Introduce：

Art should assume the responsibility of nurturing ideas, and vice versa.

Man has two peaks, one is art, the other is philosophy. The toolkit focuses on providing a path for art creators to reflect on their own works, it is prepared for those who struggle with how to modify their own art works, and invites them to use new ways of thinking to capture their subconscious when creating, providing new possibilities for their works.

It should be noted that this is not only an opportunity to change your own work, but also a way to explore your subconscious mind. When we reflect on our own works through philosophical thinking, we also reflect on our own way of thinking. When getting a new work, perhaps the artist will therefore realize what their underlying creative logic is, in the creation, what they already have, what they want to get, and what they are willing to give up for it?

Step 1: Select/Complete initial artwork (5min)

Choose your previous work

If you would like to recreate your previous work, please take the time to think about the following questions and choose one of the works based on your answers:

• Is there a work of art that you created but don’t know why you created it?
• Is there a piece of your art that you are unhappy with overall, but don’t know how to improve it?
• Is there a piece of art that you want to get back to the mood you had when you created it

Create a piece of art on the spot

If you don’t find one artwork in your past and in your mind, we certainly encourage you to create one right away. It can be any subject, any form, and you can do it quickly on the spot, as long as you know what you want to create.

Step 2: Understanding and selecting a mental model (2min)

In this step, the fundamentals of the four philosophical modes of thought are presented here, and you can simply read them and understand what they mean. You are welcome to immediately choose a philosophical model of thought that interests you – that is, to blindly choose immediately without understanding the reflective questions that the model may offer you, which will bring some excitement to the process. Of course, if you want to be cautious, you can of course read the next step first and choose after you fully understand what perspective this philosophical model of thought will provide you.

Occam’s razor principle：

This principle is called “if it is not necessary, do not increase the entity”, that is, the so-called “avoid heavy and light, avoid complex and simple, with simple and avoid virtual and real”, which means that when faced with a variety of explanations, please choose the simplest and most direct one. In art, this means eliminating unnecessary complexity and focusing on core concepts and expressions.

Pareto Principle：

The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80-20 rule, states that only about 20 percent of factors affect 80 percent of outcomes. In other words: of all the variables, only 20% are the most important, and although the remaining 80% account for the majority, the magnitude of the impact is far less than the “critical few.” In artistic work, this principle helps artists identify and focus on the most important 20%.

System thinking：

System thinking is a kind of logical abstraction ability, which can also be called holistic view or overall view. Simply put, it is to look at the problem from the perspective of the whole and consider the interrelationship between the various parts. In artistic creation, systems thinking helps us understand how the various elements of a work work together to build an organic, harmonious work of art.

Reverse thinking：

Reverse thinking, also known as different-seeking thinking, is a way of thinking that thinks about the things or viewpoints that are commonplace and seem to have been concluded in reverse, so that the thinking develops in the opposite direction and explores deeply from the opposite side of the problem.In art making, reverse thinking may mean examining and expressing a subject from a different perspective, or constructing a work from a reverse perspective.

Step 3: Thinking and Re-creating (5min)

This step will give the corresponding reflection of each principle and provide some reflection practices. It is important to note that these ways and practices are not unique, and if you want to do reflective creation outside of the ways provided here, as long as your reflective way is consistent with the chosen principles, this is fully encouraged.

Occam’s razor principle：

Think about whether there are any overly complicated or redundant elements in the piece. Try simplifying these elements and see if you can make the expression clearer and more powerful.

Pareto Principle：

Look back at this piece of art and try to peel back the pieces to find the 20 percent that are decisive. Look for it and feel it again, which may be your mood at the time, your state of mind, or even an event that happened to you that day, it is very likely that it has nothing to do with the subject of your work, but subconsciously affected you. How would your work be different if these 20 percent of key influences changed?

System thinking：

Draw a diagram of the elements contained in your chosen work. For example, how color, composition, materials, and themes affect each other. By adjusting the relationship between these elements, you can see if you can improve the integrity and expressiveness of your work.

Reverse thinking：

For your current creation, try asking “What would be different if I approached this subject from the exact opposite perspective?” Find the problem. Follow this reverse thinking to create, see if you can bring unexpected creative inspiration

Step 4:Reflection and emotional expansion（8min）

Reflections on philosophical principles and creative thinking:

• Occam’s razor principle：Can you convey a stronger emotion or idea by simplifying the form or content of your work? In the process of simplification, did you lose the core concept you were trying to convey?
• Pareto Principle：Do you get bogged down in trivial details during the creative process? Have you forgotten what factors have influenced your work, and which of them is the most important? Are you able to improve your work performance by eliminating unnecessary parts?
• System thinking：Do you overlook how certain elements of your work relate to other parts? After adjusting through systematic thinking, does the expression of the artwork become more coherent? How has it changed?
• Reverse thinking：What inspiration does reverse thinking bring to your work? Did it help you break through some of your creative limitations? By thinking backwards, are you more free to explore the “possibility space” in your creation?

Reflection on the feeling of this work of art：

• Compare the original work before the reflection revision with the new work now to see if there is a fundamental difference between them.
• Summarize the thematic concept of the new work in one sentence/Summarize the difference between them in one sentence

Emotion and process summary:

• Did I learn a new way of thinking from this experience?
• Am I more aware of my own creative style?
• Am I more aware of what influences my work?

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