My Creative Process

I published this in the summer Capstone Quarterly this year and didn't ever publish it here. I'm sending it through now (12/5/23): 

Hello all!

I have been in the garage working hard to get my GenCon prizes done in addition to finishing out the administrative work of the latest USTA Beginner Tournament and putting the final touches on my intermediate level strategy guide Mastering Tak: Level II - the road to greatness. With all this creative output, I have been doing some self-analysis and pondering over my creative process in general. In this post I would like to walk through how I go about a project.

Most of my projects are chosen instead of assigned. The USTA may need a prize for an upcoming event, but that can take the form of a capstone, a board, a full set, a trinket, a trophy, or anything in between. Other projects are begun because an idea struck me and I am curious to see if it can live outside my brain, where physics and other annoying things dwell. And some projects are started so that I can work on a particular skill that I am interested in or have not used in a while and want to ensure that it does not atrophy.

The creative freedom allowed by this relationship with my projects can be paralyzing. If I have the ability to work on anything, that can lead to working on nothing. Philosophical problems like Buridan's Donkey examine this problem. In this hypothetical situation, a hungry donkey is placed between two identical piles of hay and starves because it cannot decide which to go to since they are identical in every respect. The modern crafting world actually compounds this problem of choice with the availability of software and hardware that can bring to life almost anything.

So, I combat with a two-fold approach - constraints and "crappy drafts".

Paradoxically, constraints enable creativity. By assigning or discovering limits to a design, you give yourself both direction and challenge, which turbocharge the creative process. Imagine the difference in productivity between asking you to "build me a doo-hickey" and "you have 3 weeks to build me a wooden top that looks like a Viking shield". Both are projects, but I guarantee that the more highly constrained version will produce better results. Therefore, I highly recommend making a list of constraints after envisioning a project. After you have this list, you can determine which are "hard" constraints and which are "soft". A hard constraint cannot be worked around. An example would be a firm deadline, the form of a project (i.e. if you are making a Tak set, it must meet the requirements of a Tak set), or a fundamental restriction like "you can only use 3D printing to form your parts". Soft constraints are everything else - materials, tools, budget, current skills, etc. The soft constraints can be adjusted. I can learn new skills, increase the budget (if I have it and the project warrants it), and acquire more tools. Additionally, I can look at the basics of the project and stretch some of the parameters (i.e. Tak requires differentiation of walls and flats; what if we do this by inscribing a 'W' on one side instead of physically standing it up?). After examining the constraints, I get to the second part of my anti-paralysis.

"Crappy drafts" are the cold water approach to swimming. Don't be like the kid that slowly walks into the water until it reaches their thighs and then runs out screaming. You have to just jump in and get wet first. Your first draft should be crappy. Don't spend all day adding embellishments to your flats before seeing if the general shape feels good to play with. I generally like to sketch some things on physical paper, then roll those ideas around my head, then prototype them. Design software can help reduce material wastage, but there is no substitute for a physical prototype. Therefore, I like to get one of these as quickly as possible, so I can discover pros and cons of an idea as quickly as possible and adjust the direction of the project early. Luckily, hobby-level 3D printers exist. 

After I have crappy draft that falls in line with my constraints, the rest of the project is just a matter of refinement and "Ah-ha!" moments. I live for the Ah-ha! They are why I craft. Some of these moments put the current project onto a new track. Other times they inspire future projects. But they are always an enjoyable rush.

The last advice I want to give in this article is to learn your tendencies. I am impatient when it comes to getting my ideas out of my head and into the world. This can lead to rushing steps that shouldn't be rushed. This is exacerbated by the fact that I have a limited amount of "hobby time" and like to accomplish as much as possible during those short spans. I have learned to deal with this by always having multiple works in progress. This allows me to not rush x project because I can go work on y project. For example, last weekend I was in the garage with a project running on the 3D printer. While I was babysitting the first layer of that, I was sanding pieces from another project. Then, when the first layer finished, I put a coat of primer on another set of pieces and went inside to do some final editing on the computer. This allowed me to let the 3D printer work and the primer to cure without me hovering over everything getting frustrated at how long it was taking.

I hope you enjoyed a peek behind the scenes. Feel free to ask me questions!