The knockoff culture - Part 3. The impact of well-being to creativity
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In this four-part series, TFR observed and analysed the roots of knockoff culture in Indonesia. The purpose of these articles is to educate, inform and provide solution to the issue.
Well-being at home
“Why is there a yoga class for two-year-olds? Shouldn’t they be running around and having fun?” asked Sarah Ginting, an architect and winner of the Sustainable Urban Development competition held by Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia.
Whether we realise it or not, there is a correlation between childhood and creative development. The closest environment, i.e. family, is the biggest contributing factor to an individual’s thought process. It can be traced back to the first stage of child development: sensory processing.
According to play therapist and educator Fibrina Bian (Bian), if parents restrict children’s activity, their sensory processing development would be delayed. Sensory processing is the brain’s ability to receive and respond to sensory information, such as sound, taste, touch, smell and light.
When the sensory processing is delayed, emotional development will bear the brunt, resulting in delayed development of prefrontal cortex where cognitive behaviour, expression, decision making and social behaviour are built.
“If the needs of children’s body are fulfilled, creativity will automatically grow because they are familiar with the sensation,” said Bian.
That is why children need space to explore. Founder of Bali-based The Spring School, Veronika Nariswari, trains sensory, emotional and social aspects, as well as creativity with recyclable materials donated by parents.
“It trains children to see the value of cardboard boxes because they can turn cardboard boxes into art. They are free to use their own method and learn to appreciate the process. At the same time, we teach them to respect and connect with the environment. The students plant tomato seeds at the backyard, watch the process and harvest the tomatoes. During the cooking project, they get to eat the tomatoes while learning the benefits of tomatoes for their body. It’s a holistic learning experience,” said Veronika.
After seeing a shortage of children’s play spaces in crowded urban areas, Sarah designed a playground that fits into a narrow alley at Gang Bukit Mulia, Cisatu, Bandung. In a 5x3 metre area, the playground managed to fit a set of swing, a playhouse, a seesaw and several climbing ladders.
In an area where open spaces to play and roam around is a luxury, students from a nearby kindergarten were quick to occupy the playground. Ever since then, the alleyway has been known as Gang Sesama, highlighting its aim for children to play together and socialise.
Sarah believes that design is a language which can be utilised to express a stance, including reacting to the problems and complexity faced by the urban society. In a phone interview, Sarah stated that any space acts as a means for its occupants to actualise themselves through various activities and occasions.
Forcing children to enter private lessons and control every hour of their activities will hold back their creativity. Most of the time, it happens because helicopter parents set high expectations for their children so that they can thrive in the highly competitive modern society.
The pressure to fit into the society comes at a cost, putting a halt to children’s hobbies. A webtoon artist under the pen name Tupaikidal said, “My parents want me to be a teacher because most of my family members and relatives are teachers or civil servants. They restricted my drawing activities, which made it hard to explore. Lately, I realised that those restriction influence my drawing process.”
“Let children initiate. Saying things like ‘why do you colour the flower black’ or ‘why do you draw elephant like that’ instills fear in children. Children will be afraid to be different. That alone has killed their creativity,” said Bian.
Giving children an opportunity to make decision will build their trust. In return, children don’t need to worry about approval since they can fulfil it on their own, thus building their confidence. Plagiarism often occurs because an individual is insecure with his or her ability.
Approval also means validating children’s feeling. In fact, validation is the simplest form of empathy. When children get validation, they won’t be afraid of doing or trying something. “When children are throwing tantrum, we can ask ‘Why are you angry? Do you want to talk?’ instead of getting mad at them or shutting them,” Bian explained.
Empathy plays a bigger role than we realise in knockoff culture. “If we treat kids with respect, they will treat others with respect. They will understand people’s process of creating work because they can put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Understanding oneself is important. If the kids are content with themselves, they will appreciate others because they have empathy,” said Bian.
Exposure to situation and condition beyond their comfort zone, for instance, can spark empathy. “Children need to see many sides of reality, see what’s out there. [Parents] can start by giving them trust, autonomy and appreciation.”
Image: Unsplash
Well-being at workplace
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, each individual has basic, psychological and self-fulfillment needs. These include the need for security and financial - be it from work or freelance gig -, appreciation and self-actualisation. Before self-actualisation, there are self-development, aesthetics and cognitive needs. Only after our basic needs are fulfilled can we think about studying or creativity.
Well-being is basically every aspect related to human being. When it comes to work and creativity, it has a lot to do with inspiration, environment and workspace.
Design of an office space, including lighting, desk and chair, has to be taken into account. An open space design, according to Balsa, works well for extroverts since they can discuss their work openly. However, it might not work for introverts and vice versa; partition might suffocate extroverts because it’s hard to talk to others.
“Employees may come and go, but office space will stay. The management could implement flexible design like detachable partition,” said Yunike Balsa (Balsa), psychologist and lecturer at Universitas Bhayangkara. It’s the smallest detail we experience daily that has the biggest impact on our well-being.
Anggraito Danangjoyo (Ito), CEO of the company behind Nanti Kita Cerita tentang Hari Ini/One Day We’ll Talk About Today (NKCTHI), said, “We put flat screen in every floor. Employees can play games, watch movies and work in front of the TV as long as they meet the deadline. There are bean bags, carpets where they can sit down and work.”
A corner or space for time-out in the office is a design aspect crucial for well-being. “With social media and chatting applications, we are expected to always be there. Our experience is different compared to our parents who entered the workforce before the invention of WhatsApp. Back then, they got off at five and that’s it. Today, our colleagues are one click away,” Balsa explained.
Offices have to set clear boundaries, such as limiting working hours, providing personal space, as well as setting physical and emotional boundaries. “It can be as simple as setting active time on WhatsApp for certain hours in a day. Mobile phone affects sleep and rest quality. Lack of sleep and rest could lead to psychological problems,” said Balsa.
Human interaction in the workplace is another challenge. Workplace is the meeting point of multiple generations. This is where empathy comes in handy. Through empathy, children are taught to be tolerant and reflect on both sides.
Balsa added that, “Every generation has their own set of struggles. Adding to that, there are diverse background and culture. Those pose a challenge in the workplace. Tolerance is important.”
Of the four basic needs, financial stability is a threat to the creative industry. Unpaid internship, for instance, is unattainable for many people.
Students from lower socio-economic background might not be able to afford unpaid internships since they have to earn a living to support themselves and their family. Oftentimes, they are the backbone of their family.
Torik Danumaya, a fashion photographer, said, “The background in fashion is not too diverse because most of them receive support from their family. They can start from the bottom with unpaid position. There are zero-to-hero stories, but only a few.”
It will lead to inequality and create a homogeneous community because only those who can afford to work for free will climb up the ladder and flourish in the industry. It’s the same problem mentioned in the second part of this series.
Sarah has a different view. “There is nothing ideal when it comes to developing countries like Indonesia. This is why roh (spirit) is vital. Roh consists of state of mind, mindset, tradition, habit, lifestyle, beliefs and anything abstract.”
According to Bian, one way to solve this issue is by teaching children resilience. “For instance, saving up months before the internship. It’s no longer about privileged and underprivileged kids. They have the same rights. We can push them forward as long as they are motivated.”