YOKO KAWABATA DESIGN: 2005

"Let's Creativity! A Cross Cultural Comparison of Japanese and Canadian Creative Processes" By Yoko Kawabata. Exceet, Inc., Fukui, Japan. 28 Nov. 2005.

BOOK SUMMARY
This book is based on my Master of Fine Arts (Theatre Studies) thesis, written for the University of Calgary, Canada. I researched in the theme "Creativity and Performance Creation" for my Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Studies degree. My main interest was to examine how creativity would play an important role in the creation process for artists, including performance artists. The following are the questions I explored in my MFA research:
●What is creativity?
●What is a creative process like?
●How can an artist come up with more ideas for the project?
●What is an original idea?
●What is writer's block and why it happens?
●How to prevent or get out of the writer's block?
●There are different learning styles in Japan and Canada. Do they influence on the people's creativeity and originality?
●Besides my scholarly research, I also created an original performance art piece. I recorded my own creative process and examined how I came up with the ideas.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Research Methods
Why Performance Creation?
Growing Up in Japan: Creative Influences
1. Learning English—Mainstream Learning in Japanese Schools
2. Learning English—By JET Teachers in　Japan
3. Learning to Bake—A Way of Learning in Japan
4. Re-learning English in Japan—In My Own Way
5. Learning to Act in English—Staging a Musical in Japan
Learning English and Drama in Canada: Creative Influences
1. Learning to Act in a One-Act Play—As an ESL Student in Grande Prairie
2. Learning to Act for a Main Stage Show—At the Grande Prairie Regional College
3. Learning to Dance for a Choreographer—University of Lethbridge
4. Learning to Create my Original Dance and Performance—University of Lethbridge

CHAPTER TWO: THE NATURE OF CREATIVITY
Mt. Fuji, Passion, and Dedication
What is Creativity?
Brain Function and Creativity
---1. Right Brain and Left Brain: Non-Verbal Mind and Verbal Mind
---2. Right Brain and Left Brain: Imaginative Mind and Critic Mind
---3. Right Brain and Left Brain: Inventive Mind and Computer Mind
Collaboration between the Spheres
What is an Idea?
Judging Ideas
Creative Blocks
Forcing an Idea
Discussing an Idea, without Actually Doing It
Play more like Children
Look Deeper
Best Conditions for Creativity
Gathering Raw Materials for Ideas
Conclusion

CHAPTER THREE: CULTURAL IMPACT ON CREATIVITY
Defining Japanese Art
Effort or Innate Ability?—Different Learning Styles in Japan and North America
The Methods of Instruction
Conformity in Japan and Individualism in Canada
Economical Use of Space in Japan and Luxury of Space in Canada
Improvisation—The Difference between Art in Japan and North America
Japanese Art and Improvisation
Stylized Form in Japanese Art and Free Improvisation in Western Art
Building Skills for Improvisation through Practice and Rehearsal
Personal Freedom in Japanese Art and Western Improvisation
Conclusion

CHAPTER FOUR: MY OWN CREATIVE PROCESS
Objective of the Creative Process Course
Midterm Performance Assignment for the Creative Process Course
Analysis of Two Performance Creation Processes
Ten-Minutes Solo Performance
I. Preparation Stage
---A. Generating Ideas through the Class Exercise
---B. Generating Ideas through my Own Exploration
II. Incubation/Frustration Stage
III. Inspiration Stage
IV. Verification/Hypothesis Testing Stage
Group Performance Creation Process
Conclusion

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

APPENDIX: The Script of Er(l)ection Girl

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BOOK REVIEWS

"Your analysis of the differences between Japanese and Canadian society are very perceptive. For one, there is your perception of differences in scale, size, and space. It may be hard to believe, but people in Grande Prairie are more obsessed with size than ever. Vehicles are so big most won't fit in a single parking spot. I call it an obesity epidemic; it applies to people, to vehicles, to just about everything. Just huge. I think you've succeeded in making sense of the training to conformity in Japanese culture and the contrasting training to individuality in Canadian culture. Canadian society is at its most oppressive when it attempt to impose uniformity on its residents, in language, education, etc., so we try to make a virtue of necessity through the multiculturalism idea. Of course, there is really nowhere near as much individuality or freedom of choice as we pretend, just as there is nowhere near the conformity you might expect in Japanese society. Look at yourself, for example!I know that it's your life in these two very different societies that has helped you learn so much about yourself--with the help of a thesis to force you to think it through, of course! I hope you're finding ways of expressing yourself and making a living at the same time!" --- Laurie. N. ph.D, from Grande Prairie, CANADA.

"I read your book/thesis and I really,really like it !" --- Mireille Merza, from N.Y., U.S.A.

"I really enjoyed your book. It was SO interesting to read about your experience and to think about my own (in reverse!). Your thoughts about the creativity in general were really interesting and your comparison between Japanese and Canadian approaches to artmaking were insightful and extremely informative for me. AND your performance script is witty and a beautiful expression on being "in-between." Thanks for sharing your ideas and personal experiences. " --- Sarah C, from N.Y., U.S.A. (Former JET teacher in Fukui, JAPAN)

"I just love it! The grammatical mistakes I saw just didn't come up again (just one in the acknowledgements and there's the title and subtitle, but I'm pretty sure the title at least is on purpose right?). It's really insightful and I like the insights about multiple choice questions too! Creative thinking is being TRIED to be brought into schools around the world but they're a bit hopeless at it if you ask me haha. I learnt something straight away - the reasons why we have our addresses different - between the western world and Japan. That was REALLY interesting. I loved it also how you hadthe Erection/Election girl play at the end!"
--- Jamie B, from New Zealand.

