The process of creation is long and can be fraught with difficult decisions, quarrelsome questions and careful compromise. The notion that an artist can produce a fully functioning creation from thin air is ludicrous, each and every moment of the artist’s day to day life is a constant struggle in the re-evaluation of ideas and half-formed creations, a swirling vortex of bright notions and intense sparks of inspiration each vying for the artist’s consideration and care.
Only the most vibrant of these ideas will ever take form, the rest destined for an eternity spent in the creative’s rather considerable ‘for later use’ pile. An idea rarely comes out of the head fully formed and each creation must be nurtured over time – fed by the artist’s experiences and shaped through the individual’s own creative process. The best ideas grow strong through time and attention, taking a very piece of the artist’s soul and causing it to flourish into a work of art.
Working within a creative industry is a feat in itself, for not only must the artist wrestle with their own creative whims, muses and flow, but also with the notion that a project has deadlines. To a true creative, no project is ever utterly complete – there is always room for improvement, adjustment or change; ‘I wish I had…’ is a constant companion within the mind of an artist, who is often their own worst critic. Compromise for the same of project deadlines (not to mention the artist’s sanity) is a crucial, if often cursed, part of the creative process. Knowing when an undertaking is a task too far is imperative to the creative process, streamlining workflow to fit in with time and monetary constraints, even if it means the artist’s creative wants are not quite fulfilled to their maximum.
It is, therefore up to the creative to decide how to proceed when it comes to any project; only they have the technical, artistic and personal knowledge to know exactly what is feasible given a limit of time, money or manpower. Often there will be compromise; to some, the project will get to a point where it is ‘done’, but will forever be incomplete in the eyes of its creator. Others will ignore time constraints altogether, working to achieve the much desired state of perfection, even if it means taking their own, unpaid time to do so. Neither option is right, and neither wrong – it is purely up to the individual to decide how best to push their ideas to their own form of completion.
An idea is the seed from which creation takes root – it is the job of the creative to care for this idea and allow it to bloom. Anyone can make something, but only true visionaries have the power to create.
