Creative ability

The thesis focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and graphic design, aiming to understand AI's potential while emphasizing the unique value of human designers. This exploration will involve transforming AI-generated patterns into physical forms using paper, demonstrating the positive possibilities of AI in creative pursuits. By blending AI output with human creativity, the thesis will show how both play essential, distinct roles.
The study addresses concerns about AI's potential to replace human artists. By highlighting AI as a tool that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity, the thesis debunks the misconception that AI will eradicate human artistry. Instead, AI can inspire and expedite creative processes while artists remain responsible for the final production.
Using Midjourney, a generative AI system, the research underscores AI's limitations in fully understanding or replicating human imagination. The study emphasizes the importance of human touch in design, particularly when using paper—a material with deep historical and cultural roots in graphic design and communication.
Furthermore, paper's use extends beyond art and design, proving its versatility and importance across various fields. The thesis highlights human ingenuity's role in maximizing paper's potential across disciplines, underscoring the critical contribution of human creativity.

This dissertation examines the Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for the Book Arts
(JCBA) at Florida Atlantic University, focusing on creativity. Sixteen artists whose
artwork is collected by the center were chosen to provide an overview of the creative
process of book artists: Susan Allix, Julie Chen, Béatrice Coron, Johanna Drucker,
Timothy Ely, Karen Hanmer, Linda K. Johnson, Marie Marcano, Bea Nettles, Matthew
Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, Susan Joy Share, Keith Smith, Beth Thielen, Carol Todaro, and
Marshall Weber. The artists and the JCBA were selected for this study not only because
these artists‘ books provide a unique opportunity to explore the creative processes of their
makers, since many points of creative decision must be made, but also because artist‘s
books by definition are often conceived, written, designed, printed, and bound by an
individual artist. The list contains several artists who have been important to the historical
development of the artist‘s book or pop-up publishing fields. Their influence ranges in scope from the historical to the international, national, and local, especially in terms of
the JCBA.
This dissertation should be useful to creativity researchers and students of the
book arts because it is the first study to use qualitative research and creativity studies as a
lens to investigate the artifacts and creative processes of artists in the book arts genre, as
well as the first to use the case study approach to examine a book arts center and its
educational practices with the focus of creativity research.
With these goals in mind, concept maps were first created to document the artists‘
internal and external processes of creation, while master composite maps were compiled
to facilitate a meta-analysis of their experienced creativity. The JCBA was then profiled,
and its educational programs, practices, and policies were documented in order to
describe and demonstrate how it encourages the creativity of book artists, as well as how
its creativity-enhancing practices are established and traced into associated organizations.
A model of how the organization does this is proposed and discussed with the intention
of enhancing this effect at the JCBA and in other book arts organizations.

Individuals throughout time have had a desire to reach beyond their surrounding intellectual and physical environment and explore new territories. Throughout their lives they have continually acquired knowledge. Technology is the application of this knowledge to solve problems. As the knowledge base of humankind has grown at an exponential rate, the presence of technology has also grown. Today technology has surpassed controls and is moving at a rampant rate of speed permitting the introduction of new levels of knowledge in all different layers of society. This, however, permits the creation and expression of new thoughts without the acquisition of previously required knowledge. Creativity is progressing rapidly without controls and the objects being created are somewhat questionable.

This design thesis project explores the psychology, significance, and power of play. The value of play is supported through historical and cultural context. Research for the subject unfolds the relationship between play, productivity and the mastery of creative thinking. Examination of the engagement of play addresses its power to inspire in both design education and practice. It also touches upon crucial dynamics of physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development in the human life cycle of learning. As the facilitator of play in the context of three-dimensional space, I seek to elucidate the value of activating human behaviors that stimulate play such as curiosity, imagination, spontaneity, and personal expression. Serious fun is no game; play provides a meaningful strategy for solving serious design problems and developing mastery in the classroom and the practice of design.