How does the creative process work?

It strikes me that we are at a time where creativity and the creative process has never been more necessary or important in our individual and collective lives.

The human race is in big trouble.     Many refuse to acknowledge this and simply choose to bury their collective heads in the sand!

We are being given every wake up call imaginable….and still we choose to ignore the unpleasant truths as we continue to remain wilfully ignorant about our circumstances.

In this post I want to talk about How the creative process works…..and how through it we can find some of the answers to the terrible mess we find ourselves in.

Creative thinking is a simply and beautiful process.     Initially the seed of an idea is sewn.    This is an exciting moment…….one which must be recorded because although we think at the time we will never forget this brilliant idea…we can and we will unless we make note of it.

The seed then enters into an incubation period which can be short lived, or take years to come to fruition.

The seed of an idea has no real form……it floats in our minds like magic. As we go about our daily lives, just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being revealed, the seed sprouts ideas that give us more information…..This can happen at any time.

It’s vital to record these ideas, because even when we think we couldn’t possibly forget a moment of inspiration……we can, and do, which is why it’s important to always have a sketch/notebook at hand.

Like a ghostly apparition sometimes the answer seems almost within reach – but then it disappears and returns to incubation…giving us just a glimpse of what it might be.   This moment can be both frustrating and exciting.      We must wait for more information to be revealed.

Ultimately we hope to experience the ‘Ah Ha’ moment.    That exquisite time when the completed jigsaw puzzle is revealed in our mind’s eye……At this point, we can see and feel the rhythm and flow of the concept.    Finer details are revealed as we commence work.The more we exercise and practise our creative thinking, regardless of what discipline we are involved in, the easier and more fluent this process will become.       Playing is a key element in revealing vital clues.

watercolour/gouacheToday our world is filled with man made turbulence, however if we spread our wings like the hummingbird and soar above it all – I believe that we open up the channels of creative possibilities hidden within each one of us. 

It is through these channels we can find solutions and answers to our problems.     First we must acknowledge the problems and then we tap into our individual and collective creativity to solve them, and most importantly always remember to carry the note/sketch book to record each idea as it is revealed.

I am taking a few weeks off from social media.   A period when I hope to refresh my mind so that it can open up to new possibilities.

Janet

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk