Creative Process

This is my personal creative process.

I offer it here as a template for any creators out there who would like some inspiration or direction in their own creative process.

The order of steps is only a guide. I follow where my creative whimsy takes me, but having a structure to return to when feeling unsure, or a need to get something done can be very useful.

Feel free to use, reject and remake any part of this process.

1. Inspiration

Find a point of inspiration.

You might stumble upon it or search actively for it.

An inspiration could be anything, a show, an aesthetic, a body quality, a poem, a person, a relationship, an object, etc etc etc.

Finding inspiration is a skill we can develop by being actively engaged and interested in the world around us. We don't have to wait for the metaphorical lightning to strike.

2. Analysis

Explore your inspiration

Discover why it is interesting and inspiring to you and explore it's potential.

Explore in multiple ways; mind maps, collages, notes, mood boards, sound boards, discussions, etc.

Some useful questions to ask are:

-What emotion(s) relate to my inspiration?

-What actions or movement qualities relate to my inspiration?

-What aesthetic do I associate with my inspiration?

-What soundscape do I associate with my inspiration?

-What themes or concepts relate to my inspiration?

3. Develop Concept

Choose a strong concept.

Use all the thoughts and ideas from your analysis of your inspiration to inform your concept.

A good concept has the following qualiites:

- Inspiring: You should be excited to work with your concept.

- Clear: You should be able to articulate your concept clearly, and others should be able to easily understand it.

- Actionable: You should be able to imagine what the concept, and the exploration of the concept might look like.

- Deep: There should be plenty to explore within your concept.

A good concept is more than an idea. An idea is the first thought you might have when developing a concept. A concept is the refined version of the idea which has the above the qualities. An example of an idea is 'combining singing and acrobatics'. A Concept which could derive from that idea could be 'The interplay of breath in singing and acrobatics.'

A strong concept will stand you in good stead while carrying out all the other steps.

4. Analysis pt. 2

Explore your concept.

Develop a deeper understanding of the concept, how you imagine it, what you associate with it and why it is interesting.

Explore in multiple ways; mind maps, collages, notes, mood boards, sound boards, discussions, etc.

Some useful questions to ask are:

-What emotion(s) relate to my concept?

-What actions or movement qualities relate to my concept?

-What aesthetic do I associate with my concept?

-What soundscape do I associate with my concept?

-What themes relate to my concept?

5. Write Tasks

Create tasks to physically explore your concept and develop material.

Use your analysis of your concept to inform the tasks you create.

Tasks are a simple an effective method for creating acrobatic material. This is important because this is how we will create material that is in line with our concept and avoid the 'random back tuck' trope of circus acts.

Examples of tasks could include:

-Experiment with your existing repertoire, but moving in slow motion.

-Improvise on a small kinesphere and high body tension.

-Improvise on how a glitching robot would move.

A good task is clear and concrete. You understand what the task is asking of you, and if you gave it to someone else, so would they.

Feel free to create seemingly impossible or very difficult tasks. They often result in interesting material.

6. Create Material

Use your tasks to create material.

Do so iteratively. Include the results of previous tasks into the carrying out of other tasks. This allows us to push further away from our standard repertoire.

Make sure you record your results as you go. It is easy to lose good material if not recorded.

At the end of this step you will have a catalogue of material to use to create your piece.

7. Practice Material

Practice your material.

Aim for your material to be easy for you, and easy to change up.

8. Develop Soundscape

Choose or create the soundscape for your piece.

The two analysis steps should provide a good starting point.

It is normal to work on soundscape throughout the process, but having a good idea of what your soundscape will be by this stage is useful when going into the next steps.

9. Arrange Material

Start arranging your material into phrases.

Feel free to take apart and rearrange anything you have developed until now.

Be conscious of what effect you want your sequence to have.

10. Reapply Concept

Work on your phrases to ensure they are in line with your concept.

Feedback is very useful in this step to ensure what you are aiming to express is being received by your audience.

11. Arrange Phrases

Arrange your phrases into a full piece.

This is your first draft.

12. Edit

Edit your piece to match your concept and vision.

Use feedback, cut material, add material, rearrange, and generally fine tune as you like.

Go For It

Perform your peice!

Creating art is inherently an open ended process. There is always something more to tweak. Your piece will only be done when you say it is, so make sure you say so.

Go out, and share your art with the world.