Creativity Isn't Magic, It's Meticulous

You ever sit down on the toilet seat and suddenly get struck with a brilliant idea? Or find yourself rushing home from a walk around your neighbourhood because you don’t want to forget the title of your next blog post.

It seems that blasts of creativity hit at the oddest of moments. That leaves some people to believe that producing some kind of mind-blowing novel or design or photography series is a matter of waiting for the right idea to show itself.

Maybe…

But true creativity, the creativity that will touch your audience’s soul, doesn’t have to be a matter of chance. And that kind of creativity doesn’t happen in the time it takes you to flush the toilet.

Even further, I think it’s possible to intentionally create an environment where you can sustain inspiration, enlightenment, and motivate yourself to consistently generate and execute ideas at a high level.

Creativity doesn’t have to seem so fleeting. I really do believe there are ways to spark it, control it, and sustain a heightened level of sensitivity from idea to execution.

Get out into the world

For me, finding the ‘spark’ to write anything is a process. First I need a general idea of what I want to write about and to generate any idea, I need to be away from my laptop and out into the world.

So I intentionally put myself in situations where I’m relaxed and not really thinking about anything. This could be taking a drive or going for a walk, being out at an exhibit or concert (when that's a thing again), or writing in my journal.

My goal is to calm my mind enough so it can be free to wander. I don’t want to sit in front of my laptop and feel pressure to come up with a topic. That doesn’t work for me. And even after I get my idea, I still don’t run straight to my laptop.

Plot your idea

The next step of my process is plotting out the article or story in my mind. I must be able to articulate the most important points, start to finish, entirely in my head before sitting down to write it out.

By the time I get to my laptop for the next phase, it’s a matter of filling in the words that I’ve imagined and making sure everything sounds the way I need it to. Then I step back for a few hours or maybe a full day, then head back to my laptop to bring the piece to life through editing.

This process goes for anything, from my novels to something more simple like this article. In either case, my creative process from ideation to editing is completely deliberate. No waiting for streams of genius here. I make genius happen.

And, of course, I’m using that genius term very loosely. I wouldn’t say this article is genius. It’s just me expressing myself the best way I know how. The way I’m most passionate about. The way I know I can best inspire or educate writers and other artists.

Related: Read “Write through your tears”

Some Creatives Need Help

There are those who are just idea people. Big picture people; visionaries you can say. They have these seemingly sporadic sparks of genius but then rely on others to help actually produce the creation they have in their mind.

There are also instances in which you can't fully bring your idea to life on your own because it requires collaboration. Authors couldn't function without editors, musicians couldn't get by without producers and engineers. On these occasions, collaboration becomes necessary.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. As creatives, we have to know our limitations. Some ideas take more than we can produce on our own, and the only way we can best take our vision from idea to reality is to use others.

When I finished writing my second novel, I knew I wanted a cover image that would speak to the core of my message. But I couldn’t draw or design a thing if you put a gun to my head.

So I put the idea out to a bunch of creative teenagers and the result was the most amazing, spot-on book cover ever created (no exaggeration here). They completed my vision and I was able to share that vision with the entire world.

It's All in the Execution

My point is creativity is not just an idea. There’s an entire process creatives need to endure before someone looks at something or reads something and says, “oh wow, you are so creative.” I really believe that the follow-through, the execution is what separates the greats from the ones who we never hear about.

Because an idea is just a thought. The true test of creativity lives in the articulation of that thought. Who can best help the world see their vision? How are you as a writer or artist able to translate your medium of communication into an emotion someone can feel? That doesn't happen on the toilet. That happens with effort, iteration and intuition that lets you know when your idea is truly complete.