Championing the exploitation of PbP

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We explore ways to adapt PbP to benefit other art forms. Our experience with New Worlds Project RPG has taught us that a common setting in PbP is impossible without the contributions of other art forms. PbP creates the practical need for different art forms to come together to create an ever richer common setting. New Worlds Project RPG has brought creative writers to talk with visual artists, to work with musicians all in the pursuit of stretching one’s imagination. At New Worlds Project, the world-building process is an opportunity not simply for writing, but also for drawing, and for composing. In this manner, PbP can also benefit the other art forms by increasing the opportunity for individuals to come together in active creative spheres where all the art forms are solicited.

A quest to build new worlds...

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In our quest to provide an ever richer common setting for use in our creative writing projects, we quickly realised that the construction of these common settings required the pooling of many different creative skills. The written word could only go so far to explain to newcomers how different things had evolved in physical appearance 500 years into the future. As a result, we began working closely with graphic artists offering them opportunities to practice their trade, in exchange for an audience and for practice doing graphics work based on a client briefing.

Building links with a long-term outlook...

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We're building links that we aim to maintain over a long period of time amongst different art forms. Whilst our expertise is firmly grounded in the use and application of new creative writing methods, we also aim to provide a place where different art forms can work together on projects with concrete aims and objectives. As a result of our projects, writers get to know artists, artists get to know musicians, and musicians get to know writers and get to appreciate the different ways in which we express ourselves.

Ensuring all participants get benefits...

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Both creative writers and graphic artists have benefited greatly from a hugely informal arrangement, creative writers became more able to describe the common setting within which their characters existed whilst graphic artists were given opportunities to create commissioned art and build up a portfolio that made their curriculum vitae (resumes) more impressive. The arrangement was so beneficial that we began hosting organised graphics design teams as an integrated part of the creative writing project.

The graphics design teams offer an opportunity for different concept artists and graphics designers to work together to meet different briefings on needed art. New Worlds Project's common setting creates a massive and varied demand offering artists with interest in landscapes, aliens, future technologies, etc. It offers these aspiring artists concrete opportunities to create such visual art. Further, the graphics designers' work is used practically as inspiration for creative writers and fellow graphics designers. Through New Worlds Project, the volunteer graphics designers not only get a chance to practice working on the basis of briefings, they also have an assured audience.

Expanding our scope, step-by-step...

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Over time we've expanded our activities so as to also include musicians; we've invited them to participate in the world-building exercise by composing 'theme songs' that can be used for pure listening enjoyment, or to aid creative writers 'get in the mood.' These activities have proven extremely useful - New Worlds Project how has a number of theme songs that have been downloaded hundreds of times by our registered users.

Using our past experiences to better inform our future projects...

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Our experience has shown that there is an interest, and clear benefits reaped when different art forms are brought together to work on concrete projects. We're now exploring ways in which new projects can be built whose sole purpose is to establish and further promote these cross-disciplinary forms. In all these projects our objectives are to ensure that all participants are able to practice their craft, hone in their skills, and are given opportunities to receive feedback from an audience.