The Creative Process

Tappable’s Product Designer, Irina, was asked about her creative process; here’s what she had to say.

When we think about the creative process, it’s easy to attribute this to gifted creatives who we think have a tangled subjective series of wayward steps to arrive at that creative *something*.?

Though quite romantic, the truth is that everyone, including you, can be creative. The creative process involves making new connections between old ideas and recognising relationships between concepts.

So how do you arrive at that point?

All you need is to follow the stages of the creative process model by tapping into the creative potential that you most definitely have but might not know it. Yet!

1. Preparation

This is where the best ideas are met. It should feel like an exciting journey in the creative space that most appeals to you.

With a world of knowledge available at the push of a button, you can start by googling (the quickest!), using hashtags on Instagram or diving deeper into autobiographies and specialised books.

Look for inspiration everywhere: websites, galleries, documentary films, music, poetry, psychology!

Inspiration knows no boundaries.

2. Incubation: Absorbing and Processing

This is the stage where you soak up loads of information and knowledge and throw nothing away; it’s all great! Take the time to think about it, sit with it, live with it, and most importantly, talk about it.

This step has yet to evolve into something more. This is where incubation comes in, and it can take hours or days, weeks or months. You can try rushing it, but remember there is no standard period of shame in the length of your inspiration incubation.

Give yourself the time to process things for the next step in your journey; it’s that light bulb moment when you suddenly know and see everything.

3. Insight / Illumination

This should feel like a light bulb coming alight in a dim room. We might think of this stage as the number one step, and we believe this often happens to creatives only, that their ideas just come to them, but in reality, it might have taken days, weeks and months for them to arrive at this stage.

We think of it as something powerful and hard to miss that surprises us, but it comes more often with quiet introspection (sometimes, while we’re cooking dinner!).

It means you’re on the right path and ready to progress into your creative journey.

4. Evaluation

Sometimes, not every idea is worth pursuing, and this is the stage at which we can evaluate whether our delicious stew of inspiring ideas can stick to the wall.

Does it hold up against a flood of critical thinking, honest questions and scrutiny of your colleagues?

It’s generally a good idea at this stage to ask yourself some questions:

• Has this been done before?
• How will I do this in a way that hasn’t been done yet?
• Will I enjoy this?
• Why does this idea or project matter to me, specifically?
• Am I challenging myself?

At this stage, gathering honest feedback from yourself and your peers will prove insightful. You can also start exploring collaboration to build upon your ideas.

5. Elaboration

If your ideas, inspiration and knowledge have survived the test of honest introspection and peer scrutiny, it’s time to start the making and the doing: pen to paper, ink to canvas, pixel to screen. It’s finally time to bring your ideas to life!

This step can take just as long as all the other steps and, in some cases, the execution of it even longer.

It involves brainstorming the best approach, experimentation and exercise. You might nail it for the first time, or you might end up hating it, in which case you have to try again until you end up with the version you love the most.?

This is normal. Don’t be afraid to do something and decide it’s not good enough. Just start from scratch and enjoy the process.

If you feel discouraged at any point, remember that all great artists go through this stage with many ‘failed’ sculptures, pieces of writing, and sketches, but at the end of the road, only the greats will persevere!

Sweat, tears and joy all blend during this 5 step process but don’t be afraid of it. Welcome it and let it sit with you for as long as it takes.?

Conclusion

Art, no matter the medium, rarely happens spontaneously. The creative process is a slow and steady journey, it can sometimes be frustrating, but more often than not, it brings joy, awe and discovery.

Remember that it takes more preparation, incubation and self-reflection than most people realise.

Don’t be intimidated; go and seek inspiration, absorb everything, question it and throw yourself into that creative *something* that you always wanted to do.