WEEK 30 - geometry, art, and mid-90s USDA lobbying conflicts?
So… who remembers the food pyramid? It was created in the 90s and stuck around until 2011 when a portioned plate concept replaced the classic pyramid shape.
Because I was in school in the 90s and 00s I saw that food pyramid a LOT, over several iterations.
And, of course, in the meme-rich internet culture we live in these days, I still see riffs on that food pyramid theme, even though it’s been out of the spotlight for a decade.
The basic idea around the food pyramid was not only to provide information about what to eat, but also to give some suggestions about how much.
There’s plenty of controversy around the simplistic approach of that original pyramid, but the idea of communicating both what and how much is what made it effective.
In other words, there’s a focus on the quantity of each individual piece of a collective whole (ie: a “balanced” diet).
Related: I think one of the things that made the pyramid (and it’s successor, the portioned plate) such a success was that it didn’t get hyper-specific about exactly what foods to consume, or how they should be prepared.
Creative inspiration and food are handy that way - there’s something for everyone, and everyone’s take is different, personalized to them.
When I was thinking about my own “creativity pyramid” I knew that social media would probably be something closer to the top, with smaller portions.
Although I love scrolling, and I know it adds a lot of flavor to my creative inspiration, for me social media is better in small doses.
If I consume too much I get overwhelmed and have to take time off to digest (like dairy haha).
That kind of specificity in what goes into your pyramid is going to be different for everyone because, just like the food we eat, the way we “consume” artistic inspiration varies from person to person.
Which leads me to this week’s assignment…
Your assignment: Design or letter your own Creativity Pyramid.
Thought starters: The idea is to focus not only on what kinds of things inspire (or occupy) you creatively, but also on creating appropriate portions for each of the components.
You don’t have to limit your pyramid to creative inspiration either. You can use this format to express lots of different facets of your artistic practice.
Some alternative examples:
Favorite media while creating
Best snacks for artists
Tools I use
Coming up with ideas
What goes into a creative career
Whatever you come up with for your creative “ingredients,” go a step further and consider how you portion those ingredients.
Figure out which things are foundational and which are best used sparingly.
Caption idea: Explain each level of your pyramid. For example, you might also have “social media” on yours, but we could mean different things when we use that phrase (insta v tiktok, for example).
Get specific about what your creative “balanced meal” looks like. For instance, do you snack occasionally on some Bob Ross TV or is that a staple for you?
(You can dig pretty deep into this metaphor!)
Engagement tip: Be sure to tag people or brands who make it onto your Creativity Pyramid. You never know who is looking for your particular combo of art and creativity!
Resources: Read up on the food pyramid. It’s fascinating! It’s also a great reminder that the same way the USDA put out that food pyramid based on their own research and interests, the creative advice we often receive from big institutions is set through their own lens + interests. Therefore, part of our work as creative individuals is to define our own pyramids that serve our own unique interests.
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Don’t forget to tag me @homsweethom and use the #HOMwork & #HOMwork2021 hashtag when you post on Instagram. I love looking through your excellent creations and sharing a few of my favs every week in my IG Stories before the next assignment is posted.
