"Creative Article Title"

During the final year of my Bachelor's degree, I studied a brilliant module called 'The Philosophy of Arts and Aesthetics' and one lecture that really stood out to me was about how philosophers can attempt to classify different kinds of creativity. The main argument that stuck was Margaret Boden's three definitions - combinatorial creativity (an unfamiliar combination of familiar ideas), exploratory creativity (exploration of conceptual space within an existing structured style of thought) and transformational creativity (the transformation of conceptual space in ways that generate new structural styles of thought). When I first learnt about these three definitions, it seemed obvious that combinatorial creativity was the least 'creative' and transformational creativity was the most. Of course, philosophical arguments suggest that this is not the only way to define creativity, and even though transformational creativity might hold the most novelty - it doesn't necessarily have the largest impact on its audience.

When Virgil Abloh passed away last November, I was again reminded of Boden's definitions, and found myself considering which type Abloh had mastered, and subsequently changed the world with. Unfortunately, oftentimes it is the death at a young age of someone so inspirational that really forces the people who admire his work to backtrack and question what they can learn in order to honour the legacy left behind. During the ideation period before the writing of this article, I wondered whether I should cover the timeline of Abloh's career, but I think this is something his admirers have already followed closely, because the nature of his designs generally resulted in widespread hype and instant sales. I am no designer but I am a big believer in the importance of creativity in any kind of project, so although I will reference some iconic career moments, they will be examples used to shed light on his creative process. I will be writing about the advice Abloh shared himself, because a major virtue of his was the generosity demonstrated in his effort to democratise information, stemming from a major belief that no person should face barriers to entry in regards to any design space.

Abloh was very transparent that there is no such thing as avant-garde, rather we as a collective human race live off of iterations of what already exists. Turning design into art also follows this rule; by practically solving problems, you are designing, but adding value on top of the function is what turns said design into an art innovation worthy of cherishing. As his own mentor Donald Judd simplified, "Design has to work. Art does not." Even in negative circumstances, this iterative process can be a positive thing - rejection of one idea is what can spark the next idea, and ultimately the idea which ends up working. This thought is particularly inspirational because it encourages experimentation without fear of failure and really emphasises the notion that any idea could have the domino effect needed to launch a career or creative journey. Abloh was also a big supporter of not being afraid to take direct inspiration from mentors, dead or alive, by suggesting we should question why we love someone else's creation, in order to really understand the ethos behind it. Even on the journey to answering that question, we begin to understand our mentors' thought processes that led them there. Then, it is up to us to turn the wheel and move the idea forward to a new generation or audience. There is no need to be ashamed to learn from those before you.

When thinking of Abloh's career, of course what comes to mind is Off-White™. The official description of what Off-White™ is, is that it "[defines] the grey area between black and white". This is such a clever name for Abloh's personal brand, because it perfectly encapsulates a key signature of his creativity and life's work - 'the compromise between two distinct similar or dissimilar notions'. This also relates to iterating ideas that already exist into something better. Abloh suggests an alternative way of thinking that seems so obvious; instead of thinking in a linear way, use a zigzag approach to connect what exists to what doesn't, and find the unchartered space in between the two.

I cannot attempt to cover Abloh's signatures without mentioning the "figure of speech" he has become synonymous with. During his Harvard lecture, Abloh explained the irony and humour behind speech marks; which say something without really saying it, and how doing so reveals the humanity behind the design. This in turn disarms the observer through laughter revealing their own humanity. Another signature that achieves this is the work-in-progress nature of his designs - seen in the open panels in his Nike collaborations, and the doorstop feature in his Ikea collaboration. It is the quirk featured in these otherwise perfectly executed objects that turns design into art; a notion considered above.

Another major advice that Abloh gave during his lecture at Harvard, was that you should say yes to every creative opportunity that comes your way. If the opportunity exists, you keep the door open so that you can create art in a new space. Ideas you have for one project create analogies that can be used in other unrelated projects, ones you might not even be thinking about yet. Let's return to Boden's three kinds of creativity. It is obvious that Abloh was so humble and transparent about his use of combinatorial and exploratory creativity. However, when reflecting on his entire career, and then considering that Abloh was never only one type of creator, we can see how processes that exist in one space, can inform ideas in another, in a way that no one has considered before. By not confining his job title to one thing only, Abloh was really able to transform conceptual space which, I think most fans of his would agree, did generate new structural styles of thought in many fields of design and art.

As for how we mere mortals can spark creativity? Abloh's advice is again, simple and genius; confine your creativity to one thing only. This will force your eye to see things it usually wouldn't within the conceptual space behind what you want to create. To conclude, I don't think I will ever be able to try to create anything again without thinking about how Virgil Abloh pushed through boundaries. I will think about why people loved what he did, and in the process try to figure out how I could possibly turn the wheel. He was someone I admired when he was alive. In his death, he has become my mentor.

Picture Credits: Vogue.fr , businessoffashion.com

Suggested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qie5VITX6eQ