Why you should always be in a creative process?

There’s no better time to talk about creativity than right ahead of a weekend.

Why? Because I deeply believe that there is no better way to find a solution, get a good idea, or “catch a good idea” but by doing something else and not focusing on the actual problem you need to solve all the time. Whenever I need to figure something out, how we’re gonna do it, when I need a creative concept for a campaign or video, I always prefer doing it over a certain period of time. 

So this is my process:

1. The first thing I do: Get to know the problem. I need to know what, when, how, for whom something needs to be done. It forms something similar to an architectural construction in my head, something that I’m gonna attach other building material to during the process.
2. Do my research. I like checking out the latest trends, old stuff, cool stuff, other peoples ideas, how other people solved similar problems or simply see what’s out there, on the internet. Just to get some flash. 
3. And then I just leave it and let it all marinate in my head.
4. And then I do something else, completely different, not related to work. I usually expose myself to random stuff, such as: I start reading a book, than go driving up the mountain, see some artsy YouTube videos, listen to music in different languages, watch interesting interviews, clean the house, do some plarenting, read random stuff on the internet using my phone-not laptop, hang out with people, or just paint.
5. Make notes of ides that pop up during the process. 
6. Then I let it all marinate.
7. The deadline. I swear the deadline anxiety always works for me. I love working after midnight, crafting something, knowing that I don’t have too much time left, and that’s when it all comes together and cool stuff pop up.

I personally don’t believe in: “We need something cool, so let’s be creative now!” kind of approach. I don’t think it’s a kind of “push the button” thing. Sometimes, you let some ideas floating in your head for months, try different things, test models, and then at some point you just figure it out, and it all comes together. Creating something takes time- it’s a process. And I think one should be continuously in a creative process. This might sound shocking but it took 9 months, great number of preparatory studies and more than 800 sketches for Pablo Picasso to paint his famous painting The Young Ladies of Avignon. It is very likely you are not about to create timeless art, but you can dedicate at least a week to a process that leads to potentially great ideas.

The best ideas, as a cherry on top of the cake made out of layers of phases and preparations, come when you’re, for example, taking a bath… like our good old friend from antiquity Archimedes. That is why, moving away from your laptop, spending the weekend doing some outdoor activity: going to the country side, hiking, running, or just cleaning your house, playing with animals, reading mindfulness articles, playing with your kids, dining with your friends, parents, cousins, can do wonders for your creative process.

So how about you completely disconnect this weekend and do something out of ordinary? You should give it a try.