CREATIVE PROCESS

A UNIFIED THEORY OF CREATIVE PROCESS

Hypothesis: the creative lifecycle follows common paths and approaches, though sometimes come in different names and order. If we identify a universal creative process, it could serve as a guide for any creative project. It may help people start strong, be efficient, find sparks, overcome obstacles, collaborate across disciplines.

There so many great resources on the creative process to draw from, as varied as The Storm of Creativity by Kyna Leski, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, and many, many more.

And every creative practitioner we interviewed across different disciplines has their own distinct approach. But regardless of creative discipline and style, there are common themes emerging between them. 

WHAT DO GREAT CREATIVE PROCESSES HAVE IN COMMON?

We've deconstructed and reassembled different components, which often fall into a handful of key phases:

• Opening: the start of a creative process typically involves getting aligning on goals and parameters (sometimes with a client or patron), getting everything in one place, and some wide exploration.

• Midgame: the middle part of the process, typically involves expansion, evolution and pruning, often in a nonlinear and iterative flow. Sometimes more tightly defined than others.

• Endgame: late stages of the process typically involves refinement as work takes its final form. Often involves a moment when it is made tangible and released into the world. (Some creative work is never final.)

Above is an early prototype of a universal creative process model. This is very much a work in progress, continually shaped by our interviews day by day! 

Have thoughts on the Unified Theory of Creative Process? Let us know! Contact greg@distillingcreativity.com