Patterns

Photo courtesy SXC.hu

Guest Post by Chris Wilcox

So at the present moment, I’m sitting at my dinner table trying to re-insert myself in the creative realm and come up with a design for a website. Sometimes I look at other artists work to get inspired (yeah, big surprise right!?) Well, over the last several months, I’ve had this recurring train of thought, and the other day while I was doing my swim workout, I decided I’d write about it and see if it resonated with any of you. Oh, and by the way, thanks to Dee Wilcox (my beautiful wife and talented creative) for letting me be a guest writer on her blog.

Ok, so here it is. Usually every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I get up at 6:15am to drag myself to the gym to play racquetball with two friends of mine. We’ve been doing this for almost a year now, and even though getting up is usually the hardest part, I’m always glad I’m up and running early. Well, I’ll be honest, I’m not that bad at racquetball, and since I had been playing for several years before my friends joined me so naturally, I thought I’d be able to beat my friends pretty effortlessly. For several months, that turned out to be the case.

However, as the months progressed, I noticed that they started getting much better and that I had to start actually playing to win. Well, even though they were progressing, I started to notice that if I just exerted myself about 50%, I still could usually win. Well, this is where I started catching myself starting to do something. Almost every time, without fail, I’d find myself in the lead, maybe up by 6-7 points and poised to win. Then, it was always at this point that I’d start to slack, and within a few minutes, without fail, I’d find myself not only no longer in the lead, but behind by several points, and then, usually, I’d be congratulating my friends on beating me.

Now, it didn’t really bother me much in the beginning, but after several weeks of continually losing, I started to wonder why I naturally seemed to start backing off right when I needed to dig in. I started thinking that being in the lead is the easy part, which, strangely enough, can also be the hardest part.

So let’s leave this point behind and move on. So needless to say, this intrigued me and I started to wonder if I do this in any other area of my life. So fast forward several months down the road, and I started to notice a pattern in my life. I would find myself really start making progress in certain areas and really enjoying this new found sense of discipline, only to start to lose steam in the middle and towards the end of whatever I was doing.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who had decided to really push himself to accomplish what he calls his “K2.” We were talking about how most major accomplishments are won and lost in the end. Recently, I decided that I wanted to start swimming as part of my cardio workout, and let me just tell you, that is no small chore. It always interests me that once I achieve a certain level of success, I meet someone or learn something that shows me I have so much farther to go. I think that is healthy personally, but none the less, I started swimming.

In the beginning, I asked what a good workout would be for a beginner and found out that 15 laps was a good start, so I got in the pool very excited to start my new workout routine only to be disappointed that I could only muster the strength to get 6 laps. Well, over the last few months, I’ve been able to get between an average of 15-20 laps in a workout, but recently, after I was on my way home from a somewhat difficult day, I decided that I wanted to push myself as hard as I ever have and really go for 1 mile in the pool (which is 35 laps-70 total). Needless to say, that was extremely intimidating as I was lucky to break beyond 20, but I was determined. I noticed that I could get to about 27 or 28, and then I was hurting. I was starting to cramp, my strength was fading, and I had swallowed so much water I was starting to feel sick, but I didn’t want to quit. Pushed through to 30 and then I was fighting. I still had 5 more to go. Just enough to be too much, but close enough that I couldn’t quit and it hit me.

This is where I usually lose. Starting was the easy part. Anybody can’t start something, but the real point is are you willing to fight for it, not in the middle where we all start to feel it, but just beyond the middle when you’re done, exhausted, have nothing left, have no more creativity and are completely frustrated. I can sit here and tell you story after story where this comes into play in my life and as I started noticing this pattern, I became educated about how I approach situations.

I want to be a finisher. We need to pay attention to the patterns in our life and ask ourselves what are we 10% away from finishing. Are you within 1 year of school and too exhausted to go on? Have you been pursing a dream of doing something only to not see any progress after several years? Are you too afraid just to take the first step?

If you’ll begin to notice the patterns in your life, you’ll be better able to start attaining your goals because you’ll know the point that you need to dig in. You could be just days away from your breakthough. You could be a week away from those few pounds you’re trying to lose. You could be a year away from the creative opportunity you’ve been working so hard for. Remember, the battle is won and lost in the last leg. Push through when you’re exhausted because chances are, you not that far from reaching your destination.

Vices and Creativity

Last week I read an old post on Salon.com by D.A. Blyler titled, “The Seven Vices of Highly Creative People.” I laughed through most of it, but when he started talking about food and epicureanism, I felt like I should be looking over my shoulder, like any moment, someone would be point me out and say, “You! With the food vice!”

Let me set the backstory for you. One night in a bar, Byler and his friend Bobby witnessed the negative effect a talk show featuring Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, had on the barroom audience.

