My Creative Process
As I have grown in my awareness during teacher training, I’ve realized I have a creative “process.”
This probably isn’t so shocking, but it is for me. I’d like to believe my creativity is just something that happens and not as a result of a series of steps in a process, but that’s just my ego talking. The truth is, everyone has the potential to channel creativity and create something truly amazing from it. The trick is knowing what process awakens the creative energy within.
After some introspective observation, this is how I identify mine:
1. FEEL IT
This is what could be called the “inspiration.” My creative process begins with an emotion, usually spurred by an experience in my life. Whatever I create channels my emotional experience. For instance, after a particularly difficult breakup, I created a yoga sequence designed with the energy of letting go as a way to heal my broken heart. And the book I’m working on writing now was born out of nostalgia, and the desire to capture the story of my grandfather’s life.
2. DREAM IT
This is when I take the bare bones of my creation, and try to fit it into a cohesive piece of work. It’s basically an outline. In a yoga sequence, I imagine what poses would accomplish the feeling I’m trying to capture, and roughly put them together in a basic outline of a sequence. With writing, I break the storyline down into parts, and write down the summary of what I’m trying to write.
3. DO IT
This is when I put the dream into action. For a yoga sequence, this is when I practice the sequence I wrote down/dreamt up. For writing, this is the production phase of my first draft.
4. REDO IT
Naturally, in the previous part, I come across some errors or rewrites that need to happen. This is the part where I add, revise, and otherwise redo my creation. In yoga, this is when I add or take away certain poses or songs. In writing, this is when I write my second and/or third draft.
5. SHARE IT.
This is the last part of my creative process. This is when I share my creation with the world. Either by teaching a yoga class or by publishing what I wrote. I suppose this part of the process isn’t necessary, but without sharing what I’ve created, I tend to feel like the process is incomplete. Sometimes, this isn’t the case. I’ve written several stories and created many yoga sequences without the intention to share it, but most the time, sharing my creations is part of my process.
Knowing my creative process has inspired me to create more often. I encourage you to take the time to identify your own process so you can create more too.
This world needs more creativity. Don’t you think?
