creative writing school
Module 4: Unknown & Unexpected
structure
Introduction
Theory
Inspirations
Creative writing exercises
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
Theory
Inspirations
Creative writing exercises
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
introduction
Welcome to a space where the linear dissolves and the predictable fades into obscurity. In this session, we venture into the heart of paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction—not as barriers, but as fertile ground for creative exploration. These complex dynamics challenge binary thinking, demand nuance, and invite us to sit with the discomfort of not-knowing or knowing too much. This discomfort is where writing will happen.
theory
In psychology, paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction are related concepts but have distinct meanings:
PARADOX
Definition: A paradox refers to a statement or situation that appears to be self-contradictory or logically impossible, but upon closer examination, reveals a deeper truth. It involves seemingly conflicting ideas that, when considered together, actually make sense. For example, the paradoxical idea that "less is more" suggests that simplicity can sometimes be more effective than complexity.
Key idea: Paradox, in psychology, is both a conceptual and therapeutic tool. Carl Jung described paradox as essential to understanding the psyche, where seemingly contradictory forces (e.g., light and shadow, conscious and unconscious) coexist and interact. Jung’s shadow self is paradoxical: integrating the parts of ourselves we reject brings wholeness, even as it introduces discomfort. Paradox in therapy often involves paradoxical intention. Viktor Frankl, in his logotherapy, encouraged patients to exaggerate their fears to overcome them—a counterintuitive but transformative approach.
Artistic reference:
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot exemplifies paradox. The characters’ endless waiting is both meaningless and profoundly meaningful, reflecting the human condition’s absurdity.
Key idea: Paradox, in psychology, is both a conceptual and therapeutic tool. Carl Jung described paradox as essential to understanding the psyche, where seemingly contradictory forces (e.g., light and shadow, conscious and unconscious) coexist and interact. Jung’s shadow self is paradoxical: integrating the parts of ourselves we reject brings wholeness, even as it introduces discomfort. Paradox in therapy often involves paradoxical intention. Viktor Frankl, in his logotherapy, encouraged patients to exaggerate their fears to overcome them—a counterintuitive but transformative approach.
Artistic reference:
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot exemplifies paradox. The characters’ endless waiting is both meaningless and profoundly meaningful, reflecting the human condition’s absurdity.
AMBIVALENCE
CONTRADICTION
A contradiction occurs when two or more statements, beliefs, or actions are mutually exclusive or incompatible with each other. Unlike a paradox, which may contain elements of truth within apparent contradictions, a contradiction involves clear inconsistency.
Gaslighting: where actions contradict words to distort reality—is a potent narrative device and a harrowing psychological phenomenon.
Dynamics:
Gaslighting operates through persistent contradictions:
Cultural reference:
Patrick Hamilton’s play Gas Light (1938) introduced the term. In the story, a husband manipulates his wife into questioning her sanity by dimming the gaslights and denying it.
Contemporary example:
In Megan Nolan’s Acts of Desperation, the protagonist’s toxic relationship is rife with gaslighting. The narrative captures the tension between self-awareness and entrapment, illustrating gaslighting’s devastating effects.
Gaslighting: where actions contradict words to distort reality—is a potent narrative device and a harrowing psychological phenomenon.
Dynamics:
Gaslighting operates through persistent contradictions:
- Words of reassurance (“I’m doing this for your good”) juxtaposed with actions of harm.
- Invalidating another’s perception (“You’re imagining things”) to create confusion and self-doubt.
Cultural reference:
Patrick Hamilton’s play Gas Light (1938) introduced the term. In the story, a husband manipulates his wife into questioning her sanity by dimming the gaslights and denying it.
Contemporary example:
In Megan Nolan’s Acts of Desperation, the protagonist’s toxic relationship is rife with gaslighting. The narrative captures the tension between self-awareness and entrapment, illustrating gaslighting’s devastating effects.
inspirations
pipilotti rist: "ever is over all"
Pipilotti Rist is a Swiss multimedia artist renowned for her evocative, immersive video installations that merge the surreal and the everyday, often addressing themes of femininity, sexuality, and the human psyche. With a career spanning decades, Rist’s work challenges traditional boundaries of video art, offering a sensorial exploration of emotions and perspectives. Her art is playful yet critical, navigating the spaces where joy and violence, beauty and destruction coexist.
One of her most celebrated works, Ever is Over All (1997), epitomizes her ability to embody paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction. The video installation juxtaposes two seemingly unrelated video streams projected side by side. On one screen, a young woman dressed in a vibrant, flowing blue dress strides confidently down a city sidewalk, smashing car windows with a large, tropical flower. On the other, close-up, slow-motion footage of a blooming flower unfolds, presenting nature’s intricate beauty. The synchronization of these visuals, combined with a hypnotic, dreamlike soundtrack, creates tension.