I can’t quite describe the level of annoyance that the bald business guru brings to a room of gentle drinkers, trying to enjoy themselves while the rest of the populace is at work, but a sudden wail from a man in the far corner, similar to that of a small dog yanked forcefully by the tail, alerts everyone that something is terribly wrong.

(A brief disclosure: I like a lot of what Covey has to say about work and habits and productivity. Is it practical? Some of the time. Will it kill your soul as Byler’s bar buddies suggest? Umm, that’s a topic for another time.)

Byler and his friend were outraged and indignant, and therefore set out to write the 7 Vices of Highly Creative People. From drinking and smoking to fashion and propensities toward bankruptcy, Byler covers it all.

While I can’t say that any of the seven vices truly enhances creativity in any way, I did recognize my own weakness for food. For me, Byler’s words ring absolutely true:

Let us bow to the wisdom of the marvelous chef Julia Child… When asked about so-called health foods and non-fat products, she gnashed her teeth and stated emphatically that she never would buy such crap, that they have nothing to do with the enjoyment of life.

Make no mistake, the highly creative do enjoy life… When it comes to food, they want to eat well, and eat properly. In other words, foie gras, fresh asparagus and filet mignon will always win out over a plate of french fries and greasy burgers. At least it will for those who are truly creative and whose imaginations permeate their lifestyles as well as their art.

I couldn’t agree more! I’m not much for foie gras, but I’ll attend a cheese and wine tasting any day. In this way, my imagination certainly permeates my lifestyle as well as my art, much like I imagine fashion does for many other artists.

So, how about you? Do you have a creative vice? If so, is it more an outlet of your personality, or does it actually enhance your creativity?

A Creative Process for Everyone, Part 3: The Manager

Over the last few weeks we’ve been discussing what the creative process looks like, and more particularly, how it’s different for artists and business leaders. (Yes, there’s a {big} difference between managers and leaders, but I’ll leave that discussion for another time.)

Last week we talked about how artists are more focused on process and on the act of creating, whereas business leaders have an entirely different set of goals.

• Managers are primarily concerned about the bottom line.
• Their goal is product/service/customer satisfaction.
• To achieve this goal, they are focused on group creativity and group workflow.
• They lead from terms like synergy, teamwork, and innovation.

In my interviews and talks with other creatives, it seems that artists have to take a step back and try to look at their own creative processes from a bird’s eye view in order to really define it or describe it to another person. What this tells me is that, as they’re creating, artists don’t think, “Okay, step one: I need a problem. Step two: I need to research possible solutions.”

That is how a manager thinks, but even more importantly, a manager thinks through this process in an organizational context.

The Universal Traveler’s Model

A manager’s approach to creativity and innovation usually follows Koberg and Bagnall’s Universal Traveler Model (1981).

• Accept the situation (as a challenge)
• Analyze (to discover the “world of the problem”)
• Define (the main issues and goals)
• Ideate (to generate options)
• Select (to choose among options)
• Implement (to give physical form to the idea)
• Evaluate (to review and plan again)

In this light, it kind of looks like math, doesn’t it? Why? Because managers are focused on the bottom line.

Innovation and Accounting

It’s hard for leaders to go balls to the walls with creativity, to let it all hang out, to risk everything for that one single, fantastic, breakthrough idea. It’s a business leader’s job to manage risk in order to maximize profitability.  Given these constraints one wonders how leaders can foster workplace creativity. The good news is, it can be done.

How to Manage to Optimize Creativity

When you’re leading for innovation, it’s important to remember that the same principles of the creative process apply whether you’re in a group or individual setting.

• People. You need a diverse group – different personalities, different beliefs, different skill sets.
• Environment. A risk-accepting, un-bureaucratic environment often works best, but learn from the people you’ve hired, and be willing to give them the environment they need to work at peak performance.
• Establish Expectations. Whether it’s workflow, organization, communication policies, or deadlines, establish expectations up front.
• Resources. Give your creatives the tools they need to succeed. Be it access to good stock images, conference attendance, a better system,…
• Openness to Risk. This is the single most important key to a successful creative group environment. Be willing to let your team fail, and they will… But when their efforts are still celebrated and the attempt is valued, eventually they’ll knock it out of the park and blow the top off of your expectations.

If you’re a creative, how do you like to be led in a group setting? If you’re a leader, what has frustrated you most about leading creatives? What has given you the most joy?

Inspiration is for the Birds

The other morning I read a post by Andy Rutledge on his blog Design View titled, “On Inspiration.” Since the tagline of Creative Perch is “Inspiring Creativity and Encouraging Innovation,” I thought I’d read up.

Let me first say this. Andy doesn’t post every day, but when he does post, it’s full of meat. His Gestalt Principles series is something I have to work through bite by bite. On Inspiration was no different, except that I found it incredibly engaging and couldn’t stop reading. I did pause frequently with the words, “Now, wait a minute…” on the tip of my tongue, only to discover that what he had to say was so true.

