I don’t know if it's just me, but when I watch artists, actors, musicians, or anyone creating something from nothing, I am just so inspired by what humans can create. Everyone has a different process to enter an inspired state of mind. For some, it can be a physical action and yet for others, it can be about sitting in silence. No two humans are 100% identical but what matters is that we all find some process that allows us to enter into a flow state and be our most creative self. When I talk about creativity, I am not solely referring to artistic endeavors. Creativity can be applied to all aspects of our lives, from art to business.
Understanding the Creative Process
Preparation
The first step in the creative process is preparation. Preparation refers to the full immersion into the subject, activity, or problem you are interested in. For example, you want to learn to draw ultra-realistic pencil drawings. Your first step could be to Google teachers near you, look up supplies like a drawing journal and different pencil shades, and you can start to follow artists that specialize in ultra-realistic pencil drawings on social media. This step just takes identifying the interest you want to explore and diving in. Granted, just because you get to this step, it doesn’t mean you will be interested in the subject once you understand it more. Don’t feel like you need to stick to the idea of something just because you are curious about it from the outside looking in.
Incubation
Once you have decided to explore your idea further, you will find that your brain will continue to think about it when you are doing other things. The incubation process is important because it allows for new connections to form. For example, while you’re cooking, you might start to see a subject matter that you want to paint or figure out a creative way to plate your food that is more appealing. When it comes to non-artistic endeavors, this is where you start seeing the problem in more places and continuously thinking about solutions to the problem. Again, at this point, you are still brainstorming, so there is no shame if you get to the point where you lose interest.
Illumination
The illumination stage is my favorite part of the creative process. It’s the one people think of when they think of creativity. Illumination is when you have that sudden epiphany and find a breakthrough in solving the problem that was perplexing you. In the artistic world, it can look more like connecting the dots that help you unlock a new technique or seeing your subject matter from a different angle that helps you appreciate the beauty. On the creative journey, you might experience multiple aha moments before reaching your final goal.
Evaluation
Once you have the epiphany, it's time to critically think through the idea for yourself. The purpose is to make sure that the solution to the problem or the idea you want to explore will get you closer to your end goal. For example, if you are someone who has always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and the epiphany you have is that you want to join the circus, then maybe this is just an idea of a fun adventure. Not all creative endeavors need to result in action but if you get to this stage and see that it all fits into the life you want, then action is needed.
Elaboration
In the final stage of the creative process, you must elaborate on the idea. At this stage, it’s important to take action. To bring it back to the original example of learning to draw ultra-realistic pencil art, you can buy your supplies, sign up for the class, or look up some YouTube videos on how to do it and just start. You will not be perfect from day one, no matter if you’re exploring a business or just bringing the arts into your life. Don’t strive for perfection. Strive for fun and progress.
Conclusion
In the world of creating art, you can go through all the stages of the creative process in a matter of minutes, or it can take you a long time. Every idea and every person is different. Just because you went from preparation to elaboration in one day for your first idea, doesn’t mean the next idea you have will be just as quick. All that matters is that you work at exploring your ideas and taking some action to figure out if it works for you. As Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed, I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” On your creative journey, you might try many different avenues that don’t work for you, but once you find that one, you will feel a difference in your day-to-day life. A life that just feels more complete.
Photo by Kristin Brown on Unsplash