Who knows, this might just work!
Who knows, this might just work!
The impossible task of explaining my creative process and why you can't steal it
I would probably bleed to death if someone pointed a gun at me and ordered me to explain my creative process.
Not that I don’t want to. It would honestly make my life much easier if I figured out what makes me see things differently and fostered my creativity.
I had failed many times before I accepted that maybe that’s what makes it unique and exactly why you can’t steal it.
And since I can’t define it, maybe it isn’t really a process after all?
Now, when I say that you can’t steal my process, I’m not coming from a place of arrogance but rather from an understanding that copying someone else’s process isn’t necessarily going to prove successful.
Creativity is a process, but it isn’t universal, and as creatives, you need to understand that your output is entirely dependent on the input.
I have written about this here: Swipe Right on a Swipe File
In short, my process looks something like this:
I load myself with as much information and inspiration around the problem I am trying to solve
I sit down and actively batter the problem till I come up with a few possibilities and mostly bad ideas
I loathe myself and feel like an imposter for which I usually go out to take a walk (This mostly never happens on the same day)
Boom!
Something indescribable happens, and my subconscious does the job of presenting some exciting approaches I definitely wouldn’t have thought of sitting in front of a blank page.
I proceed to feel like God.
Rinse. Repeat.
As you can probably see, there is no clear beginning, middle, or end. Creativity is messy, and it makes you feel stupid at the start, but you somehow figure it out along the way.
It’s chaotic waiting for inspiration to strike since it comes whenever the hell it wants.
No set timing. No set way.
Let’s break down a visual dialogue I created last year and how I thought about it.
Even though it’s not about Advertising, I still feel it gives a glimpse of how I envision creative projects.
Now I can’t explain how, but one of the things that come naturally to me is the ability to relate things and see similarities where they aren’t obvious.
And one fine morning, while I was brewing coffee, my attention went to my knuckles, and I couldn’t help but notice how the texture is very similar to the bark of a tree.
I didn’t think much about it, but patterns started to emerge subconsciously.
Before I knew it, I started observing how the world we live in and the body in which we experience it are more alike than we notice.
At this stage, a vague idea started to develop in the back of my mind, and it became an exciting challenge to show how ‘humans’ and ‘nature’ are more similar than we ever care to see.
Also, an exciting opportunity to depict our human nature to overlook the enormity and essence of our planet Earth.
Here are some similarities I noticed:
Once I cracked all visuals, the only thing left was the right words to bring it all together.
I chose the format of visual dialogue.
You can see the full video here 👇🏼
I’m sure you noticed how there were no set steps in which I brought this idea to life, but a strong understanding of the importance of inputs and how they can make or break even the most incredible insights.
It is precisely why a creative process playbook will not be your best friend, and it is impossible to replicate someone else’s process.
So if there is one thing you take away from this issue of Adamant- it is to trust your process.
Believe that what ticks you is your superpower and truly makes your process unique.
Hone your process, reiterate it, and most importantly, don’t forget to have fun with it.
No other human on this planet will see the world from your perspective, and that’s what you need to figure out - what makes you..well, you.
Your true reward will be your honesty and it will reflect in your craft.
P.S. One idea can have many interpretations.
There was a secondary idea I validated when I conceptualised a mock ad for Jeep.
Our hands look very similar to the ridges in a desert, isn’t it?
Plenty of other ideas are waiting to be discovered if only you dare to pursue them.
It’s time to go get them.
If you like what you read today, please share it with a friend!
Listen to this Spotify Playlist I made that goes well with everything you read here at Adamant 👇🏼