I shared a part of my creative approach with you in the letter Know Your Seeds, and how it is like a gardener receiving seeds of ideas and allowing the seeds to inform the gardener what’s needed to tend them. This is one way to go about it. I’m curious to hear yours in today’s Thursday Thread:
What is your creative approach?
How would you best symbolize it? (ex detective, butterfly, runaway train…)
I pick away. The details come in waves. I try to control how it turns out more than let go and trust my intuition. This could be due to switching from analytic mind to creative artist. I could use more of your immersion-intuition approach.
I also find that leaving the analytic off until you have something semi-complete or substantial (1st draft or large section when writing, or a mostly worked out preliminary sketch for art) is helpful. Over analyzing too early can impede for sure.
It’s worked out more for me than not. It can be a bit tedious and draining though. In my college days I’d spend hours just cramming as much of w/e it was and then tackling art. The pace was certainly too frantic, and some subjects were too shallow to bear anything good. Now I pace myself sort’ve, well, it’s probably better to say I’ve become more patient in sitting with something long enough. The other downside is distraction. sometimes burnout from focusing or flitting from thing to thing can kill productivity.
Sometimes, I think of my process as something like cartography; I set about trying to map out the things I find compelling (for reasons I might not even know), and then I mark a road on the map to lead the audience past the landscapes that I think may have made me compelled. I really connect with a structure that I've heard Jonathan Pageau describe a few times where he lays out the importance of play; having fun with the first draft or two of any project... then coming back to the project much later with a symbolic, analytical eye to edit. I've also found it very helpful to learn all the rules I can about whatever art-form I'm working in. I have a butt-biting tendency to break rules (especially those of style and genre) and it never works the way I want it to unless I have a firm understanding of what I'm breaking and firm logos for why I'm breaking it. It also helps me a lot to move around every hour or two when I'm writing (work at a desk for a while, then on a couch, then outside, etc.) because it's always helpful to survey a landscape from a few different vantage points as you map it. This is turning into a substack article, and it mightn't even be exactly what you're after, so I'd better wrap it up. Keep up the articles and conversations, Derek; they're great! I want to hear more about Arrival!
Get the lay of the land and charting the best course on the map. Great way to go about it. Katie, love the activity of playing games that involve mapping with your kids. Great idea!
"Hey Der," my dad tells me, "remember to have fun." and I say, "oh yeah, right!" - great reminder from Pageau (and Dad) to not forsake play and fun. Play first, then put on the editors cap. Honestly this is more of a means of emphasis for me. 80/20 distribution. 80% play in the beginning with 20% edit. I still go back and correct bad sentences as I write them. When it's time to switch to editing mode, it's important to have a little be of play in you.
Learn the rules, so you know how to play with the tension of breaking them.
I move a lot too. In this case, being figetty helps me keep the momentum going. My body is moving and so are the ideas!
Agreed, send us a link when you turn this comment into the article ;)
P.S. Thanks for the encouragement. I will! and I'll see what I can do to sneak in something on Arrival before the end of the year.
You said it well, -allowing the seeds to inform the gardener.
I (my longings) try not to stay in the way (my mind) of where the song wants to go, when making music, “ride the wave” I try to follow it and hold up. and when say making a meal, what does it need, more salt ? Serve that which is manifesting or coming forth into being, God works in mysterious ways 😉
Stir it up, literally, make it happen, with a roll of dice (with many sides) or something of that sort, which one can assign to, let’s say, a note ,if writing a melody , then that note can open up new unthought pathways and inspire again
a "cross-pollination of excellence" - I love it and can totally relate! The adventurous work of a creative bee, or horticulturalist - how is this going to turn out when we mix these two?... Do you find yourself carefully moderating the company you keep and the environments you nest yourself? Thanks for sharing your non-sequential, bridge-building approach.
Also, lean into this moment. It just might be that leaning into the hesitations and frustrations will produce the breakthrough you desire. The way out is through.
Thanks for sharing your story. I appreciate your sincerity. My wife is a homeschooling mom as well. It's a noble profession all to its own, if you ask me. It requires an amazing level of diligence, coordination, and fidelity. Crafting whole people is no joke. We don't think of her profession as any less than mine or other professions.
Bridge builders are like the fascia that connects the whole body together. Many industries would be dead with them (and bodies and communities for that matter). Networking and crafting win-win relationships are valued skill sets that can be applied across many sectors - sales to nonprofit.
If you haven't been given the seeds of novels or life-long careers, than don't shape your garden based on them. Shape your garden based on the seeds you do have.
Just some thoughts. Hope you keep writing whatever you decide to do.
I steep/immerse myself in the subjects of my attention, then allow the meandering paths of intuition to help bring the imagery together.
