7 Stages Of A Creative Project
How to recognize them and harness creative productivity
How to recognize them and harness creative productivity
Creative people get a lot of ideas. The nature of creativity is to see beyond the expected, into the depths of a new perspective, and then invite others to experience it as well.
But how often do you have an idea that stays in the idea phase? Why don’t we creatives bring all of our ideas to fruition?
The Elusive Creative Process
The creative process is a mysterious force of nature that is available to *anyone* to tap into. Anyone that is, who is willing to put in the work.
This mysterious force needs to be courted and wooed. Like any relationship, we have to approach her with reverence and kindness, love and good intentions.
We wouldn’t just assume that the object of our desire reciprocated our love. Maybe we’ve had a glimpse of her beauty and would like to spend time developing a new adventure with her.
But she may need convincing.
What Is Your Intention?
She needs to get to know our intentions, our background experience, and what we are bringing to the table.
~ Do you have it in you to commit to the long haul?
~ Will you bail at the first sign of a challenge?
~ Do you have the stamina and strength of character to face rejection, feedback, criticism, and failure?
Because these challenges will test you. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” This is part of the job description of an artist.
Whether your medium is paint, words, movement, or sound, a successful outcome (which is different than commercial success) entails a dedication to your craft and an openness to being with uncertainty.
The quick wins you may see in the news are often just the tail end of a long track record. Never compare your creative output to that of another artist.
You Can’t Rush Creative Success
It takes time to develop a good idea. Speed and efficiency are not hallmarks of creativity. There is a collaborative aspect to creating — a certain intuitive connection with a larger source of wisdom or inspiration. Artists practice listening to that intuitive voice, because that’s where the inspiration lives.
There are no shortcuts to creating great art. There is a story of Picasso drawing a quick sketch for a stranger on a napkin in a Parisian cafe. When the stranger asked to keep it, Picasso replied that he would sell it for one million francs. The stranger protested that it had only taken him a minute to make the sketch.
He replied, “My dear, it took me a lifetime to be able to draw this sketch.”
That lifetime of creative practice can be boiled down to seven stages.
The 7 Stages Of A Creative Project:
Set Your Intention
Choose your project. What are you going to create? What is your medium or media? What is the scope or size? What’s your time frame?Contemplate
Incubate the idea and let it rest for a while. Sleep on it and ask your dreams for guidance. Meditate. Go for long, silent walks with a notebook in your pocket. Journal.Explore
Research your ideas. Has anyone else already done this? What do you already know that will add to that dialogue? What do you have that will support the project? Where do you need more education or input? Who can you reach out to for guidance or inspiration?Draft
Experiment. Doodle, draw, sketch, scrawl. Let go of perfection. Write that “shitty first draft.” Make a mark or a movement or a meme. Connect the dots.Develop
Deepen your insights, expand your palette, refine your composition, and— make it yours. Fill notebooks. Add more layers. Deepen your insights. Develop your unique voice.Refine
Get feedback. Show it to your inside team. Sleep on it again. Take a step back and look from a distance. Get creative with your framing or presentation. Erase smudges and fill in chips. Make it professional. Sign and send.Finish
Complete it. Ship. Exhibit. Post. Publish. Share. Put it out into the world. Then start your next piece.
Curate Your Work
To be fair, we shouldn’t aim to bring all of our creative ideas to fruition — not all ideas are worthy. I like to keep a notebook of ideas — for articles, books, workshops, art projects and a general slush pile. But few of those ideas ever make it to the studio.
Success as a creative requires curating our ideas. But unless we have some ideas, we have nothing to curate. So while creativity may start with an idea, the success comes in the curation.
cu·rate, verb: to select (the best or most appropriate) especially for presentation, distribution, or publication
Curation is the process of refining and honing your ideas to support a specific theme or idea. If we try to bring in everything but the kitchen sink — or perhaps even the kitchen sink — we’ll overwhelm our audience.
Creative success is more often than not about simplicity. I find it interesting that the word “curate” is also used to describe a member of the clergy. Creativity is a spiritual practice.
As someone who spent over three decades wandering as a pilgrim through the Himalayan foothills, I can say this with conviction. I’ve devoted my life to the practice and study of yoga — not just the postures you find in your gym or recreation center. I was seeking wisdom at the feet of spiritual masters.
What I discovered after many trials and defeats is that wisdom lives inside. And the only way to access it is to do a daily practice of tuning into it.
I also discovered along the way that it doesn’t have to look spiritual to be a spiritual practice. Making art (like I am in the photo above) is now my spiritual practice.
The Long View
The creative process is not for the faint-hearted. It takes stamina, thick skin, and a willingness to adapt. It also requires passion. You need to love it to keep doing it when the rewards are scarce.
It took me eleven years to find a publisher for my second book. I kept wondering why I was doing it. I didn’t have a good answer either, other than I felt some longing to be a traditionally published author. I had already self-published my yoga book, and I felt up to the challenge.
That book never even earned its meager advance. My agent won’t return my emails inquiring about submitting my next project. Just to say, if you want to create, don’t do it for anything other than the sheer enjoyment of it. Otherwise, you’ll be severely disappointed.
Or not? What if you are one of the few lucky creators who actually make a decent living off your efforts? What happens when you create your best work and finally achieve success?
Remember all those one-hit wonders from the radio when you were younger? They didn’t know how to adapt and follow up. The creative journey is a process of constant, uphill, and grueling battle.
But here’s my thinking: What the hell else am I going to do?
I’m a horrible employee. I can’t stand being indoors, much less in an office, for more than an hour. I’m pretty much an anti-social hermit. Which leaves writing or art.
Creativity is a life-long pursuit of knowing ourselves and continually refining our view. It’s a dialogue with the unknown.
If we are lucky and have a good work ethic, we’ll position ourselves to receive the signal, to be able to download the beauty and wonder.
If we’re smart, we’ll acknowledge that this gift is not “ours.” We are merely the conduit for a larger force of nature and the receiver of that gift. So the only ethical thing to do with that gift — our creativity — is to share it.