Exquisite Text

For this week’s assignment we decided to create a fictional conversation between the Grimm Reaper and one of his victims through text. We decided to use this idea because it was original, and it fit within the requirements of the digital communication medium. We don’t think anyone has ever texted the messenger of the underworld, and especially hasn’t had him mix up his victims. Also, the distance between Andrew and the Reaper caused by the mode of communication was what made the whole conversation comical, allowing Andrew to “stall for time”.

We enjoyed planning the beginning and the end of the conversation, and allowing our responses to evolve throughout the time period. Similar to the idea the “Exquisite Corpse”, we were unsure as to what was going to happen. Without the necessary background information, we were kept in the dark, taking it one step at a time. Each step revealed specific character traits and aspects of the story that we ourselves did not know. Just like the art behind the “Exquisite Corpse” many of the artists unknowingly made something more interesting than they themselves individually could make. Along the same lines, we experienced the same idea with our writing. With that in mind, we both were able to focus on our characters and their specific traits. The result was a quirky conversation between a being who holds the keys to death and a man giving his best to get away.

Another platform that operates under the same idea of creativity is the popular social network known as Reddit. The site operates on user generated content merely restricted by ideas and themes organized in threads. The threads provide the topic, and thousands of users take their own spin on the theme, posting pictures, videos, and comments that subsequently create more discussion, responses, and threads. Reddit has become one of the most expansive social media networks, allowing for ideas to flourish and creativity to grow alongside. With over two hundred and thirty four million unique users, Reddit is an “Exquisite Corpse” of pop culture.

This process of building on the unknown, is a unique way to receive genuine ideas. A technique that can be used in a variety of fields, including film! Woot! Once bounds are set, individuals are allotted a space in which creativity is free to roam. From screenwriting, storyboarding, and camera work, there are a plethora of problems that can be solved with creative, cognitive thinking. This innovative school of thought is on that, if implemented correctly, can spur a new generation of creative minds that make the best ideas of the century.

My Partner was Colby Barrios