I need more of your approach in mine.
What makes you say that?
I pick away. The details come in waves. I try to control how it turns out more than let go and trust my intuition. This could be due to switching from analytic mind to creative artist. I could use more of your immersion-intuition approach.
I also find that leaving the analytic off until you have something semi-complete or substantial (1st draft or large section when writing, or a mostly worked out preliminary sketch for art) is helpful. Over analyzing too early can impede for sure.
It’s worked out more for me than not. It can be a bit tedious and draining though. In my college days I’d spend hours just cramming as much of w/e it was and then tackling art. The pace was certainly too frantic, and some subjects were too shallow to bear anything good. Now I pace myself sort’ve, well, it’s probably better to say I’ve become more patient in sitting with something long enough. The other downside is distraction. sometimes burnout from focusing or flitting from thing to thing can kill productivity.
Sometimes, I think of my process as something like cartography; I set about trying to map out the things I find compelling (for reasons I might not even know), and then I mark a road on the map to lead the audience past the landscapes that I think may have made me compelled. I really connect with a structure that I've heard Jonathan Pageau describe a few times where he lays out the importance of play; having fun with the first draft or two of any project... then coming back to the project much later with a symbolic, analytical eye to edit. I've also found it very helpful to learn all the rules I can about whatever art-form I'm working in. I have a butt-biting tendency to break rules (especially those of style and genre) and it never works the way I want it to unless I have a firm understanding of what I'm breaking and firm logos for why I'm breaking it. It also helps me a lot to move around every hour or two when I'm writing (work at a desk for a while, then on a couch, then outside, etc.) because it's always helpful to survey a landscape from a few different vantage points as you map it. This is turning into a substack article, and it mightn't even be exactly what you're after, so I'd better wrap it up. Keep up the articles and conversations, Derek; they're great! I want to hear more about Arrival!
Get the lay of the land and charting the best course on the map. Great way to go about it. Katie, love the activity of playing games that involve mapping with your kids. Great idea!
"Hey Der," my dad tells me, "remember to have fun." and I say, "oh yeah, right!" - great reminder from Pageau (and Dad) to not forsake play and fun. Play first, then put on the editors cap. Honestly this is more of a means of emphasis for me. 80/20 distribution. 80% play in the beginning with 20% edit. I still go back and correct bad sentences as I write them. When it's time to switch to editing mode, it's important to have a little be of play in you.
Learn the rules, so you know how to play with the tension of breaking them.
I move a lot too. In this case, being figetty helps me keep the momentum going. My body is moving and so are the ideas!
Agreed, send us a link when you turn this comment into the article ;)
P.S. Thanks for the encouragement. I will! and I'll see what I can do to sneak in something on Arrival before the end of the year.
I'll have to think a bit more about the 80/20 emphasis with play and editing, sounds interesting!
Love it!
You said it well, -allowing the seeds to inform the gardener.
I (my longings) try not to stay in the way (my mind) of where the song wants to go, when making music, “ride the wave” I try to follow it and hold up. and when say making a meal, what does it need, more salt ? Serve that which is manifesting or coming forth into being, God works in mysterious ways 😉
I can appreciate the ride the wave approach. What do you do when the waves aren't coming in? Do you have oars to keep moving forward?
The cook in the kitchen is helpful too. Thanks for sharing.
Stir it up, literally, make it happen, with a roll of dice (with many sides) or something of that sort, which one can assign to, let’s say, a note ,if writing a melody , then that note can open up new unthought pathways and inspire again
a "cross-pollination of excellence" - I love it and can totally relate! The adventurous work of a creative bee, or horticulturalist - how is this going to turn out when we mix these two?... Do you find yourself carefully moderating the company you keep and the environments you nest yourself? Thanks for sharing your non-sequential, bridge-building approach.
A true bridge-builder! How does your fear of not wanting to waste your time on the wrong thing hinders you the most? What does it hinder?
Also, lean into this moment. It just might be that leaning into the hesitations and frustrations will produce the breakthrough you desire. The way out is through.
Thanks for sharing your story. I appreciate your sincerity. My wife is a homeschooling mom as well. It's a noble profession all to its own, if you ask me. It requires an amazing level of diligence, coordination, and fidelity. Crafting whole people is no joke. We don't think of her profession as any less than mine or other professions.
Bridge builders are like the fascia that connects the whole body together. Many industries would be dead with them (and bodies and communities for that matter). Networking and crafting win-win relationships are valued skill sets that can be applied across many sectors - sales to nonprofit.
If you haven't been given the seeds of novels or life-long careers, than don't shape your garden based on them. Shape your garden based on the seeds you do have.
Just some thoughts. Hope you keep writing whatever you decide to do.