Eureka

Sometimes an idea enters your mind fully formed and without effort. Sometimes you will be able to conceive the end result during the research or generation stage of the process. Sometimes all the incubation in the world doesn't lead to a great idea. Sometimes the pieces all fit together only when you begin the execution. The value of following a 5 step process is that it will lead to a satisfactory result even when the eureka moment never happens. When it does, you are experiencing a true gift.

Step 3: Incubate

This may be the most important step of all. During incubation, you take your conscious mind off the project and allow your unconscious mind to work. Sleeping is a very effective form of incubation. Whether you "sleep on it" all night or take a nap, you might wake up with insight. Almost anything you do that puts your mind in a free and relaxed state is conducive to arriving at your eureka moment.

• playing a game (preferably with children)
  
• taking a walk
• playing or listening to music
• going to an art gallery
• taking a drive (long, no traffic)
• going to the library
• cooking or baking
• changing locations
• talking with colleagues (not involved in the project) for another perspective
• participating in a hobby or class
• taking a bath
• doing yoga

Keep your sketchbook handy.

Incubation does not come with a guarantee, but it is an essential part of the creative process. It keeps you from jumping to conclusions or running with an idea that hasn't ripened. When under pressure, even a 15 minute break can make a difference. The point is to take mental focus off the problem at hand and put yourself in a state that nurtures creativity. Openness, calm, freedom, playfulness, and losing track of time are characteristics of the creative state of mind.

Although incubation is placed as step 2 in the process, it is valuable at every stage.

Step 2: Generate

After you have done you research and your head is swimming with knowledge, the next step is to generate ideas. Usually a sketchbook is ideal for this phase (but it depends on the medium you are working in). This phase is also called brainstorming, and can be done alone or in a group. The most important condition is to remove judgment. When generating ideas, do not edit. That will come later. The more free and spontaneous you can be, the better. Wild and impractical ideas should be encouraged. Give yourself plenty of time without distractions (and plenty of paper). Once the ideas begin to flow you don’t want to be interrupted. Shoot for quantity rather than quality. Get all the obvious stuff out of the way. On the outer reaches of certainty is where the breakthroughs will be. Whereas research was a left-brained, structured activity, this phase is right-brained and playful. Being able to use your whole brain, both the analytical and intuitive parts, is essential to the truly creative person.

Step 1: Research

The first step in the creative process is research. Research can begin as soon as the idea for a project begins to form.

If your project is for a client, you will want to start with a meeting. Define the parameters as best as you can without defining the final form that the solution will take. Questions to ask are:

• Who is your audience?
• What do you want to communicate?
• What is the best medium?
• How have similar projects been approached before?
• What are the cost constraints?
• What are the time constraints?
• What are the factors that make this project unique?

Knowing how similar projects have been approached in the past can help you avoid cliches. Recognizing truly original and effective solutions can be inspiring and show you where the bar has been set.

The next step is to get to know your subject matter. The more your brain has sloshing around inside it, the more connections it can make. The deeper your familiarity with your subject, the less likely you are to come up with obvious cliches. Avoid over research which could lead to stifling. Sometimes only a novice unfamiliar with the conventional wisdom of a subject can come up with a new approach. Often your knowledge of different subjects will give you the edge and unexpected connections that the experts don't see.

If your goal is to communicate, study your audience. Find out what resonates with their lifestyle, values, and desires.

If your project is a personal expression, research can still be valuable. Delving into your subject matter will give you a deep understanding from which to draw upon.

Although spontaneity and intuition can drive the process, a secure foundation will give substance to your creative leaps.

Creative Environment

For me, the most important condition for a creative breakthrough is the right environment. I like a space that is free of clutter. Reminders of chores and other distractions must be out of sight. The ringer on the phone is off. The creative process itself can become messy and disorganized, but I like to start with order.

I've seen other designers' spaces, and some are loaded with inspiring images, vintage toys, or other bric-a-brac. Some are spartan. The color on the walls can have a big impact on how you feel in a room. Is it time to repaint? Do you have the correct furniture and tools for the task you are doing? Is everything arranged to help rather than hinder the flow of your work?

Don't forget to stimulate all your senses. A scented candle or other form of aromatherapy is a nice addition to your studio. Most visual artists like music playing when they are in the zone. White noise is another possibility. Can the lighting in your space be improved? Perhaps you need more natural sunlight, or a specific task light, or even dimmer lights. When your mind is very open, bright lights can seem harsh.

Food and drink are probably part of your creative ritual. Caffeine gives your brain functioning a boost, at least temporarily. Something sweet will send blood sugar to your brain. If you are already keyed up, a soothing cup of tea or glass of milk can calm your mind. Keep your space stocked with these staples.

