Methods of Creation : How You Make Different
The Creative Process: Types Of Creation
Creativity comes in a multitude of different forms. I don’t think people realize how often they’re creating. If you want to be technical, each sentence you speak is a creation. Each original perspective you have is you creating something that wasn’t there before. Isn’t it wonderful when you take notice of these things and say, “That’s mine; I thought of that.” The great thing is that you can say that a lot more often than you realize. Own your perspectives and own your jokes because they wouldn’t be here without you.
The hardest part about the creative process is sitting down and doing the work. I really dislike when I’m not in the flow. It sucks. Most of the time, I have to get myself there. Anything that you read (especially of mine) is just tweaked word vomit. I suppose there are people out there that can carefully craft a piece but for me it’s all about just getting anything written down and then sculpting it later. I actually use this as a way to get myself into the creative zone. It’s like listening to an upbeat song in the locker room before a game. Creativity is a vibe and sometimes you need to mentally open the window and air out the room. Now this article isn’t just for writers and people in the arts – this is for anyone who needs to problem-solve. Sometimes you need to come up with a solution and it can be hard when you’re not in the right mind-state. The thing is that not all creation needs to come from some stroke of genius. Getting into the zone is a lot easier (and less stressful) when you open up your mind to other ways people make things. In this, I’m going to break down the different forms of creation that I’ve noticed.
First and foremost is what we’ll call “Pure Creation”. This is the mysterious one. It is used in all forms of creativity but when something comes to your mind straight out of thin air it is esoteric. Where does it come from? Where does it go? What I do know is that when I get these strokes of genius I really want to take credit but that’s all ego. I can’t help but feel it’s a little more divine than that. Like you’ve wired your mind to allow something to flow through it. Hank Williams once said, “People don’t write music, it’s given to them.” Don’t get it wrong, take credit for a good idea and also be thankful for wherever it came from.
Next up, the inspired creation. Inspired creation is just that, inspired. You can listen to a beautiful song that paints an image in your mind. You can see a photograph that will spark your next great novel idea. I’ll listen to a classical piece and immediately the tone is mentally interpreted into a sequence of scenes that could be the basis for a movie. Inspired creation is wonderful in that it’s all based on an instinctual interpretation of something your senses picked up; it doesn’t even have to be related to the original meaning or intention of whatever inspired you.
The final type of creation is a remix. This is slightly different from the inspired creation because this ones intention is to directly relate to the form, tone or subject matter of the original piece. As I’ve learned from watching Kirby Ferguson's Everything Is A Remix series, the beat for the song “Kim” by Eminem has the same exact drum pattern as “Rhymin’ & Stealin’” by The Beastie Boys which samples the drums from “When The Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin. You can check out Everything Is A Remix here. It’s a great perspective on the topic we’re discussing. As a side note, I’d probably put tent-pole movie sequels here.
When it’s all said and done, everyone has their own ways of unleashing their creativity. Figuring it out is something that takes time but if you don’t practice then there’s no shot of getting better. I’d love to hear some other techniques for getting into the creative mode. If you have something that works for you leave a comment below.
All images created by Taylor Kenny. Check out his work @ www.TaylorKenny.com .