Creativity is the force that enables us to see the world in a new way and find solutions to problems we can’t even begin to solve using logic and reasoning. But, with so many of our routines and patterns automated, how do we access this creativity again? How do we spark it back into life? We need more creative people who are unafraid to explore, experiment, and find new ways of thinking. This is why creative work — whether big or small — is so important. Creative thinking sparks ideas and innovation, which in turn sparks more creative thinking. The result is a perpetual motion machine of creativity. Creative work doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming, either. At its core, it’s just another way of solving problems — like any other skill we practice with diligence and intentionality.
The moment you start to get excited about an idea, concept, or feeling, you should capture it. Why? Because the creative process is messy, it can get confusing and overwhelming, and if you don’t quickly capture your thoughts, you’re more likely to forget them.
- Sourcing: This is gathering as many ideas, concepts, and visual references as possible. It can be as simple as flipping through magazines, revisiting your favorite books, or searching online.
- Organizing: Sounds easy, but sometimes we have so many ideas that it can be difficult to decide which ones to focus on. There are no hard and fast rules here, but try to group your ideas into related topics, such as mood, tone, visual references, or inspiration.
- Building: This is where you combine your ideas and concepts into something coherent. You may begin to sketch out simple designs, write down your thoughts or ideas, or create a mood board. Again, there are no hard and fast rules here. It’s about finding a process that works for you.
- Iteration: The creative process is an iterative one. It doesn’t happen overnight and is not linear; it’s messy, uncertain, and imperfect. This is why creating a space that allows you to explore, experiment, and play with your ideas is important.
- Processing: This is the act of organizing, prioritizing, and categorizing your ideas and concepts. When you do this, you’re essentially creating a map of your creative journey.
Conceptualizing: This is where you build on the foundation of your basic ideas, concepts, and source material by building new work. What do you want to explore? No rules or restrictions here. Just explore, play, and experiment.
- This is when you’ll begin to develop a concept that excites you, something you can get excited by and that you’re curious to explore.
- You don’t need a fully formed or finished concept or a fully formed piece of work. You could begin with a title, a feeling, an emotion, or even a core idea.
- Your work may change and evolve as you continue to work on it, so don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. This is all part of the creative process.
- It’s critical to experiment and explore as much as possible during this phase, especially if you feel stuck or unsure.
Visioning: This is where you start to see your thoughts and ideas take shape. You’ll be forming rough sketches, models, or designs. This may be as simple as sketching out your ideas on paper. You are building your work and bringing your core concept to life.
- Research: If you don’t research, you might as well not even bother creating anything. Research is the backbone of any creative project — it gives you the confidence to move forward because you know that your idea or concept has been done before and how it was done.
- Exploring: This is taking your idea and analyzing it, digging into it, and figuring out what’s possible, good and bad. –
- Begin to explore aesthetic possibilities and discover ways to bring your ideas to life. This is where you begin to see the potential of your work and where your imagination begins to take off.
- Think about how you want your work to feel. How do you want it to make others feel? Consider the emotions it evokes and the message it sends out.
Production: This is where you take your concept and begin refining it — where you create something beautiful and meaningful.
- Explore techniques, materials, and practices that work with your concept and your aesthetic sensibilities.
- Sourcing: Your creative work is a process of exploration, so you should be open to any ideas and concepts coming your way. It’s essential to the creative process because no person can be an expert in everything.
- Start to see and feel your work coming to life. You’ll begin to imagine the reactions of others and what they’d experience if they came across your work.
You’ll likely be moving toward a finished piece of work during this phase or a concept ready to be built upon. During this phase, you’ll also want to consider your work’s logistics. How will you make it? Where will it be exhibited or shown? What materials will you use?
Planning: You’ve got your concept, core idea, and a refined piece of work ready to go. Now what? Let’s plan out the rest of the project.
- Define the problem you’re trying to solve — whether big or small.
- Define your goals and desired outcomes — what do you want to achieve?
- Identify the key elements of your project — what are the key messages you want to convey? –
- Define the steps to your project — how can you break it down into smaller chunks?
Practice: This is the key to unlocking your creativity and making it a constant part of your life. Once you understand the process of creativity, you can then begin to practice it. There are no rules or restrictions when it comes to creativity. You can be creative in any field, in any way, and at any time. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or what creative work you do. Everyone can be creative. You can practice creativity in any situation, with any materials, and at any time. Like any other skill, it’s a skill that can be developed over time through practice and perseverance. You can practice creativity any time you’re awake, even during your commute to work or school or during your downtime at home.
- Refining: Refining is about narrowing down your options and making decisions, deciding how to make it better, how to make it real, and how to bring your idea from a concept into reality.
- Testing: The creative process is about experimentation —putting your ideas and concepts into action and observing how they work in real life. It’s a messy process — if you try something that doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean you failed (or your idea was bad). It just means you need to try something new.
- Presenting: This is when you show off your project to the world and share what you’ve created with others.
- Reflection: This is an important part of the creative process — it allows us to reflect on our work and evaluate how we can improve it. We can learn from our mistakes and successes to make more informed decisions in the future.
- Incubation: Sometimes, we need time away from work so that new insights can come to us when we least expect them.
Conclusion: Creativity is the force that enables us to see the world in a new way and find solutions to problems we can’t even begin to solve using logic and reasoning. It’s how each generation builds on previous generations’ knowledge, skills, and wisdom — using creativity to solve new problems and create new solutions. The spark lights up when we’re bored or in a rut. It’s what makes us special and different, no matter what job we do or how many hours we put in. The creative process is essential to being human — it’s how we discover new things about ourselves, explore our surroundings, and share our stories with the world.