Creativity Loop

The creative process is a wild and highly personal thing for some people, many would argue that not everyone can be creative. While I am not willing to wade into the middle of that last argument, I have spent a lot of time ruminating over my own creative impulses and the path I take from inception to finished product. I have found that I will usually work the same on each project, whether it is a sketch or a story the process remains the same. I have broken it down into five general steps; impulse, subject, setting, background and polish. I will take you guys with me on a journey from start to finish on a project. Along the way we will stop and briefly examine the creative process that I use in nearly everything I make. Keep in mind these are general ideas, not specific points that one must absolutely follow to reach their end result. What works for me may be wildly different for you. That said, lets get started shall we?

Creative Process 1: Impulse

The impulse is the idea, the nugget of goodness that gets the whole project started. For me it usually comes as a scene I see in my head and the rest of the process works towards achieving that scene. But sometimes, it comes about by complete chance or via a happy accident. This particular project is a scene from one of my stories, the rarely spoken of “Pit” and this specific piece came about when I became frustrated at my pen tablet. I began randomly sketching with it so I could better acclimate to the different feel of working with a pen tablet and this little guy was the result. It reminded me of someone unsure of what to do, juxtaposed anger and awe running through his body. But what was he looking at? Then it clicked, I had a whole scene in my head the final scene from the “Pit” in which the curtain is pulled back, revealing the truth that the story is supposed to be dancing around. Most often though my ideas are just that, ideas stuck in my head, until I ask a question. A “why?” or a “what?” will usually send my imagination surging forward to reach an answer and fill in the details. That question is that impulse, where it takes you next is step two.

Creative Process 2: Character

As we saw above the impulse gets you started but doesn't leave you with a whole lot to show for it. In fact all I really have after the impulse is usually nothing but a question or a list of questions. The question gets you started, the answers that come next are what drive you forward. Usually most of the questions revolve around the main character of my work. A main character can be anything, a mouse, a city, a whole world but it is most often a person. What matters is that the character be given form, the squiggle above is not suitable for much of anything. It is vital to the story or the piece that the character be as fleshed out as possible. Is this a man? What is he wearing? What is he doing? As I answer my questions the character begins to take form. He is a he, he is wearing some sort of helmeted suit, he is looking away from the audience. Of course you should have realized that these answers will only bring me to more questions and brings me to my first point. Never stop asking questions, the whole creative process is like a programing loop. Ask a question get an answer, ask another question. Of course the main question is, what is that man looking at? The answer is step three.

Creative Process 3: Setting

Once my character began to take form it became apparent that he needed a place to inhabit. He needed a setting. Obviously this is something bigger than the character, for a man it is the city he lives in. For a city it is the nation or world it is in and for a world it is the space it inhabits. For now I will stick with the assumption that ones character is a man (it's easier that way). A setting is a casual word, it doesn't mean that a fully fledged world is immediately needed, it just means that general questions need at least general answers. The most vital answers are the ones that directly affect the situation my character is in. Is he in danger? What is he looking at? The answers both shape the character and the environment around him. This guy is looking out a door, in a dark room. The light outside is bright so many of his details are in shadow. That is my setting.

Creative Process 4: Background

Now obviously the setting or situation is key for setting up a scene but it is essentially a framework to build a background upon. Setting and background are very similar but I separate them because of their scope. Where a setting directly effects the characters immediate situation, a background does not. Don't get me wrong all parts of the creative loop impact the others, so background is just as important as the rest. For instance lets say the character is in a city. That is enough for a setting but not for a background it is woefully inadequate because cities can vary wildly from country to country. What separates background from setting is both depth of scope and detail. This is important for writing as well as for drawing, to know where a character has come from and where he is going as well as his place within a given world will change the work adding depth and realism. However these questions often have subtle influences throughout the work, to know that this man has a US Army suit on and what that means to both him and the people of the world has little impact on this piece because of the silhouette of the character. However the man himself does not appear to be acting in a military manner and there are no weapons visible on him which is at odds with the setting. This man is opening a door to the unknown, from a long abandoned and forgotten about military facility. The doors are huge, meant to keep something out. I know if he is on an alien planet or if he is looking out into a city full of monsters. However you the audience do not. These aspects are not readily apparent from just looking at the picture but they were vital in shaping it.

Creative Process 5: Polish

This last step is where many aspiring artists trip up but I think most successful artists and writers will agree that most of their time is spent on polish. This step unites the loops together; character, setting and background and then compares them to the impulse. Most importantly it brings out the details and flourish needed to bring a piece to life. It asks the technical questions such as, “How does light interact with the door?” It looks at a sentence and checks it for coherence and visual clarity. This is the refining and improving process in which the artist tries to reach for and exceed the original vision. For artists it can take the form of careful examination and tweaking of elements and colors. For writers it is the never ending editing process. It is the part of us that reaches for perfection. It is a hard thing to do, at least for me. At one point I was going to add dents and scratches and even panels to the doors but technically these doors were used once, when they were shut. I found that I needed to add a track for the door to open along and of course added the lens flare. The polish brings it all together and completes the story.

The creative loop is a process, one of questioning and seeking the answers and then questioning again. Just because you have moved on to say the polish, does not mean that you cannot or should not ask questions about the character or any other element. The whole thing is a web of questions, some are set in stone but most are fluid until they are placed on paper, even then its a quick edit to make my male character a female. It is a process in which you discover your art as you create it, sure the impulse gives you a vision but as you strive for it it takes on more detail and acquires a life of its own. As I stated last week, never stop questioning, it is the basis of the creative process and vital for us to reach out and grasp our ethereal dreams. But it is not simply the act of questioning that is creative, remember that the impulse requires you to act upon it and upon acting it reveals more questions thus igniting the whole process.

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into my own creative process and I hope it helps you in understanding and harnessing your own creative impulses. What is important is that you are happy with the end result. I am sure thousands of people will look at this and laugh but others will think it is great but what matters is your own satisfaction with a piece. This being my first piece created fully in Illustrator I am happy with it and it has helped me visualize more scenes for my upcoming story and that is what matters.