Processing Process

I was recently asked about “my process,” as in, “my creative process.” I don’t have a set recipe of taking a project from inspiration to completion, just numerous observations I’ve become aware of after 4 years of art school and a summer of full-time design work:

-Mornings and evening are the best time for me to do creative work. Specifically, 9am-noon, and 7pm-10. During my afternoons, 2-4pm in particular, my ideas drowns in quicksand. So I find autopilot projects like online government training or timesheets to keep me busy.

-I love the flood of ideas that automatically surface when I first receive a new assignment. I almost never end up using these first ideas, but they’re still pretty damn good jumping off points.

-I’ll draw out lots of thumbnail sketches and these are solely for me, little nuggets that help jog my memory. Normally, I’ll jump from these sketches to final product but I’ve found that working with others requires a more complete mock-up. I may be able to envision the final piece from just a few scribbles, but my co-workers/clients need something more fleshed out.

-The final ideas—and I know this sounds completely crazy—comes a few days later during an afternoon nap. I’ll lie in bed for 20 minutes, with my knees up because it’s an Alexander technique for improving posture, and with my mind floating between consciousness and sub-consciousness, I’ll mentally/visually work through ideas until I find THE one. The room has to be absolutely silent and I’ll use ear plugs if I have to. (My roommate and I were recently watching “There Will be Blood” and when the boy went deaf, I commented that I would be such a better designer if I couldn’t hear).

Biking or running also gives me the opportunity to settle on a final idea.

-I think one of the harder parts of the design process is the reworking of the original idea over long periods of time. For instance, I’ve been dragging my feet on adjusting the vital sign logos after getting feedback from the scientists. While I love that dialogue and agree with their comments, it’s just hard to rewire my brain. I’m a very forward thinker and so it’s difficult to think backwards on an idea. But in the long run, this is a skill I need to improve upon…