The different processes of creation
Creativity takes a more technical structure in the modern era, as people have broken down the process into “simple” steps such as: preparation, incubation, illumination, evaluation, and implementation. While no one person can define creativity as one concrete process or entity, the complexity and personality of it increases even more with different disciplines.
Even though creativity seeps into nearly every facet of life, one of the most prominent yet abstract pillars of it would be creating music. Music itself is not a tangible form of art and yet it impacts so many of us deeply. A deeper appreciation of music, or any form of art in general, could be achieved through understanding the process of its creation.
A common trait among musicians who are trying to compose a piece is simply to just start playing their instrument of choice and try to find notes or chords that they like. Once the initial groundwork has been laid out, the musicians build on it by trying to connect the pieces of notes in order to give it a solid structure. As with all forms of invention and creation, there is a lot of trial and error until the rhythm of the song has been found.
Creativity walks down a whole other avenue in the world of tangible art, which acts as an umbrella for painting, sketching, sculpting, or even making mosaic art out of egg shells and watercolours. A homage to how fluid and resourceful creating art can be would be the works of Dustin Yellin. As a contemporary artist, Yellin sculpts three-dimensional collages out of multiple layers of glass, each covered with heavily detailed imagery, that join together to form a single image or scenery.
Artists generally tend to start creating their work with an outline or an image in mind. The image can be created by being inspired by something or it can be a visualisation of how the artist wants to express their thoughts. Inspiration may stem from visual or other sensory stimuli. A trick that a lot of artists follow to boost creativity is the act of doodling. Aimlessly drawing whatever comes to one's head without worrying about refinement or technique can help to brainstorm ideas and concepts. Doodling may also help in eventually getting the coveted eureka moment. After the idea of the outline has been imagined, laying down the initial groundwork for their piece begins. As the piece develops, the artist adds or removes as they see fit. Many artists refer to this stage in the process as the branching out of the initial outline. The piece grows and evolves like an organism and is affected by changes in the artists' moods, influences, resources, thoughts etc.
Another special pillar of harnessing creativity would be the usage of language. Human beings developed language for simple communication. As we evolved, so did our language. Words no longer served the sole purpose of signalling or warning others. They joined together to tell stories and create worlds within words, to articulate our thoughts and emotions, to serve as slogans for revolutions, to share knowledge and discoveries with different generations and so on.
Storytelling is a spirited form of art. It always evolving, jumping from one media to the next, such as novels being adapted to films, and in recent years has found itself to be a cornerstone in the video game industry. However, the process for writing may be the trickiest of all, as some methods contradict the other. Common advice includes having a clear idea of the plot in mind and building the story from there. The characters of the story are fleshed out according to the chosen narrative, with a healthy sprinkling of dramatic plot twists here and there. On the other side of the coin, some writers find that having a plot in mind prior to writing acts more as a cage that limits ideas rather than a helpful guideline. This proves to be particularly troublesome in writing screenplays for movies that are character centric. If the writer simply lets the story flow organically, it can open doors to new arcs and opportunities for development, although this method may not be suited for everyone.
These are just a few of the endless outlets for showcasing creativity. Additionally, the methods for creation are always increasing with each individual, as they mould it according their own preferences. It is crucial for a creative individual in any discipline to find what path works best for them. This can be achieved through a lot of experimentation and honing the ability to think outside the box.
Imaginative thinking is prevalent everywhere and different forms of creativity can influence each other. Parallels can be drawn from one discipline to the other, methods could be interchanged, one form of art can serve as a muse for something wholly different.
It is difficult to fully understand where creativity stems from. It could be borne from natural talent or practice or both. What we do know that it is indeed a wonderful phenomenon regardless of intensity. Be it creativity displayed by a child making drawings using unconventional supplies to Martin Molin's larger-than-life musical, mechanical contraptions, it can be understood that the human mind works in mysterious ways to express itself and its ideas.
Fatima Jahan Ena considers herself to be a chaotically neutral egg with feelings. Fight her at mail2ena@gmail.com