‘I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you
I know you were right, believing for so long
I’m all out of love, what am I without you
I can’t be too late to say I was so wrong’

‘All Out of Love’ the 80’s hit by the Australian super-group Air Supply is often cited as the soft rock alternative to Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ while to others it signaled the decline and fall of civilization. Who was right?

Being deaf I could never tell but a self-proclaimed authentic first draft of the song recently appeared on e-Bay and upon close inspection it was discovered that the original first line of the chorus was actually written as, ‘I’m all out of creativity, I’m so lost without you.’ I doubt this version would’ve done much for the song but seen in this light it does add some welcome intelligence and poignancy to an otherwise terribly sucky piece of aural crap.

Christmas is over. There are still bits of wrapping paper on the floor. I’m on my third cup of coffee and haven’t shaved in three days. The mirror says I look like a serial killer so I finish off the Corn Flakes and think about the future. The pubs don’t open for another hour.

As the high fat murky flood waters of post party depression start seeping through the floorboards of my rum soaked Christmas pudding I need some inspiration to get me through this looming drama. To whom shall I turn?

'I want you to come back and carry me home
Away from these long, lonely nights
I’m reaching for you, are you feeling it too?
Does the feeling seem oh, so right?'

Sure does. Thanks boys.

These shy, sensitive Aussies frame the desire for inspiration and creativity in their typically fragile phrasing and we can but stand back and sigh. Just breathe.

(In an effort to avoid nationalistic stereotyping I should point out that Mez, the other famous Australian, is noted for a more direct take on relational dialectics but her lyrics are notoriously difficult to sing. She’s come under some minor criticism for this however according to a post on Thomas Bowdler’s blog he’s currently working on an unauthorized edition of her work and proposes the following Mez/Wordsworth remix: ‘Tulips in springtime are lovely and blessed / But four lips together are [pr](blood-y/essed.’ Personally I find this sort of bowdlerization repugnant and preposterous and can’t imagine what sort of moron could even consider such a thing much less write it down but then again what the hell do I know. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a muse and a fuse box.)

Are you creative? I think you are.

Will you be my friend on Facebook? We can network and be creative. I’ll put on Air Supply and draw happy faces on your Super Fun Wall. I’ll put on Motorhead and take up your Zombie invitation. You can check out my Profile. I’ll check yours. If we meet I promise to be who you think I am. Just believe.

What is creativity? A vital question to some but not vital enough to make it into Google’s top 10 in the ‘what is’ section of the 2007 zeitgeist roundup.

Here’s what the people really want to know:

1. What is love?
2. What is autism?
3. What is rss?
4. What is lupus?
5. What is sap?
6. What is bluetooth?
7. What is emo?
8. What is java?
9. What is hpv?
10. What is gout?

Do you care what the people think? I don’t but my accountant says I should.

Here's a test. What comes first to mind when you hear the word creativity? Probably David Byrne twitching in irony like his testicles are hooked up to the battery of a black Cadillac singing ‘I don't have to prove that I am creative’. For most of us that’s as far as it goes but others take it farther.

Why do we do this stuff? We could be outside in the sunshine. What are the influences and trajectories in the creative life? Is there enough information for analysis?

During his literature review on creativity theories in preparation for his PhD thesis 'A Creative History of the Russian Internet' Eugene Gorny compiled a set of notes and quotations that have been edited and are now available online as ‘A Dictionary of Creativity’ (http://creativity.netslova.ru/).

Think you know all about creativity? Please answer the following:

1. What is the Matthew Effect?
2. What is the typical age difference between mentor and student?
3. What is the Ten-year Rule?
4. What is the effect of the Age Curve in relation to Career Age?
5. What is the effect of Birth Order?
6. What is the Componential Model?
7. What is Creativity Intersection?
8. What is (sic: are) Nomothetic Studies?
9. What is the Kirton Adaptive-innovative Inventory?
10. What is Data Smog?

If you answered less than 8 correctly you might want to check out the dictionary. If you won call your parents and thank them for your MFA.

References:

All Out of Love, Air Supply: http://www.links2love.com/love_lyrics_82.htm

Mez: arch[|fl]i[ng]_texture_lips: http://disapposable.blogspot.com/2007/03/archflingtexturelips.html

Google Zeitgeist 2007: http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2007/mind.html

Artists Only, Talking Heads: http://www.actionext.com/names_t/talking_heads_lyrics/artist_only.html

A Creative History of the Russian Internet, Eugene Gorny:
http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/russ-cyb/library/texts/en/gorny_creative_h...

A Dictionary of Creativity, Eugene Gorny: http://creativity.netslova.ru/

Acknowledgments:

This was written under the influence of too much coffee, a turkey sandwich and the following:

All Out Of Love, Air Supply
Artists Only, Talking Heads
Alina, Arvo Part
All Tomorrow’s Parties, Velvet Underground
Wake Up, The Arcade Fire
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You, Andy Williams
Fuck Off (And Leave Me Alone), The Blims
Sabotage, Beastie Boys
Can I Kick It, A Tribe Called Quest
When The Night Feels My Soul, Bedouin Soundclash
She’s Got Legs, ZZ Top
Black Cadillac, Lightnin’ Hopkins
Iron Man, Black Sabbath
The Scientist, Coldplay
Everyday I Have The Blues, Elmore James
Paradise City, Guns N Roses
Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin
Illuminate, Orbital
How Can I Recognize My Home, Veljo Tormis
Breathe, Telepopmusik