My toes got stepped on big time, and after I finished reading, I found I had a lot to think about.

Andy’s post is titled, “On Inspiration,” but really it should be “Inspiration: Forget About It,” or “The Myth of Creative Inspiration.” Maybe I’m being dramatic, but Andy does more than downplay inspiration and its role in the creative/design process. He calls it unnecessary.

Before you object (like I did), read this excerpt:

Doing professional work shouldn’t require that we constantly invoke some supernatural explanation for the source of our craft. We’re not sorcerers, for Pete’s sake. We’re just designers. Design is art and craft and skill and concept and execution …fueled by paying attention to things other people ignore or cannot grasp. We don’t have to imply that we graduated from Hogwart’s in order to explain what we produce. And if we’re any good, we don’t require inspiration either.

Truly, inspiration is entirely unnecessary in our work. Oh, it does a doozy on those rare occasions, but if we staked our livelihoods and our clients’ fortunes on the condition of our being truly inspired, we would all of us go bankrupt.

True, no?

And then there’s this:

When it comes to inspiration, we designers can be excruciatingly expert at hyperbole. We cite inspiration regularly, but despite our many, repetitive, flippant claims we seldom actually meet with it. What we’re talking about in almost every case is nothing more than simple motivation.

So what I’ve concluded is this:

1. Neither inspiration or motivation is required… but they make the work more enjoyable.
2. Inspiration is truly divine… it cannot be conjured. However, it can be courted.
3. Motivation helps… but for designers it comes down to skills, observation, and work ethic. (This is where resources, maintaining a creative arsenal, and trendwatching come in.)

A New Set of Questions
Andy’s post really made me think about my own work ethic and approach to design, and it made me reconsider the ideas I present here on Creative Perch each day. I cannot promise inspiration, but I am dedicated to getting the ball rolling. So, I have a new set of questions for you:

1. How do you stay motivated?
2. When have you felt inspired?

I’m particularly curious about the idea that inspiration most easily comes to us when we are not focused on ourselves. Do you think that’s true?

Vacation and Creative Incubation

An important part of the creative process is rest, stepping away from the creative work to allow ideas to incubate.

I’ve spent the last eight days on a physically relaxing vacation with my wonderful husband and our good friends. My husband soaked in the sun and water and couch time and wondered what could possibly be more relaxing. I, on the other hand, found my mind constantly trying to work on problems. All the free time I had at my disposal failed to give my mind a break. Our very busy vacation to New York last summer was far more relaxing for me.

I learned this week that I need a fair amount of distraction to really allow my mind to rest, while other creatives need complete physical and mental rest.

So, I’m curious – what kind of vacation is most creatively rejuvenating for you?

A Creative Process for Everyone, Part 2: The Artist

Photo courtesy SXC.hu

Last week I wrote a post titled “A Creative Process for Everyone” that sparked a lot of feedback and Twitter retweets. It generated more conversation than I expected, and so I promised to flesh it out more this week.

If you remember, we compared the artist’s creative process with that of a manager or leader. Per the Wallace Model, the artist’s process looks a bit like this:

• Preparation—definition and research
• Incubation—setting the matter aside
• Illumination—the sudden appearance of a solution
• Verification—testing the solution

Basically, the difference comes down to a difference in goals. The artist is focused on creating art and the process of creating art, while the business leader has a goal to meet, be it a PR goal, a financial goal, or a product development goal.

A reader on Twitter helped me see this more clearly when she said, “Process is my thing.” I went on to read a blog post she had written on this topic, and I realized that for her, creating is about the process of discovery and seeing where the art takes her. She doesn’t work with a predestined idea of how the art should be. Instead, she lets it take her where it wants or needs to go.

Her friend, with whom she argues these kinds of points, is more of my persuasion. I must work with an end in mind. I get my supplies together, I do my research, I begin with a sketch and then wait for the concept to become clear before I fill in the details. My steps are rather defined, as I work through the process rationally.

At first I wondered whether my creative process is less like an artist and more like a leader or manager. However, I’ve come to realize that even though the individual elements of my creative process may be more defined, if you look closely at the “process” person’s creative process, you’ll see the same elements – the loose creation of a color palette, painting slowly for a bit, stepping back to see where the art is going, and then vigorously moving forward as the direction becomes clear, refining along the way. Preparation, incubation, illumination, verification.

I have never participated in an intuitive painting or art class, but I’ve read about many of my online friends’ experiences, and I’ve considered how freeing the experience might be. In my everyday life, I must have a plan, and I’ve applied the same approach to my art. I’m curious to know – As an artist or creative, are you a process person, or are the elements of your creative process more defined?

More on this topic to come next week!