Articulating artfulness: Exploring the ecological potential of creative conversation

Abstract

Notions of “artfulness” are increasingly being used in the humanities and social sciences to nod towards ephemeral linkages between creativity and ecological sensitivity, but there has so far been little work to flesh out in detail what this term entails, both conceptually and in practice. This paper contributes to current understandings of “artfulness” through an in-depth case study of conversations facilitated by an arts-sustainability project in Wales known as Emergence. Through the author's experiences of conversations at Emergence gatherings, the paper develops a theory of artfulness as a manner of being that is attuned to a dispersed, emergent version of creativity. The radical ecological potential of the conversations is explored through three themes: vulnerability and receptivity; reconfiguring self–other subjectivities; and posthuman sensibilities. In doing so, the paper contends that artfulness further expands ideas about where and how creativity arises, presenting possibilities for non-artists to creatively compose-with the world in transformative ways. This is essential because the imaginative and creative leap required in response to ongoing ecological loss is so great that it should not be left to professional artists alone.