Cultural and art historical context
Rist’s work can be situated within a lineage of feminist art that critiques patriarchal structures while celebrating female agency. The piece echoes the rebellious spirit of earlier feminist performance artists like Marina Abramović and Carolee Schneemann, who similarly used their bodies and unconventional tools to challenge societal norms. Moreover, the use of flowers—a recurring motif in art history symbolizing purity, beauty, and fragility—is subverted here to embody strength, defiance, and even violence.
In addition, Ever is Over All reflects a postmodern sensibility in its refusal to offer a singular narrative or interpretation. Its open-endedness invites viewers to grapple with its layered meanings, reflecting the fragmented, multifaceted nature of contemporary identity and experience.
One of her most celebrated works, Ever is Over All (1997), epitomizes her ability to embody paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction. The video installation juxtaposes two seemingly unrelated video streams projected side by side. On one screen, a young woman dressed in a vibrant, flowing blue dress strides confidently down a city sidewalk, smashing car windows with a large, tropical flower. On the other, close-up, slow-motion footage of a blooming flower unfolds, presenting nature’s intricate beauty. The synchronization of these visuals, combined with a hypnotic, dreamlike soundtrack, creates tension.
- Paradox
The heart of Ever is Over All lies in its paradoxical imagery. The woman’s destructive actions clash with her serene demeanor, joyful movements, and the whimsical context of her floral weapon. This paradox forces viewers to question their assumptions about power, femininity, and rebellion. Why does the destruction feel so liberating and playful rather than violent or threatening? Rist’s paradoxical layering compels us to explore the dualities within human expression and societal norms, particularly how femininity is often associated with passivity or gentleness. - Ambivalence
Ambivalence permeates the piece as it oscillates between opposing emotional poles. The viewer might feel a sense of delight and empowerment as the woman asserts her presence, but this is tinged with discomfort as she causes destruction. This ambivalence reflects broader societal tensions about agency and rebellion, particularly in how women navigate spaces of empowerment in contexts that often expect conformity. The work leaves us in a suspended emotional state, uncertain whether to cheer for the woman’s actions or critique their consequences. - Contradiction
The most overt contradiction in Ever is Over All is between the act of smashing car windows—typically considered aggressive—and the use of a delicate, beautiful flower as the tool of destruction. This contradiction amplifies the work’s surreal qualities and critiques societal expectations of gendered behavior. It simultaneously evokes the romanticized notion of flowers as symbols of life and fragility while weaponizing them, underscoring the inherent contradictions in how society assigns meaning to objects, actions, and identities.
Cultural and art historical context
Rist’s work can be situated within a lineage of feminist art that critiques patriarchal structures while celebrating female agency. The piece echoes the rebellious spirit of earlier feminist performance artists like Marina Abramović and Carolee Schneemann, who similarly used their bodies and unconventional tools to challenge societal norms. Moreover, the use of flowers—a recurring motif in art history symbolizing purity, beauty, and fragility—is subverted here to embody strength, defiance, and even violence.
In addition, Ever is Over All reflects a postmodern sensibility in its refusal to offer a singular narrative or interpretation. Its open-endedness invites viewers to grapple with its layered meanings, reflecting the fragmented, multifaceted nature of contemporary identity and experience.
ANNA ÁDÁM: "RIGHT FOR FIGHT"
Right for Fight (2021) merges martial arts, wrestling, and contact dance, transforming the boxing ring into a metaphorical stage where the audience witnesses the paradoxes, ambivalence, and contradictions inherent in human intimacy.
Critical reflection
By confronting the audience with the raw, unembellished realities of love’s complexities, Right for Fight resists the romanticized narratives often found in popular culture. Instead, I offer a nuanced critique of power dynamics, emphasizing the fragility and resilience required to navigate emotional and physical struggles. The deliberate choice to stage this exploration within the confines of a boxing ring—a symbol of discipline, aggression, and victory—adds layers of meaning, questioning societal constructs of strength, gender, and emotional expression.
