The Push and Pull of Mediums on Creative Expression

This is a video sketch of a dream sequence for Jess as she undergoes her superpower medical procedure. It was pretty easy to put together, given the way Plotagon allows you to quickly flip characters while keeping the same dialogue. It's not quite baked, but you get the idea. I hope to have time over the weekend to flesh it out.

Each medium and platform has its own push and pull moving users to actualize their ideas in certain ways. Even text, whose grammar and natural syntax put all but the most innovative (or illiterate) writers into a fairly narrow box of expressive form.

I guess this can be taken a step closer to home and view the human brain and senses as also shaping the way we express and receive creative works. For instance, there are limitations in our ability to perceive the visible and audio spectrums. And cultural metaphors and story forms are so ingrained into our psyches that we usually end up conforming to some preexisting template.

Some of my favorite artists and writers tend to repeat forms and themes over the course of multiple works. Part of this is because they simply enjoy a particular motif, but I believe that there are also subconscious factors at play ranging from psychological issues they're subconsciously attempting to work through, to limitations in vision or craft. And for successful creatives, there's also the fear of alienating their audience and losing the associated money and fame.

For those of us creating on an amateur level, there may be less skill in our craft, but certainly more freedom to experiment without repercussion. As always, I encourage those of you who don't typically create to pick some medium and dig in. If you stick with it, it's likely to unlock creative potential that was probably buried in grade school after someone's criticism of your finger paint work became the final straw that pushed you away from artistic expression.