The 7 steps of Creativity
It all begins with an idea.
Every day as an artist I deal with the expression of something or someone in nature or culture we are surrounded by, an idea or a thought, in a visual medium. When I work with my mentees I am often asked how to get access to the creative action. Frequently people get exhausted just because they don’t know how to deal with the emotions which get along with certain phases. Understanding them as an inherent part of the process can help to keep track of the original idea.
Innovation is always associated with creativity. That is why creativity has become more valuable in the development of new products and services. Reason enough to look closer into the milestones on the road to innovation. Creativity by nature is subject to emotional fluctuations. The aim is to reach a constant flow, no matter in which discipline you work.
Therefore I offer you the 7 single steps during a creative process.
Creativity by definition in the encyclopaedia Britannica is "the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device or a new artistic object or form" 1). Created items can either be intangible, like ideas, theories, audio-compositions or physically present as a painting, an invention, a book or a product.
1. The Base - Initial position
To process visual information our brain needs about 90 % of our daily brain activity. Artists are dealing with the production of new and valuable visual information to what is already out there in the world. That means they surrender to dedicating their brain activity and their handcrafts to the visual field. Entrepreneurs often deal with tonnes of data, scientific data, research, customer habits they observe carefully.
2. The jungle - Time and energy
Processing information takes time and energy. Someone who perceives his or her surrounding as the base for innovation needs free spaces of perception, free time slots to reflect upon the base. There is a need for time first to find out, what is missing and second how this need can be fulfilled. The more relevant data and experiences are gathered the more energy is necessary to go over the information.
3. The Fatigue - Life management
By some, this process is accompanied with fatigue or a feeling of dizziness. The nervous system is running high, the pulse is accelerated and at night sleep can be interrupted by intense thinking. At this point, you often don't know why you are doing the research and which solution you will gain out of it. You might feel tired, exhausted and desperate sometimes. This is the hardest phase. You can nothing do to accelerate it. You just have to go through and stay confident. For the latter I like cruising around, meeting with friends, going to cultural events or spend time outdoors in plain nature or just read.
4. The moment – the reward
That's it. This is the millisecond why you went through the first stages. You become aware what your solution will be. You realise that you had your idea. You don't feel this moment coming. It comes to you when you're ready. And then you feel that it was there. Relief and openness to what will come next. The trust is back again. Sleep returns.
5. The solution – Taking action again
Now you have it all. You go for it. You start painting, writing, calling the right people, drawing, composing, whatever you have to do to put your solution into reality.
6. The outcome – The submission to the public
After having developed and produced an artwork or written a book, developped a prototype, a product, a theory, a thesis or composed a musical piece, you submit it to the public.
7. The resonating – The improvement
When your work or your product is good, it resonates. Your innovation gets public attention and is ready to be sold. You get feedback, now it's time to improve in case, you forgot something. From now on you don't walk alone anymore with your creative process. You feel united, rewarded and enjoy how far you went. This is the time to celebrate.
The creative process includes 7 different stages, you go through to reach an innovation or find a new solution. Each phase relates to its preceding phase. None of them can be skipped. It is highly valuable to trust into this process especially during the period the solution seems at the farthest distance. There is always a solution.
1) Barbara Kerr, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Counseling Psychology, the University of Kansas at Lawrence, Encyclopaedia Britannica www.britannica.com
Corinne Schneider, visual artist and scientific author, working on the impact of the invention of photography for the visual arts. Based in Eifel, Germany