who killed the creative process?
I was looking for a bit of inspiration tonight and started to Google Blog search for posts about the creative process, a topic I think a lot about. I’m interested in the general concept of the creative process but even more interested in understanding and optimizing my own. I came across this great post by @PMmashable and @leximaven about managing the creative process in the work place. I thought the entire post was a great read for managers and creatives alike but this point jumped out at me with regards to my own process :
From the PM:
Remove distractions from their work day. Have you ever tried to work with your young child asking you a million questions? It’s not easy. Same rule applies to a creative person. The more interruptions to their creative flow, the less likely their creative ideas will grow. Make project rules of engagement that reduce the amount of interruptions to the creative team. Schedule and stick to meetings, so they know when they need to go into meeting mode and leave creative mode.
From the Creative:
A child asking a million questions is a child being himself. However, nothing is worse than having to switch directions 542 times a day, then still being expected to deliver top-notch projects. We need to focus; we need to tune into the highly creative parts of the project (and our brains), because they’re often the most time consuming. Expecting us to be able to “turn on” at any time and not respecting our schedules is extremely frustrating—and so inefficient. Instead, understand how we like to work. We get that you’ll need to talk to us. We’re open to that. Most often, though, give us a head’s up so we can mentally change gears.
Working with startups, I get interrupted frequently. I wear a lot of hats, gets asked to impromptu meetings and help solve fire drills. At the same time, I have the flexibility to make my own schedule and can often block out part of or full days to explore the creative process.
I tend to have my Eureka moments after traditional work hours, during walks where I start out by brainstorming on other things or during mindless moments like washing dishes. They usually come after hours of web research, brand immersion (if required) and leisure activities including music, media and video games.
