Co.Design | business + design: Great artists and original thinkers often seem instinctually drawn to the darker hours. The writer Toni Morrison once told The Paris Review that watching the night turn to day, with a cup of coffee in hand, made her feel like a "conduit" of creativity. "It's not being in the light," she said, "it's being there before it arrives." Whether they join Morrison before dawn or get going after dusk, many of history's most imaginative minds have been inspired by dim lighting.
20 comments:
I've never really considered this before, but I can see how it would be true. I've often left the lights dim or off in a room where I was working simply because it feels better to me. I don't have any explanation as to why, it just does. I know others who feel the same, but some people prefer to have the lights on. I think this may speak to which cognitive process we are individually more comfortable with. If we are searching for creativity, we may lean more towards dimly lit spaces. If we are searching for something else, we may lean toward an entirely different lighting setup. Regardless, lighting does seem to have an effect on the manner in which we work. Cognitive processes aside, it sets a definite mood for the room.
Like Kassondra I have never thought about this before, but at the same time I think I have been playing with this idea for a while. See I am a nerd and I have about 5 desk lamps in my room and when I need to relax I change up the lighting schemes in my room. I also think it is interesting that employers thought that the brighter an office space, the more creative employees would be. This reminds me of my teacher in high school who never turned on the overhead florescents in his office, he only had three lamps on, one of which usually had blue gel. I would think that the experimental group with the dimmer lights did well because darker lighting can be calming.
This is genius. Now that I think about it, I've always done my best creative work late at night or on rainy days, but I never really though of why that might be. Because of the way theater schedules work we tend to do most of our creative work at night, which after reading this article makes a great deal of sense. I'm really intrigued by the separate lighting types they recommend for workspaces. I know my brother always turns on a sunlamp when he is working on complex biochemistry problems. It makes me wonder how that plus a normal light with a dimmer would help in a studio environment. The two different lighting sources would allow for all types of work to be done regardless of the time of day.
This is extremely interesting to me because I actually have found that I am most creative and can problem solve the best when it is either night or early morning and the sun is not shining on me. I tend to work with one light on and often my work space is fairly dark, unless I need to have light for safety/other issues. Right now my room is only lit by the strange white light that is reflecting off the clouds and into my blinds. Even though I often need light to feel awake, I find it more peaceful to have a room dark. It's more tranquil and allows for deeper creativity in my mind.
This doesn't surprise me! There are so many artists who work through the dark hours…and isn't this when we are more able to dream? To let our imaginations roam free and create what is beyond the darkness? I have to admit that I come up with a lot of ideas right before falling asleep, while laying in bed and just staring into the darkness and I love the peace of the early morning, right at the crack of dawn when it feels like you're the only one awake. On the other hand, when I'm building things, creating clothing, drafting patterns, etc., I'm the most effective in really great natural lighting. We're super lucky to have a fantastic costume shop and the numerous windows make it easy to work. My studio at home is in the sun room and I find it much easier to work there on sunny bright days, then on cloudy days or at night when I have to use a whole bunch of lights just to see my sewing needle. At any rate, different lighting is super interesting -- it would be great to incorporate that into the work place. I read somewhere quite a while ago, about a new office building in which the lighting imitated the sky. Wouldn't it be great to work inside but still have the lighting effects of the outdoors? I think everyone would be a lot happier and we might see some interesting effects on productivity and creativity.
This makes a lot of sense. I think about myself as a night person, which I guess is not entirely consistent with the article, but I think it still applies. I always feel more creative at night, and I guess this explains why. I remember last year when I worked on my Susan box, the best stuff came for me was at night. Actually, I would say we all worked best at night. I prefer to sleep in and work at night in general, because it makes me feel better throughout the day and I find I get more done.
I suppose this could certainly be true for some people, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. I find that I'm most productive during the regular work day. Maybe I associate being up late working as an act of desperation or the consequences for procrastinating. Just like everyone else here, I've done plenty of work late at night, but I definitely don't like doing it. I don't feel as sharp and I definitely don't think as quickly. Sometimes I think even my reflexes slow down, even if I'm rested.
