Written by: Karen Stallard, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you excited about making something new work?
Have you attempted to start your own business but are struggling with a way forward?
Are you thinking about quitting your entrepreneurial adventure and staying in your day job?
Have you read all the self-help books and remain confused about how some people make it and some do not?
Do you feel you are not talented enough to make your dream come true?
This article might shed some light on why starting a new venture can be complex and demanding. I hope to inspire you to keep going, so read on if you sometimes feel like giving up.
Often we read how personality type, intelligence and skills are essential for an entrepreneur. I like to think that anyone who wants to succeed can, no matter their personality type; the secret of success is working with the creative process and not against it. The creative process is what artists have been experiencing throughout the centuries to build magnificent buildings, make timeless works of art, compose captivating music and write extraordinary stories. It requires the use of our whole brain, and it needs our willingness as human beings to give time and permission for our unconscious ideas to emerge.
Contemporary education will often prioritise science over the arts; we find ourselves neglecting the right hemisphere of the brain where emotions, imagination and creativity flourish. So for some of you, talking about a creative process might seem alien, illogical and unproductive. Engaging with the creative process is the answer, especially when systems, logic, and concrete evidence have brought us to a dead end. Anyone can tap into this creative process no matter how uncreative they may think they are.
Rosemary Gordon’s four-stage understanding of the creative process (Dying and Creating (1978)) helps us understand the creative process more fully. Each stage she describes does not function in an orderly and linear way. But often merges and repeats itself; these stages are organic, surprising, and fluid.
Preparation stage
Preparation is all about immersing yourself in a problem. Perhaps you are staring at a blank sheet of paper, wondering what product to sell, or looking at your empty bank account.
This preparation stage needs to contain conscious concern and struggle at its heart. It is so important to stay with, remain humble and persistent as you stare at the problem in front of you. You may start feeling useless, a failure, or helpless. Owning and naming feelings of inadequacy and becoming curious about them can prevent us from giving up. After all, how can a blank piece of paper or an empty head or even an empty bank account be useless? It is only ever full of potential!
This preparation stage does not need to feel static; the paper is still blank, but you could move to the garden or a cafe with it. Allow yourself to be sensory stimulated as you stare at the blankness. Sit under a tree, gaze at the clouds, chat about your ideas with friends, go to an art gallery but always keep that conscious concern about the blank piece of paper in your mind.
Incubation stage
In our busy western world where the city never sleeps, this stage may feel all wrong. We want quick gratification, seek immediate results, and are impatient when things take a little longer. However, nothing creative emerges without some time of incubation.
Incubation is where activity goes underground. We may start sleeping on the problem. We may go off and mow the lawn or hang up the washing. Imagine winter with the bulbs seemingly dead underneath the soil, gaining energy and momentum. Give your project time and space, allow yourself to feel baffled and engage with the creative emptiness.
It takes nine months for a baby to incubate. New emerging ideas may need less or more time than this, do not be surprised when something takes a while. Hold onto your inspiration, wait expectantly and prepare yourself. Enjoy this stage without worrying, sleep lots, dream many dreams, allow your ideas and concepts to gather strength and momentum. Trust the process during incubation.
Inspiration/ Illumination stage
Now, this is the stage we all enjoy! The flash of light. A wave of certainty. The phase where new ideas emerge rapidly, there is energy, thoughts flow and perhaps even some sales. Things come together on a deeper level. The universe seems to align with our plans. During this stage, an artist may experience perfect unity between themselves and their work.
This stage is a deeply connected and energised phase, unsustainable for long periods. It is a bit like the moment the lion starts chasing the wildebeest, fast and flowing with energy and power. But it quickly stops once the lion has either caught its prey or not, then there is a recovery phase.
A bit like falling in love, we all desire to be in this stage as it makes us feel powerful, connected and full of flow, but don’t get fooled into thinking this stage is the only good part. The danger is people get addicted to the ecstatic feelings of this phase, never allowing a project to progress, overworking something, moving on too quickly or over-stretching resources. These phases are organic, just like nature. Forcing things and over-controlling will give us problems.
Verification critical testing stage
Are you ready to get a reality check? It is here we come down to earth. Our ideas are received and tested by others. We are criticised, praised, discovered and rejected. This stage can be organised and structured, the project is scrutinised, given relevant form and appropriate expression. An art exhibition or a market stall are good examples of where the verification stage might happen. Usually, it is a space where we listen to the influence and critique of the wider community. It is here that we discover there is nothing new under the sun. We can withdraw, step back and view our work from a distance. Some have described it as the depressive stage where grieving and letting go happens.
This stage may happen numerous times, allowing external influences to form and shape future ideas or developments. It is a stage where we make ourselves vulnerable, and the desire to hide or run away might be lurking in the background.
The popular TV program Dragons Den is an example of a testing stage arena. Projects rejected by the dragons will go a long way; if they can overcome any negative feelings from being seen and critiqued.
And that is it, the creative process. What is your growth curve in engaging with this process? Where are you challenged? Are you likely to leave the creative process due to frustration, feelings of inadequacy or fear of rejection? Take some time to reflect. During busy times remember to incubate your ideas. When you are ready to engage with a new adventure, be prepared for each stage as it may present itself. Let me know how you get on!
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Karen Stallard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Karen Stallard began her career, having trained in performing arts, working in the theatre. She went on to pursue a spiritual path by training in theology, becoming an ordained Christian minister and working in the inner city for 20 years. Her work included promoting spiritual and cultural care within the British NHS medical system and spending time creating community activities for people experiencing mental distress. Karen went on to work as the minister at Union Chapel, Islington, an award-winning music venue for 8 years where she led the church to become one of the first in the UK to authorise same-sex marriages. Whilst working at Union Chapel she completed training as an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist and now runs a successful private practice. Karen is currently a trainer and supervisor for Trauma-Informed Schools UK and has also created and published a card game, "20 Dreams", a unique game of emotions that is designed specifically to engage the right hemisphere of the brain. Karen is also an artist, musician and beer brewer in her spare time and is passionate about external and internal liberation.
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