In preparation of today’s lecture, we were asked to bring along an object to which we held a particularly fond connection or associated with a positive memory. We were asked to be prepared to give the rest of the class a brief synopsis of this connection or memory, and to talk through the types of feelings evoked when interacting with or thinking about this object. I brought along my daughters’ baby bracelet which has been a family heirloom for a few generations, and tradition for each child it was passed onto to dress their firstborn in it when first leaving the hospital. Thinking about how myself and my child upheld the longevity of this family tradition made me rather emotional. After this lecture I decided to tap into this emotion and expressed it in the form of a digital drawing which I have included at the end of this blog post.
After sharing the stories behind all of our evocative objects we also further explored the role these had in supporting creativity when we were tasked with collectively viewing evocative images and stating three words we would associate with them. The aim of this was to show how seemingly everyday objects can connotate a wide range of emotions for each individual and how engaging in emotionally literate dialogue can promote and support creativity.
Upon researching this topic after our lecture I came across a collection of writings by Sherry Turkle entitled ‘Evocative Objects: Things we Think with’. This collection shows that evocative objects are simply everyday objects which are transformed into ‘emotional and intellectual companions that anchor memory, sustain relationships, and provoke new ideas’. This transformation often results in one becoming attached to an object which was present during a particularly emotional/memorable time in their life. For example, it is common for pieces of childhood memorabilia such as baby blankets or toys, to become evocative objects, as well as items which belonged to friends and relatives who have passed away to become objects of this nature as well.
Commonplace within many forms of expression (painting, drawing, writing, singing, composing, creating, even cooking) is ‘creative block’, an overwhelming absence of inspiration during a “period of time when an artist cannot access their creativity and/or they cannot bring themselves to create a new piece of work” (Baharudin, 2017). Engaging with evocative stimulus (people, places, activities, and objects which arouse emotion) can help to counteract creative block by nurturing the release of emotions and ideas which can be channelled into artistic expression.
