The flow brain state of painting and drawing artists.
Van Heerden, Ariana
Van Heerden, Ariana
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Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an association between art making and the brain state known as flow, a construct defined by
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Links were sought between artists' perceived propensity to experience flow and quantified experimental data of the same art-making events. A predominantly psychological theoretical framework had to be created, contextual as well as conceptual, of historical and contemporary leanings that have formulated understandings of creativity and flow. These indicate that flow can trace its origins to concepts of human happiness and excellence, motivation, self-determination and peak experiences. These concepts illustrate that in pursuing intrinsic endeavours such as art making, a person is continuously engaged in reflectivity and deliberation concerning his or her actions and aims, which tend to be selfmotivated or autotelic. In this study the autotelic and self-reflecting leanings of art making were found to be germane to flow. An understanding of the neural and cognitive processes underlying creativity and flow positions the predominantly psychological concepts of flow and creativity in the domains of cognitive science and neuroscience. A key aspect for understanding the flow experience is Arne Dietrich’s hypothesis of transient hypofrontality, described as enabling the temporary suppression of the analytical and meta-conscious capacities of the explicit system. This empowers the implicit system to execute a task at maximum skill level with maximum efficiency, where information is integrated in an algorithmic, skill based manner. In this study, transient hypofrontality was found to be germane to interpretations of flow and art making.
In order to study how flow may be associated with an endeavour such as art making a mixed methods approach was deemed appropriate, utilising
qualitative as well as quantitative data collection methods. Semi-structured interviews established that artists’ perceptions of the art-making experience
as well as responses to interview questions on phenomenological elements of flow during art making were linked. The primary aim of the electroencephalography (EEG) data collection was to observe and compare the participating artists’ brain wave activity during art making and thereafter to
establish whether brain wave patterns could yield any themes that could point to the flow experience. Cortical electrical activity of the various brain
frequencies (or phases) were found to be equated with neural and cognitive explanations of flow. The unique contribution of this study in the field of fine and applied arts is that the artist’s lived experience of painting and drawing was studied in real time, in a natural environment – an artist’s studio of choice. The cortical activity measured through EEG was found to have an association with all the participating artists' perceived propensity to experience flow. Thus, flow may
be a significant driver of the art-making experience.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Doctor of Technologiae in the Department of Fine and Applied Art, Faculty of the Arts and Design at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2014-11-01
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Art making, Theoretical framework, Self-reflecting, Autotelic, Flow brain