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Getting Down To The Nuts And Bolts Of Creative Practice

By Mary McNeil

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Published: 12Nov2007
Word count: 557
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Living the creative life is a pretty seductive proposition when you envisage it as a free spirited existence, full of inspiration and imaginative productivity. And it can be just that. But not in isolation.

That's because there are, of course, many more down to earth elements that you need to add into the mix if you intend to bring your creative life to productive fruition. The freedom of the creative life goes hand in hand with the commitment to a creative practice. This is the creativity paradox. Ask any successful artist, writer or musician about their success and they will tell you their tale of long practice hours, hard work, strength of will and dedication. They'll tell you, too, about how they're always learning, always striving to improve, seeking and trying out new techniques and fine tuning the old ones. They'll confirm to you what Thomas Edison so famously proclaimed in the early 1900's: "None of my inventions came by accident... I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration."

Just because the nuts and bolts of a creative practice involve hard work and commitment, it doesn't mean that the process can't be enjoyable. In fact what better work to dedicate yourself to than that which is fired by your creative imagination? You're far more likely to succeed in an endeavor that excites your interests and aptitudes than in one which leaves you cold. And the true beauty of the creative process is that the work you undertake can transport you into the freedom of the flow experience. Flow is what's occurring when you're utterly absorbed in what you're doing and entirely unaware of the passage of time or of your surroundings. A sublime state. Do you already know which nut and bolt activities allow you to access flow?

In his book 'The Art Of Creative Living', Thomas Kinkade, the well known and commercially successful American painter writes about what he calls basket-weaving, describing this process as 'the plodding exercise of hard-won skills through diligent effort.' He goes on to explain that if you want to create a high quality basket, you have to start with both creative design ideas and sophisticated physical weaving skills. These alone are not enough, though, because to bring the basket to fruition, you also have to 'engage in the repetitive, sometimes tedious act of weaving the final product.' He points out that if you don't undertake the weaving phase, your initial ideas and skills are meaningless.

So if you want to live a creatively productive life, are you clear on which varieties of nuts and bolts your particular art demands of you? Cashew or pistachio? And do you know which practices come easiest to you and which you need to work at next? Does your overall creative aim keep you motivated to roll your sleeves up and get right in amongst those nuts and bolts?

Your greatest leaps in progress are most likely to come through working on your detail. If you keep your gaze steadfastly on the big picture without focusing in on those nuts and bolts, the big picture is unlikely to progress far. But by getting down to the nitty gritty, it will develop piece by wonderful piece. As will you.

If you're brimming with creative ideas but struggling to develop them into tangible output, the practical support of a coach can make all the difference. Mary McNeil of Create a Space is an experienced, ICF-certified life coach, natural born planner and declutterer extraordinaire! She works with artists, writers and musicians, coaching and supporting them as they make creative output a practical reality.

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