"What I loved most about "Let's Creativity!" was how the author mixed her life story throughout the book, revealing the experiences the author went through and what she learned from them, both as an artist and a person. Her difficulties living and creating in a different culture ultimately lead her to a higher understanding of the creative process, and of herself." --- Hudson H. from U.S.A. [Former JET teacher in Fukui, JAPAN.]

"I am learning a lot from you. I can tell that you put so much love, time, and commitment into creating and writing your thesis. It's great." --- Rosary C, from Calgary, CANADA.

"There has been a thorough investigation of the topic both experientially and through the theoretical material. [...] This is a very original thesis given that it springs entirely from direct experience of artistic and creative pursuits and from Yoko's curiousity to deeply understand her own process and experience." --- Val C, from Calgary, CANADA.

"The honesty, humor, and playfulness in some situations moved me deeply. Many artists today hold knowledge, intuition and personal experiences as separate categories. Yoko's thesis and performance bring these different categories together in one place which is the most difficult yet the most fruitful way of transforming experiences into valuable information. [...] The Er(l)ection Girl has a witty and clever texture and a complexity of interpretation: humor, seriousness, cultural issues, authenticity, playfulness are a very challenging combination. Everyone can enjoy performance and walk away with something interesting. [...] Theoretical grounds of displacement, gender, cultural identity and hybridity are some of the layers of research and interpretations that enrich the reading of her work, and take the work to a more sophisticated dynamic."---Kim H, from Calgary, CANADA.

"ヨーコさんから直接聞いた話が沢山ちりばめられていて、なんかエッセイ（日本でゆうところの）みたいだと思ったよ。" --- Taeko E, from Yokohama, Japan [Former Fine Arts student at University of Lethbridge, CANADA]

"カルガリー大学大学院の卒業研究として、クリエイティビティを生み出すプロセスと、日本とカナダ及び北米の芸術教育における文化的な差異をテーマに考察を展開した修士論文である。著者は演劇を専攻し、自らも舞台製作を手がけて舞台に立つパフォーマーである。学術論文というと先行研究や参考文献を基にした分析が一般的だが、本作の場合、著者自身の様々な体験が論文の題材として活用されている点が興味深い。しかも、論じられている内容は演劇だけに当てはまるものではなく、人間の創造的活動全般、日本とカナダの社会全体を視野に入れた広がりのあるものとなっていることに注視させられた。第１章では、自身の生い立ちとカナダに留学するまでの経緯を語ると共に、クリエイティブな活動プロセスを調査するに至ったきっかけを解説、次いで、研究手法を提示して議論の下地作りを行う。　第2章では右脳と左脳の働きの違い、及びクリエイティビティが発揮される際の役割を取り上げていく。右脳の働きで生成されたアイデアが左脳によって洗練したものへと磨かれていくこと、スランプ状態において、単純作業中に不意にアイデアが浮かぶことがあるのは、左脳が作業に集中するため、右脳がその監視から開放される、というプロセスが論じられている。このアイディア生成の過程は、演劇や芸術には留まらず、仕事や学業などの中でも身近に体験できるものといえよう。また、このプロセスは4章でも著者自身の舞台製作体験を通じて実際に検証されており、理論と経験の相補的な関係が、論全体の説得力を高めていたことも評価したい。第3章では、日本とカナダの社会的相違を比較検証し、教授方法や習得方法、クリエイティビティのあり方に対する文化的影響が論じられる。中でも、即興にまつわる理論が非常に興味深い。確立した「型」の習得が重視される日本式の芸術に対し、カナダでは即興というスタイルが一般的である。一見、これらは全く正反対のアプローチのように感じられるが、即興のための反復練習やリハーサルの連続と日本式の模倣練習は、共に独自のスタイルの構築と緊張や自意識からの開放を究極の目的として、その基礎となる身体の自動性を獲得するためのものという指摘は新鮮であった。そして、この理論は更に展開され、練習によって獲得された身体の自動性＝自由が、自己に対する自身と信頼を生み、それこそがクリエイティビティの発現には重要であると結論付けられる。文献による社会比較から始まり、歌舞伎や能、ジャズでの即興という事例、その中での異なる二つの教授方法を取り上げ、両者の相違から共通点へと結び付けていく論理展開は鮮やかで、クリエイティビティの源泉の探求には知的な興趣も感じられた。英語を母国語とする人だけではなく、英語を外国語として読む読者にも、理解しやすい表現と内容である。また最初に述べたように、ここでのクリエイティビティは芸術活動にだけに留まらない。日々の仕事や学業、スポーツの中での試行錯誤にも当てはまり、読者自身の試行錯誤の家庭を客観的に分析する一助にもなるだろう。演劇論の枠を超えた比較文化論と人間の行動論としても示唆に富んでいる。"
---東京の某大手出版社の論評（A review by a major publisher in Tokyo, JAPAN)