OK, how does this apply to our third question?
Kappa: Is it . . .
Alpha: That doing arts can be non-creative.
Delta: It applies very well. If you are not arranging old things in some new form while painting, or singing, or writing . . .
Alpha: New to whom?
Gamma: We talked about this already. If it is new to you, then you are creating.
Alpha: But if it is not new for others?
Beta: Bad luck. Bad for your business. So what? Our subject is creativity, not business.
Can Copying Be Creative? Alpha: All right, how can copying be creative? ”

“ It is necessary for the journalist to introduce the public to the events happening right away, and he can use whatever he wants to in order to achieve that.
Beta: Hmm. Actually the same thing can happen to the fiction writer too. He can write about the past or the future but imply present problems.
Kappa: Can we say that the journalist is bound to the present in terms of content and the writer is not? People just know that the journalist’s job is to draw them into immediate events. ”

“ There were a few more, I think . . . one about photography. . . . Does creation relate to some goal?
Beta: I want to ask another one. Does seeing something unusual mean being creative?
Kappa: Seeing again?
Teacher: All right, we’ve got a pretty decent list. I would add one last question. Do all creative features of human activity apply equally to arts and non-arts? Or better yet: Do all of our questions apply
equally to arts and non-arts? Creativity and Goals Beta: We’ve touched upon this problem many times. ”

“ Teacher: Actually, I don’t see what the specific situation of a test adds to our analysis. Maybe we can talk about recalling things in general . . . What do you think?
Delta: We already have a question about seeing. Recalling seems to be in line.
Kappa: If we add the “arrangement” thing to Beta’s summary, we will have a pretty decent tool for researching different examples.
Teacher: That is perfect! Who can implement the idea?
Gamma: I can do it. Creation occurs when a creator catches a form so that he can arrange his subject in a new way. ”