the creative process: that needle in a haystack

Creativity. It most likely means something different for people who employ the concept in different ways. One can "creatively hire" someone. One can be "innovative". One can quip, and be called "creative". Even superficially, someone can creatively dress themselves. Some people put some saucy color on a wall and a new table in a different place and that is creative interior design. I know a lot of creative people, and their sense of "process" is different. The process for me is very visual. I need to see concepts and examples to start the process. I need to understand the end-game of WHY I'm creating something, from a logo to a website, to a brochure, to written copy.

Clients and co-workers tell me "be creative, you are so creative". So is a stockbroker, in his realm. (Hopefully, not TOO creative, SEC and all.) There are days when the process really clicks, and days when it REALLY DOESN'T. It's not something you turn on and off like an alarm. That might be the hardest thing to manage in my business.

For instance, when I started writing this missive, I went online to search for a photo. My search term began only with "gorgeous", because what I do is make things look, sound and feel better. Gorgeous is what I do. My thought process was 'gorgeous nature', but I just typed "gorgeous". A slew of women came up. No, thanks. Then I typed "gorgeous nature" and still a bunch of women came up, posed IN nature, with a goodly amount of just nature photos and artwork sprinkled about in the feed. I found the photo I wanted. It's not of a haystack or of a needle - but of wheat, I liked the liquid fluidity of it. It's like the creative process.

That process I went through to find the photo made me think about how I go about starting a new project for a client and how communication - both the giving and receiving of it - is tantamount to success.

Do I know what the client does, vs. what they THINK they do? How do they see themselves now vs. how they WANT to be seen tomorrow? Did I ask the right questions? Because their answers will shape what I create for them. It's almost like telling a story, the creative process. Visually combining pieces to portray a concept, or mission. Creating an array of visuals and statements that lend to a company's aesthetic, culture and the climax, business success.

There's many new projects ahead of me, and I'm excited to create them.