Creativity

What has happened to thinking outside of the box? Creating things from scratch, from found objects or even mixing things up to create the new?
I have been so surprised by the people who don't have vision of what or how things could be. This realization has been made even clearer to me this year working on the costumes for the musical. I did a lot of research, found pictures, website, modern day sewing patterns that would work as 1930's dresses, then gave tons of suggestions about how to do, where to look and even what to use, but so many of the people I am working with still don't have the vision of how to create or come up with their costumes. Causing me to think creativity has disappeared.

I have been told that I created a few of the creativity problems by giving them the style choices and by limiting the predominant colors they could use..... The color thing was to help us from having 9 girls on stage in a pink dresses and 1 in a blue one. That makes you think who didn't get the message or why is that chorus girl standing out like a sore thumb? And as for one of the style issues I wanted the boys look out side of their closets and not use modern sit on your hip and below the waist jeans in a 1930's show. But according to the several of the cast members, a few parents and even a grandparent I have made this soooooo hard by limiting color and style choices.....come on people our 2010 clothing isn't worn like they did in the 1930's. But you can use clothing from the past 10 years or even patterns and come up with what is needed.

So here are a few of my come on people, really?.......We have asked for a wide brim hat to be decked out and fancied up as part of a costume. We have told them to look around for a hat and even made suggestions as to where. We told them that you can paint and/or cover hats with fabric to get the color you want. I was thinking no problem, you can find hats at the thrift stores and probably in your closets. Most people have access to a straw hat and you can be creative......today I had someone show me a hat pattern that they bought at the store. The pattern cost $10.00, the supplies will be at least $30.0 more, but hey it's only money and if you want to make a hat, great, but it is not as easy has you might think. That is why we suggested that you look around for a pre-made hat to use and decorate.
"I can't buy dresses like that now, let alone in the colors assigned." You are so right, but you can use a sewing pattern and make one, or you can get a thrift store dress that has the same shape as the photos you were given and alter it or add to it. Which brings us to, but I can't find any fabric that is yellow and orange.....but you can buy yellow fabric and orange fabric and combine them if you are making something, or you can add yellow to an orange dress......even if their are other colors in the pattern if it is predominately the asked for color you can use it.
"I only have blue jeans and they wore blue jeans in the 1930's." Yes they did wear blue jeans but not the kind you wear now, besides we don't want everyone in blue jeans.
" I need green gloves when can I find them?" At least use the Internet if you can't drag yourself out to find it.
...and the list goes on and on and on.....

Why do I have to show exactly what to do or use? Why do I have to go into greater detail than here are two colors to use....be creative? Why do I have to hold their hands and walk them step by step through this?

So that is my creativity rant for today. Like I said what has happened to thinking creatively and .......doing things independently......but that is for another time.

MCC

C4U Costumes

I am just finishing up the Crazy For You Costume plot. I truly enjoy the research and planning stage that goes into designing and setting the costumes for a show. It consumes me and colors they way I look at everything. I love discovering the reasons and whys for the fashion of the time. I also enjoy developing a clothing story for each of the characters. When you do the costumes you are creating a closet of clothes for the characters to wear. While you never really see the whole wardrobe, you have to know that it looks like and some of the back ground surrounding it so you can create the actual clothing to be worn in the show. If the budget was unlimited and i had the time and skills required it would be so fun to now create it all. But since the budget is limited as in basically non existent, I also have to figure out how to direct the actors in creating or obtaining a costume(s) that fits together with their character and the show as a whole....it's a great challenge.
Back to the research process.........
Since You can only read the script so many times to discover costume clues, you have to go out on your own and do some research. The Internet has made this research so easy to do; you can find images and read about locations and circumstances of the time. I can do it form my home at all hours of the day and night....... Another research tool I have used this time are movies. I have watched most of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies** that are set in the 1930's. ( I am glad that I have a collection of their movies). I know that there are other movies that might have given me a gritter, more real picture of the time period but that was not the image I was searching for. I knew that the Astaire and Rogers movies would give me a glamorous and costumy look that is more called for in C4U...and they are a whole lot of fun to watch as well. It was interesting to really see the hair styles and clothing that was worn by the upper crust and the glamorous people of the time. I loved the cut of the dresses, how they moved, the use of hats and gloves. The Finger waved and pin curled hair was fantastic! ....this of course brought me memories of Grandpa & Granny B...but I digress.....The men were sharp dressed and elegant. I loved their hats as well.......boy we live in a casual world.
Following this movie research I then blended that style with a simplified the style that I found portrayed in several images I found on the Internet and I know have a better idea of how to dress each of the characters in C4U.
I used to think that my favorite time periods for clothing were the 1950's, 1920's 1900- 1915, 1860's, 1800-1820 and royal medieval....however I now have a greater appreciation and love for the 1930 - 1936 fashion.....it has a lot in common with the 1920's and the 1900's.
Most think of the 30's as the time of the great depression and dust bowl era in the USA...and it was, but there was also a chicness about it.....On TV the other day a designer was referring to the 30's as FDR Chic and that was in reference to the furniture..... Anyway it has been so fun to discover a great fashion time period.....and to envision and help create a minuscule look at fashion of the time in Crazy For You.
MCC
** Favorite A & R Movies - Roberta, Swing Time, Shall We Dance & The Gay Divorcee. I also watched The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle - loved it hated the ending but what can you do when it is based on real people? The Berkley's of Broadway. I plan on watching the rest of my collection but they will have to wait a bit until I have more time.