Interactive web program (Works on desktop devices only): https://andrewwads.com/thecreativemind
This website is an interactive experience. The user is taken on a short journey where they must navigate through the pages to complete the narrative, and along the way, they will stumble upon multiple interactive elements. On the last page of the journey, a line drawing will be displayed, unique to the individual experience of each user. The results are generated from the mouse movements the user made on the previous pages, emphasizing how the journey itself influences the creative outcome.
I wanted to explore the feelings experienced during creation and their relation to how the mind and brain operate. The graphical elements on each page connect symbolically to the human body. In sequence, the first narrative page has imagery reminiscent of psychological Rorschach inkblot tests. The following page has a pulsing background, symbolizing a pumping heart and blood flowing to the brain. Finally, the page before the results shows ink splashes enveloped in darkness, representing frustration and a cluttered, incoherent mind. I created these graphic elements by making abstract ink splashes on paper and then collaging and mirroring them digitally.
I enjoyed working with ink splatter drawings because they encourage creativity without the pressure of perfection. Each page of the website narrates different common experiences in the creative process—moments of momentum and passion, as well as feelings of burnout or frustration.
To build the website, I created the visuals using ink drawings and handled the interactivity and functionality with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. While creating text and images was straightforward, designing interactive elements and implementing the dynamic final drawing required learning new techniques and effectively combining my creative side with my technical, computer science skills. Though invisible to me, I imagined each side of my brain lighting up as I worked on this project.
The Creative Mind: Results
While presenting this project, it was fascinating to see the diverse results my peers produced, giving me a glimpse into how their minds worked and what they experienced on their individual journeys. The final line drawings revealed the unique ways users interacted: you could tell by the drawn lines if someone spent significant time in specific areas, explored the entire page, or rushed quickly toward the goal. Additionally, if a drawing contained an X shape in the middle, it indicated that the user went through the experience more than once—the reset button at the bottom right causes the mouse position to return there, making it the new starting point for subsequent journeys.
