THE TWO METHODS OF CREATING
In this post, I wanted to touch on the two main approaches when it comes to creating your original idea. These two apply when you write, edit, and so on. You already know them as classic opposites, they are yin and yang, left brain vs. right, rationality vs. poetry, fast vs. slow, ground vs. the sky.
When you sit down to create, you have mind and spirit as the two main tools to manifest your idea. Mind and spirit mix by default and in this post I want to talk about the benefits of parenting these core thrusters of visual storytelling.The mind can talk the spirit out of a great idea, and the spirit can get exhausted without the mind.
When you start, you can decide to do a spreadsheet overview of the idea. Or you can jump in and allow your gut instinct to guide you. Both strategies have obvious value, but when you're not aware which one is operating at each giving time, confusion and depletion can rob the world of your originality.I urge you to practice awareness, of recognizing which of these two are operating each time you create. This practice will deepen both methods and benefit you massively when it comes to manifesting your idea.
For example, when I work on an idea, each time ONE image comes to mind, and if I'm curious and I want to explore that image, I know from experience that my gut feeling alone is not going to get me there. It's like wanting to go to the moon without building a vessel.
My work, when it comes to mind vs. spirit, is to move them out of each other's way and co-ordinate them to work together.If I only use my gut feeling, I won't last long. If I only use my rational mind, I'll talk myself out of it. This might sound very obvious, which is exactly the reason you have to watch these two arms of creation. Most creative meltdowns happen because we underestimate the value of awareness. 'Just doing it,' after a while, will cause you to plateau.
When you start to observe these two functions, you'll become more at ease, and you'll have more control in an art form that thrives on chaos.To elaborate further, let's say I start working on an idea that interests me. I start with a gut feeling for a few days, but when I sense overwhelm on the horizon, that is my signal to start the spreadsheet work. Then gradually, and naturally I switch between these two strategies and they start working together throughout the process.
The benefit of the spreadsheet work will kick in after a few days. If you go through the motions of writing down parts of your idea (everything you know about your idea at each stage) and start to gradually organize these parts like a detective - the benefit will kick in within a few days and start to nurture the gut feeling part.