February 9, 2021

Creativity loves rigour

When we think creativity, we seem to envision a stimulating mess. Piles of papers and colours and art supplies, post-it notes of ideas on the walls, a ‘creative genius’ scribbling furiously as their meagre hands try to keep up with the speed at which the brain is making new and exciting connections. And yes, there *are* moments of this, but in order to make the most of the moments, what’s required is absolute organisation and rigour.

I can no longer count the times when I’ve been in creative flow, pretty much the scene I’ve just described, and I go to reach for the next tool I need to take my idea further – a particular brush, just the right colour, or an eraser – and I’m suddenly stopped in my tracks. I can’t find it. I dig under the piles of papers, scan the desk (and the floor), look behind the stuff I’ve got stacked on the shelves but sure enough, I have to stop. I have to step out of the flow. The momentum for the idea goes on hold and, sometimes, it’s difficult to get back.

In order to make the most of those rare moments of flow, I’ve learned to keep things organised. Everything in its place. The layout of my space is changing regularly, but the important thing is that I know where my tools are when I need them. I can rely on them to be there. When things are organised – jars labelled, items consistently positioned and put away after every working session – it’s far easier and quicker to get into flow and stay there. Maximising the hours spent in that flow state means that I’m also maximising my chances of capturing the weird and wonderful connections that my brain makes on the fly, and that tends to lead to better work, work that even I didn’t expect, and work that seems to make others smile.

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