How we create involves many things, from practices and processes to intuition and logic. How we approach our creative practice can be inundated with a lot of noise. This noise can be a help or a hindrance. There are a lot of amazing creatives out there doing incredible work and offering insightful advice. This I have found to be somewhat problematic. It becomes easy to listen to all the wonderful advice. However, I have found that it can add to the confusion of my approach and understanding of my own creativity and creative processes.

The Path Of Creativity

 I was not someone who grew up being creative. I did not draw, write or paint with any degree of commitment. You could say that I chose creativity, it did not choose me. I certainly do not have a story, you know the one where I realised I wanted to be a designer when I saw a Saul Bass poster at the age of seven. I suspect that my story is like many others. I did not know what the hell I wanted to do for a long time. I did know that when I embarked on a creative period I found enjoyment. The hardest part of being creative for me was the subjectivity and other people's work. You are creating work that you think everyone will hate, in a world where everyone else’s work is amazing. The infinite scrolling of Instagram, not only inspires you but also creates a potentially debilitating sense of inadequacy. This can lead to never feeling that you are improving. I believe that creativity at its core is not an innate talent that is burned into your DNA. Yet comes from an innate curiosity. It is this curiosity that drives us to keep learning, growing and improving. 

The creative path is highly individual. Based on our unique experiences and beliefs. It’s a pot filled with all the things we love and hate, from the music we listen to to the conversations we have with friends. We also throw in our inspiration and influences from other creatives. This all leads us to explore ideas and solve problems. I believe that learning and observations are some of the best ways to improve our creativity. Obliviously, practice is always advised in all areas. However, without feedback and self-reflection we can become bogged down and improvement becomes elusive. Practices and lack of perceived improvement can become a reinforcer of self-doubt. 

The aim, therefore, is to observe, learn, practice, share, observe, learn practice…You get the point. Here’s the rub at least for me, is that this is not some neatly ordered system. I’m always in flux between order and chaos. I like systems and processes, that can create order so my arsey brain doesn’t shoot off into a thousand directions. Systems and processes can keep me on task and give me direction. However, when it comes to creativity I find that moments of inspiration and intuition do not always conform to processes or systems. But the basic principles of observing, learning, practising and sharing are still true. 

Creative Constraints

Creativity comes with constraints, whether they a self-imposed, or by someone else. One of the most important constraints is purpose. The ‘Why’ of the project. On a simple level, a project can be divided into two areas, form and function. The ‘Why’ in some ways dictates the weight that is put upon the form and function.  For example, an artist creating a painting is going to weigh most heavily in form over function. In contrast, web design is going to deal with function over form. Logic tells me that the more function you have in a project the more a process and system can be applied. As web designers, we can approach a project by building a design system to create consistency across the project. The design system is built on constraints that first conform to the function of the project. Then building on the scaffolding of the function we can hang our form. The simplest example I can think of is the humble light switch. The design of which has not changed for probably decades. The function is simple it turns your light on and off. That is its purpose, that is its ‘why’. How the light switch looks will be determined by its constraints. Its size and shape. The form at which it takes, as in colour, corner radius and bevelled edges is always going to be dictated by its function. 

When we design anything we must always put the ‘Why’ first. The purpose of the project and the audience who will be interacting with the product needs remain at the highest priority. Only when we have defined these two aspects of the project, can we then move on to creating the form.

Throw it all in a blender and smash the pulse button

The approach to my creativity is two-fold. Firstly, I have learned to be intuitive, and not overthink myself into inaction. Secondly, I have come to realise that no matter how much I might struggle with a project, eventually, something good will come out of the blender. My general approach is to look for inspiration, add to the blender, add the ‘whys’, and add constraints. The blender also contains my likes and dislikes, my experiences and learnings. Then I smash the pulse button with a healthy amount of intuition and see what comes out. This is my approach, this is what I have come to understand of my creativity and practice. I think too often we are inundated with ‘how we can be creative’, ‘how to be more creative’ and ‘The 10 easy steps to being creative’. There is good advice out there for sure. The trick is not necessary to follow it but add to your blender. You need to develop your approach and practices that align with who you are as a creative person. 

Writing has become both a challenge and a joy

This is the fifth article that I have written. They have all been written off the cuff, by the seat of my pants. I start with merely a topic and a vague idea. Then I see what comes, I try not to think too much. I follow my intuition and see where it takes me. I try to focus on my experiences and share them with you. They are simply food for thought. I don't proclaim to know anything more than the next person. If fact humility is an asset. I just feel that sharing my experiences and my travel through the freelance world, the ups, the downs and the damn right confusion and doubt that comes with it all. This not only will aid me in my travels, but also in the travels of others. Writing is a way to explore another creative avenue that will benefit other areas of life. That is my ‘Why’? The more I write the more I learn and with that will come improvements. My articles are not the most logically structured or necessarily well-written. But for me they are honest.

Thank you for your ears