- Paradox: Love as combat
At its core, Right for Fight is driven by a striking paradox: love, often idealized as a harmonious union, is presented here as a universal combat sport. By framing romantic relationships as a battleground, I challenge conventional perceptions of love as solely tender or nurturing. Instead, I highlight the inherent tensions, negotiations, and conflicts that exist within intimate bonds. The paradox of vulnerability coexisting with strength—both emotional and physical—is visually and emotionally embodied by the performers, who alternate between tender embraces and combative grappling. - Ambivalence: Attachment and conflict
The work delves deeply into the ambivalence of attachment styles and bonding mechanisms. Drawing from psychological theories of attachment, the performance reveals the simultaneous desire for closeness and independence, love and detachment, care and confrontation. This ambivalence is mirrored in the choreography, as the fighters navigate a delicate balance between opposing forces: reaching out and pulling back, offering tenderness and asserting dominance. This interplay reflects the emotional turbulence and contradictions inherent in real-life relationships. - Contradiction: Gender norms and everyday violence
Right for Fight subverts the traditional symbols of boxing—a sport historically associated with hypermasculinity, aggression, and dominance. By recontextualizing the boxing ring as a space for exploring intimacy, I critique gender roles and confront the invisible, often unacknowledged forms of violence within romantic relationships. The contradiction lies in exposing everyday violence, such as microaggressions and emotional manipulation, within a structure designed for overt physical confrontation. This duality forces the audience to consider how societal norms perpetuate hidden power dynamics and inequalities.
Critical reflection
By confronting the audience with the raw, unembellished realities of love’s complexities, Right for Fight resists the romanticized narratives often found in popular culture. Instead, I offer a nuanced critique of power dynamics, emphasizing the fragility and resilience required to navigate emotional and physical struggles. The deliberate choice to stage this exploration within the confines of a boxing ring—a symbol of discipline, aggression, and victory—adds layers of meaning, questioning societal constructs of strength, gender, and emotional expression.
creative exercises
These prompts are designed to invite you into the rich terrain of paradox, ambivalence, and contradiction. Embrace the discomfort of unresolved tensions, and let them guide you on a creative journey. You don’t have to follow them all—choose the one that speaks to you most, and let it inspire your writing.
I. The garden of contradictions
Create a fictional garden where every plant represents a paradox or ambivalence. For instance, a flower that blooms only under moonlight but wilts in sunlight, or a tree that bears both sweet and bitter fruits.
II. The fractured mirror
Imagine a mirror that shows two different versions of reality, depending on the angle of the viewer.
III. The unresolved letter
Write a letter from one character to another, in which every paragraph contradicts the previous one.
I. The garden of contradictions
Create a fictional garden where every plant represents a paradox or ambivalence. For instance, a flower that blooms only under moonlight but wilts in sunlight, or a tree that bears both sweet and bitter fruits.
- Describe the garden in detail, including its atmosphere and the emotions it evokes.
- Introduce a visitor to this garden. What do they learn about themselves as they interact with the plants? How do the paradoxes reflect their inner conflicts?
- Use this setting to explore a larger theme: perhaps the duality of freedom and responsibility, or love and independence.
II. The fractured mirror
Imagine a mirror that shows two different versions of reality, depending on the angle of the viewer.
- Write a scene where a character confronts this mirror. What truths and lies does it reflect?
- Explore their ambivalence as they choose which reflection to believe or act upon.
- Let the mirror become a metaphor for a broader contradiction in their life: their past versus their present, or their ideals versus their actions.
III. The unresolved letter
Write a letter from one character to another, in which every paragraph contradicts the previous one.
- The writer might oscillate between apology and accusation, love and indifference, or clarity and confusion.
- Use this structure to show the writer’s ambivalence about their feelings or decisions.
- End the letter with an ambiguous closing line, leaving the reader (or the recipient) uncertain of the writer’s true intent.
stay grounded and motivated!
"In closing, let us remember that creativity doesn’t seek resolution; it flourishes within the tangled web of ambiguity and contradiction. As a writer, it’s not your role to tame the chaos or find tidy answers—it’s to dive fearlessly into the uncharted, to make space for the unresolved, and to uncover meaning in the fractures of experience.
Allow yourself to sit with discomfort, to question what seems certain, and to celebrate what feels uncertain. Let every contradiction be an invitation to dig deeper, every ambivalence a signal to explore further. Writing is an act of trust: trust in yourself, trust in the process, trust that the complexity you carry holds infinite possibilities.
Carry this with you as you continue your journey. Hold close the knowledge that every hesitation, every burst of inspiration, and every question mark has its place in the story you’re creating. I look forward to meeting you again, wherever the next chapter may lead. Keep writing, keep questioning, and keep embracing the full richness of your complexity."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Allow yourself to sit with discomfort, to question what seems certain, and to celebrate what feels uncertain. Let every contradiction be an invitation to dig deeper, every ambivalence a signal to explore further. Writing is an act of trust: trust in yourself, trust in the process, trust that the complexity you carry holds infinite possibilities.
Carry this with you as you continue your journey. Hold close the knowledge that every hesitation, every burst of inspiration, and every question mark has its place in the story you’re creating. I look forward to meeting you again, wherever the next chapter may lead. Keep writing, keep questioning, and keep embracing the full richness of your complexity."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Photo: School of Disobedience / Masterclass