A Powerful Concept for Creativity - Function determines structure and content

by NDK Creative Artist

“Function determines structure and content.” This principle has powerful utility in the craft and business of creativity, when I say “powerful utility” I mean: it has broad applications in every field. This is such a powerful concept that it can help one manage and resolve creative blocks. As you’ll discover in later pieces that explore creativity I am not a proponent of “writer’s block” as I consider the the concept to be too narrow and have seen that it does not apply exclusively to writers, but to all creators in any artistic discipline. However, we’re not going to deal with this here except peripherally.

When we talk about Function we are talking about purposes. When we talk about purposes we are talking about the objectives and intentions of any particular work, and this leads us directly to the creation of intended effects. As you’ll discover, over the course of reading future articles published at the Free Articulator, I constantly and consistently refer to the effect of communication, because it is the effect that is important, the effect that is the product, in fact, of any communication. An analysis of effects of communication is most revealing in any situation and will teach anyone interested in or working in the field of communication much about communication and those who are communicating.

So when it comes to the the craft of creativity it is the effects that are to be created as a result of commuicating that are important to grok. The effect defines structure and content and it also determines method and delivery. The question “What are you trying to do to who?” is an important one to ask. It is asking for the effect. The effect is the end product, what I refer to as the Valuable Final Effect or VFE. When you grok what it is you are actually endeavoring to create in terms of effect, then the rest will fall into place. Creator’s block (or creative block) is often a matter of failing to grok what it is you are really trying to do.

Works of art & entertainment can create very simple effects or incredibly complex multilayered effects. In this range of the simple to the complex all have their place and their usefulness. These effects span the gamut of viewpoint shifts, emotional effects, intellectual effects, life-changing effects, etc. They can be constructive or destructive, and occasionally embrace both construction and destruction. Effects can be both overt (open and easily observed) and covert (hidden and hard to identify). As an interesting aside aesthetics falls into the middle ground between these two extremes. Propaganda and spin tend towards the covert end of this scale and truth lies in the open zone, though this is a fairly simplistic way of defining basic concepts and drawing up a model that is of use.

Structure is to do with the way in which an entire work is put together, and it is to do with the definition of beginning, middle and end of any work. The end point of any work is where the communication of that work ends. It is the point where the song finishes, where the viewer walks away from the painting, where the reader reads “The End” on the last page of the book, or the last line of a poem, and the closing frame of any movie. The creative individual is choosing the beginning, selecting it. It’s the first line that inspires a song. It’s the concept or event that inspires that first riff that becomes a full blown hit song.

The effect is the realization of the concept(s) being communicated in the mind, heart, spirit and life of those individuals who receive the communications crafted. The effect then is the sum total of the content that makes up the component parts of the entire communication be these: the words, melody, arrangement and delivery of the song, or; the words, sentences, paragraphs, pages and chapters of a story; or the 120 pages of dialog and scene that make up the typical three act structure of a movie script. But by defining the functions of a work one is creating, then one comes to an understanding of what it is one is actually endeavoring to do, and this helps one define the content and complete a work.

This particular concept–Function determines structure and content–is a liberating creative principle, not a confining or restraining rule. It has more than one application, even outside of the art & entertainment industry. This is because it focuses on the end result. A work can have more than one function, so defining these functions starts the process of considering content.

This is not usually a laborious process, in fact it is typically and usually a very fast process and this has made it difficult to define, as sometimes the speed of production of a tangible fixed expression from the time it is a conceived, to realization in the physical universe can be very rapid (depending on the skill and experience one has). But when it is a laborious process, as it can be when engaged in writing a series of novels to tell a single story, this becomes a useful tool to keep one on track, remembering why you started and what you were trying to achieve with a work simply by listing them.

When it comes to the subject of editing written work, or any work, the concept Function determines structure and content is extremely helpful, particularly when one is involved in a collaborative process, as asking the question, “What is the function of this work?” will help the editing process to focus and produce tighter, faster and more effective cuts. Experienced editors of written work read work, and grok the intention of the author, often without a need to consult an author, though the final decision should always be the author’s as to what stays or goes. But great editors are always great readers first, and this means they have a very good understanding of what readers want a book to do in terms of function. A story is not just about the author saying something; it’s about the reader and the fulfilment of their expectations as well.

When one is designing a website, or a press release, the same principle helps you to define the work. When accepting a commission, understanding the client’s purposes, the functions they wish to engage in and the subsequent realization of those are simpler, when you can state this principle to the client and then get the questions answered that follow from the definition, and clear statement, of functions. Creativity becomes a lot easier when you grok the function of what it is you are putting together. When you know the functions of any work you are creating or considering creating then you are saying that you know what you are doing.

Lack of function will kill a work dead. If the work has no real purpose then it will never be completed. It may start, but it will flounder. Purpose is fuel for passion and passion is the sustaining energy that ensures worthwhile purposes are realized: Function determines structure and content. Use it, let me know how it works out for you.

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If you'd rather we did all the hard work, you're in luck. Here's a list of articles that are related to this one:

• The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Twenty-four - You are not the viewpoint
• The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Zero - There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to creativity
• How many storylines should you have in a novel?
• The Points of the Creative Artists’ Code: Twenty-five - From where to communicate?
• Always on the hunt for Writing Tips? - The Oldies are the Goodies - Orwell’s Tips