The Neuroanatomy Of Improvisation

At TEDx MidAtlantic, held in November 2010 in Washington, DC, medical researcher Charles Limb presented his lab's recent research using fMRI to explore dynamic brain response in musicians as they performed. He describes work published in 2008 working with jazz pianists, as well as more recent work studying rap performers. Their basic strategy was to record the fMRI scan during two modes of performance:  playing memorized music and playing improvized music, and then identifying from the data the brain regions that showed activity unique to improvisation.

Their key finding was that during improvisation, a region of the brain linked to planned actions and self-censoring exhibited a slowdown in activity. They also found an increase in activity in a brain region associated with self-expression. Limb remarks that: "We think that at least a reasonable hypothesis is that, to be creative, you have to have this weird dissociation in your frontal lobe. One area turns on, and a big area shuts off, so that you're willing to make mistakes, so that you're not constantly shutting down all of these new generative impulses."

In his TEDx talk, he shows videos of how the fMRI was perfomed in the lab, which I found quite interesting: whenever I read about fMRI studies that target some particular type of mental activity/behavior, I try to imagine how the subject could actually carry out the activity given the constraints of the MRI apparatus. So it was interesting to see the setup of the experiment.

The Bitter End

A few weeks ago I discovered this hilarious low-budget online sitcom called "The Bitter End". The episodes revolve around two brothers who find themselves sharing an apartment together after Bernard (the younger, aspiring novelist) decides to let Les (the older, fresh out of drug rehab) move in with him until he get's his shit together. Bernard has a crush on coffee shop waitress Eden, and is perpetually trying to take their relationship to the next level, but Les always seems to unintentionally impede his efforts. For more in-depth reviews, have a look at: tubefilter and alterna-tv.

Aside from being a pleasure to watch, I'm also drawn to this show because, being a fairly low-budget independent production, it has a certain tangible, real-life quality, that gives one the impression of being witness to the creative process as it unfolds. The sitcom grew out of an improv act at the Theatre Ste-Catherine in Montreal (where I'll be visiting in mid-July for several days, btw). It's interesting to watch the improv sketches online, which reveal the main elements of the show in a more primordial form. It's sort of analogous to being able to flip through an artist's sketchbook.

The show in it's present state still has that raw, pure form unspoiled by the ratings-driven demands of network television producers. Hopefully it will manage to stay that way for another season or two. 

Drawing is Thinking

I've come across some interesting links recently that explore the notion of drawing as a meditative process and a way to enhance one's observational skills. "Drawing is Thinking" is a book by the graphic designer Milton Glaser. The book has a short introduction, followed by an interview with Glaser, and then the rest of the book is a sequence of small images covering subject matter spanning his entire career as an artist and graphic designer. He discusses the central thesis behind the book in this short video, which shows him drawing an image of Shakespeare as he talks. 

Another cool link is a pdf booklet by the artist Michael Nobbs, who also maintains a blog. It's written in a similar vein as "An Illustrated Life", gives helpful tips for keeping a daily sketchbook, and gives some useful references for followup reading.