Creativity as a process

Understanding the peaks and lows that define a creative process, then using it to sustain energy and flow to support successful creative outcomes

Since I decided to spend a year at Hyper Island (five years ago now), I have used my design background to focus on the creative process and doing things differently. First, for three years at The Pop Up Agency, and now as a consultant.

The interesting thing about all these experiences is that they have helped me redefine creativity.

My lens on creativity now is that of energy. The moments when ideas flow effortlessly, with the right focus and out-of-the-box thinking.

Previously, I thought of creativity as a goal.

Now, I consider it a process … that needs modulation, and is subject to changes and flows. I picture the creative process during a project as something like this.

Creativity as a process on a normal project

As you can see from the graphic, the process comprises peaks, lows and variation points. All those won’t always happen at the same time in every project.

Lately, there have been experiments and improvements made to this notion of creativity as a process (see GV Design Sprints and of course The Pop Up Agency 48h model).

In summary, these new methods shortens the entire process and injects much needed intensity.

Creativity as a process on a design sprint and other new methods

There is one problem though. Even with a good process and conducive facilitation in place, creativity can still be unpredictable. You’ll have the characteristic peaks and lows, and sometimes, the lows show up at an unwelcome time.

I have seen this happen in many of the workshops I’ve led. People either get stuck with their thoughts, or fail to come up with any ideas. This encouraged me to think of ways to better spark & sustain those peaks, as well as stimulating creativity at the right time in the process.

Students during an ideation workshop

First, I tried giving participants examples of how other people solved similar problems. It worked somewhat, but I noticed people framing their thoughts in a similar pattern. I also tried different techniques and games with mixed results.

And then I tried asking them questions.

Questions would differ a lot depending on the problem, but all of them would start with “What if”. If they were trying to come up with a new platform for example, I would ask them “What if you have to make it super simple?”. This would then direct their thought towards interactions with just one button and super niche platforms. If they are creating a campaign for a new product, I would suggest “What if users had to spread the word?”, and they would come up with ideas where the target would be a distribution channel, making them part of the process.

These questions essentially guided people to think in terms of and focus on solutions, which acted as a buffer against the lows of a creative process.

Triggers cards

Triggers, the latest project I launched on Kickstarter, follows that ambition: help creatives decide when they need their peaks. I have designed generic “What if” questions that can fit in many different kinds of creative problems, from design thinking challenges, to campaigns and new products/services ideas.

Coming back to the idea of a creative process, this is the expected result using Triggers cards.

Creativity as a process with Triggers cards

If we are aware of our creative processes, we can modify and affect it toward a constructive goal or direction. The next time you face a creative challenge, reflect on how you manage your time, energy and flow. Use the right tools and take charge of your process.

I’m a creative consultant focused on strategy, futures and creative process. I help brands and organisations with cultural and digital transformation. If you have comments or want to reach out, you can tweet me, message me on FB Messenger or send me an old-fashioned email.

Thanks to Adib for the editing.