I think that the best creativity, at least for me, occurs when you take a stab at a project and then come back to it fresh. Taking a look at things from a fresh angle and perspective is significantly more helpful for me.
So it's true! In high school I would always work with the lights pretty dim. I'd be on a roll, getting tons done, until one of my parents would come in and turn up the lights. Their claim: obviously everyone works better in a bright room/ you'll fall asleep. My claim (now): this article. So thanks, News From the Real World, for providing me with some solid evidence. Sorry for getting all personal on you guys.
Artists have used the concept of chiaroscuro for centuries, and it demonstrates how the human eye sees more details when confronted with shadows and highlights. So it would not surprise me if creativity thrives in the dark; however, I had several issues with this article. In their experiments, what kind of lights did they use? There is a difference between cool and warm lights, and I know personally that warm lights make me comfortable enough to explore ideas. I also had questions about the Toni Morrison statement (Don't get me wrong, I love her work!). "It's not being in the light, it's being there before it arrives." When I'm working in a dimly lit environment, the sun is usually going down. This gives me exposure to a dim light and shadows. But I'm not waiting for the next day's sunrise. I'm waiting for the midnight's darkness. I think the night's darkness itself encourages creativity because our minds must fill in what we cannot see. We have to create our worlds, whereas the light would give us all of the answers, and that's just boring. I wasn't really impressed with this study, actually. I found it lacking certain facts. The article said that when "the lights switch off, something in the brain switches on." Well what part of the brain? What switches on and off? I think what they've done is a good start, but I hope they would finish this experiment with scientific studies on the brain. I'm also interested to know if there is any connection between this experiment's research and depression. It is known that lack of light exposure can lead to depression for some, and it is widely known that many creative people are prone to mood disorders and depression. The Ohio State University did an experiment on mice with sleep apnea and discovered that mice who were exposed to dim light at night increased depression and anxiety. So although darkness increases creativity, is it at the cost of our sanity? Is it something we want to gamble away? This all depends on how much that individual wants to explore the unknown.
I have always known that I worked better at night. That is typically when I would write in high school as well as draw. I would alway have just one dim lamp on in my room. Even now the warm amber glow it gave off is a lighting condition I attempt to have when I want to work. I have noticed that my creativity has gone down sense I have been at school because I am awake during the day so much by the time I get home I am too tired to work. I have also noticed that the dark often lets my mind drift more, wanting to push it to dream. The dark could be more creative because our minds wish to dream. The work they have done is a great basis to discovering creativity and I think they could do even more.
Did this seem like common sense to anyone else? I guess before reading the article I couldn't exactly say why, but it seems to me that the idea of creativity thriving in the dark and logic thriving in light is kind of a no brainer. I don't know why it works, but I thought everyone knew that...
Every art project I've been proud of in the last 5 years has been done in a dark/ dimly lit room at night or on a rainy day. I can't write papers in the dark and I can't solve problems in a completely logical way in the dark. I guess I'm glad that there are people out in the world who wanted to prove that this is a real phenomenon but I find it to be so completely obvious.
I have noticed that I am more creative when its darker. When ever im doing home work that involves being creative I try and work in a dimly lit room with no florescent light. I cant stand working in florescent light when im being creative. I find that the light both hurts my eyes and is distracting and cold. When im working on something that doesn't require creativity Ive found that bright and florescent light works better. Ive never known why though. Reading this it totally makes since that the darker light would trigger a more creative process in the brain. However I do notice the coupling between it being darker and me being sleepier.
As I was reading this article, I was all prepared to go into a pitch about how, of course focusing on things in general is easier in a darker room, because it's harder to notice all the distractions around you. Then I got to the information about the third study they did, and it seems that it really isn't related to distraction as much as I thought. If people can think logically and solve logic problems better in more light whereas can be more creative in dimmer light, it looks like there's more to this than I originally thought. I too have noticed that I tend to do better work in dimmer light/at night and I don't really know why.