Working outside can be very conducive to creativity. So can coffee shops, museums, and libraries. Changing locations might be the kickstart to your next great idea.

What matters is that you create or find a space and the conditions that inspire you. But don't get in a rut. Keep experimenting.

Descriptive Words

Use these words to identify the desired mood before the piece takes form. Once you start to settle on form, you can get locked in and become blind to other, potentially better, alternatives. Words are listed in pairs of opposites.

• cool — warm
• conservative — progressive
• stable — dynamic
• traditional — innovative
• calm — energetic
• sophisticated — rough
  
• timeless — trendy
• serious — playful
• formal — casual
• masculine — feminine
• classic — contemporary
• enduring — fresh
  
• subdued — aggressive
• simple — complex
• hard — soft
• geometric — organic
• muted — bright
• sweet — spicy
• dependable — unpredictable
• secure — provocative
• spiritual — scientific
• enlightened — primitive
• natural — engineered
• majestic — humble
• pure — wise
• delicate — robust
• relaxing — exciting
• passionate — clinical
• credible — mysterious
• crisp — lush
• hot — cold

Texture

Derived from the Latin word meaning "to weave," texture arises from interwoven parts. In the visual arts, a tactile quality is created by weaving or layering materials. In music or literature, sounds or words are interwoven to create the texture. The word also describes the surface of a work.

Textures can be

• plush
• velvety
• deep
• smooth
• rough
• sharp
• shimmery
• metallic
• crusty
• plasticy
• cracked
• flaky
• glassy
• matte

Textures are more interesting than unadorned surfaces, and ask to be touched. They can draw a viewer in by asking questions or revealing answers. For more interest, depth, and mystery in your work, add some texture.

Line

A line is the path of a single point through space or time. If your creation lacks continuity, consider the concept of line.

In a story, the line is the plot. In music, the line is melody. Visually, lines can divide or enclose. They may have varying weights and colors.

A line can have many different qualities, and these qualities can vary as the line progresses. Some possibilities are:

• stability
• energy
• strength
• peace
• smoothness
• roughness
• tension
• uncertainty

Lines can pulse or undulate, they can wash over you in waves. They can ripple or flow, they can be jagged or smooth. They can climb and build, or descend and release. Lines can spiral in on themselves, or outward. Lines can be continuous, or they can start and stop.

Another function of lines is to connect. Many lines can form a network or web of connections.

Lines appear where distinctly different objects meet, such as rooftops meeting the sky. Be aware of the lines that are created unintentionally.

We naturally follow lines to wherever they lead us. That is why lines are painted on the road. Use this to your advantage when you lead your audience to a goal, or simply on an interesting journey.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

For a mental break and a return to clarity, create your own ritual based on the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It requires little equipment or time. You can modify the procedure to suit your style. The important thing is to have a way to return to a calm center when you are feeling stressed and out of control.

"The Japanese tea ceremony, or Cha-no-yu, meaning 'hot water for tea,' is more than an elaborate ritual. It is an interlude in which one leads oneself for the moment to the spirit of beauty, quietude, and politeness toward others. The ceremony may be practiced anywhere, at home or in a teahouse.

"There are 4 principles: harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility (wa, kae, sae, jubuo)

• Harmony: with other people and with nature. The tea ceremony is the way of bringing one’s self into harmony with nature.
• Respect: a harmonious relationship with others.
• Purity: clean yourselves through the five senses—sense of hearing when hearing the sound of water(which remind one of the silence outside), sense of sight when see the flowers, sense of touch when touch the utensils, sense of smell when smell the scent of the flowers, sense of taste when drinking tea.
• Tranquility"

From Asia-Art.net
Copyright © 2008 Runckel & Associates, Inc.

Find out more at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony

Quote: “Real creativity”

“Real creativity . . . works best when we aren’t searching for outcomes but are simply allowing them.

“Not knowing is where we naturally start in infancy. From there we make our way to speech, to knowledge, to delight and love, to making an entire life for ourselves, and to communicating. . . .

“At some point in our early development, we turn from intuition toward analysis (prompted, perhaps, by the predilections of the educational system), and the training of our creative ability gets pushed to the side.”

—Sean Kernan, Communication Arts, January/February 2009

Kernan goes on to suggest that there are ways to wake up your creativity. Invoke spaciousness in your mind, “a kind of Buddhist emptiness full of potential.” Perceive without judging or categorizing or interpreting. Allow an experience to be absorbed into the emptiness in order to have it fully.

True creativity is not recycling the same old ideas with a predetermined intention. It happens when you make space for it. It requires patience because it can’t be forced. Results are “individual and unpredictable.”

“We can provoke creativity by setting aside knowledge, control, security, outcome, comfort and limits, thus making room for learning and creating to resume.”