While I was completely intrigued by this article, I think that they only came to the main point in the final paragraph. We did some research on this in my Undergraduate studies and had similar results. I hate being in bright rooms, mainly because bright lights or glares hurt my eyes and result in headaches. Concert lighting is the only exception!! I do actually prefer to work in 'regular' light, something where I can feel relaxed and not like I am in an examination room with stark white light. As I get older however, I have realized that it doesn't matter what time of the day I work, rather it depends on which time of the day I decide to procrastinate during.
I wonder if there are several factors that contribute to creativity in the dark and analytical thinking in the light. First off, is this the same kind of affect as lights off when your sleeping and how dreaming versus thinking works? Also, I wonder if this is something that is part of our (for lack of better words) primitive nature. For example, are we used to having to think analytically during the day for physical work and strategy and creatively at night due to relaxing and other forms of entertainment.
Either way, I can see how this affects me personally. It is definitely harder to be creative under flourescents versus just a few lights on.
I really liked this article. I was being told by my mom, from a young age, not to read or sit in the dark for too long while trying to do something. I never understood this, I could read perfectly fine and I liked the darkness. I have found that I like to work in dark environments as opposed to bright ones (hence, working backstage and whatnot...). I am wondering is, perhaps, these studies have been related at all to "fight or flight" situations. When people had to fend for themselves at night when there were predators, they had to imagine all possibilities and possible solutions to protect themselves. During the day though, when all their senses were working for them, they did not have to put forth as much effort to come up with solutions. Perhaps a similar reaction is happening with people trying to create in bright or dark settings.
Oh my, I am glad this article was about how much light it is good to work in and not what times of day people can be more creative. When I first started reading it I thought thats where it was going I was mildly concerned because if it were up to me I would be in bed by 9pm every night. Good to know that doesn't mean anything bad about my creative capabilities. Anyways, this is a very interesting article. I had never heard of anything like this. I wonder if it is all psychological or what. Next time I am in a creative slump I will try turning the lights off and see what happens. I do think what they said about making a place where you can change the light is important though because it is very hard to carry out your creative ideas when there is no light to see by. This is definitely my favorite sort of Green Page article: the kind that opens your mind up to an entirely new concept that you have never even considered before.
I thought that this article was really cool, and I have always been a big fan of working in low light. My parents always complained that I'm hurting my eyes by working in the dark, but I feel much better without bright lights. For me, my ideal studying space has dim overhead lighting and a desk lamp that I can control the brightness on. I also really prefer warmer light to cooler light when I work. I thought that the relationships between creativity and the dark and logical thinking and light were really cool. I get some of my best ideas in the dark, but unfortunately I don't always remember them in time to write them down; it's as though the moment I turn the light on the idea runs away (kinda like the dust creatures in My Neighbor Tortoro). At the same time, the logical thinking seems really cool too, but if I have trouble with a logical problem I'll lay down in the dark and ponder it. I really enjoy articles like these, and how they try to study something as complex as creativity and creative thinking.
None of this information really surprises me. I personally am a scaredy cat when it comes to the dark. Have been from my earliest memories till now. One of the main reasons for said irrational fear is because I have an overreactive imagination. That has not changed with time, only the knowledge in it really. And it's always so crazy how consciously and subconsciously my mind changed just from how much light is in a room and how I function because of it. It's interesting to see this information in the context of not only work and creativity, but in social situations. How someone acts in a dim room versus a brightly lit one. Human beings are extremely sensitive to light and it's functions mentally and emotionally.
Its good to know that I have yet another reason to procrastinate or wait till late at night to begin working. That being said, I find it interesting that this experiment actually proves an idea that I could never actually put my hand on. For years now, I've found myself to be more creative/more productive in a darker setting than anywhere else. Even having the lights slightly dimmed in my room is helping me to focus on completing comments. It's good to know that there is actually a bit of scientific evidence that proves that my ways aren't simply that of a procrastinator.
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