The Creative Process, methodologies and tools used
The Process
“For the philosopher, the production is the process and the outcome of an activity: the result is important but the process is much more”
Leonardo Da Vinci
Creativity to solve problems and generate new ideas
Not all solutions to a problem are necessarily a creative solution.
Several teachers, researchers, psychologists including Teresa Amabile professor of Harvard in his book The Social Psychology of creativity; identifies two types of creative solutions:
A) Algorithmic Solutions: pre-existing, linear, linear series of steps to be followed.
B) Heuristics Solutions: new methods developed in absence of algorithms, such as methodologies of lateral thinking or divergent.
Clearly, a more creative solution could be considered preferably heuristic to the algorithmic nature, because that represents a new approach to solve problems.
“I forgot about the cold, headache, and I got to play, despite the hateful piano, the way I play it when I am in a good mood. Although I am given the best piano of Europe, if my audience does not understand anything or does not want to understand anything, and as long as does not feel with me what I play, then I lose all pleasure”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The best art directors and writers of advertising, the artists, marketers, among other fields, look for new heuristic approaches accomplish brand messages that reach to the masses, to be out the lot and to be able to persuade, reach and sell them.
First of all, The Novelty
The novelty and surprise are the characteristic attributes to evaluate a work of art (Attributes of beauty and something new – innovative).
Empirical evidence from experimental research suggests that people creatively productive prefer new things, attributes and flexible features and open, are of open minds, keeping away from traditional and common places and things of everyday life.
However, it is important to note that often the new and the novelty can be derived from the old.
It is important to emphasize that creativity and creative people defy the perspective, discovering new combinations, connections and relationships.
Utility
In problem solving, the method used is beneficial and useful. If the creativity is used to solve problems this must be measured in how useful it is.
This introduces the idea that creativity should make valuable contributions. There is the essence of that creativity should have an inherent social value.
Give value, have social value and be accepted by society.
No matter how creative an art or art advertising is , but if this is not doing the job of a client, that is to sell or to reach the mass (and be accepted by the mass), it is not likely to last long time visible to have enough cultural impact.
“The most useful science will be the one whose fruits are more communicable and, on the contrary, will be the less useful the least communicable”
Leonardo Da Vinci
Defining Creativity
Creativity is the generation, development and transformation of ideas that are novel and useful to solve problems, to make new products and services, things, entities or something new and innovative that it will be accepted by the people, by the market or a market niche.
Creativity is a process
Who is an idea-person?
Everybody may become creative but not all may become an idea-person, we all have the potential, the ability to be creative.
The ability to have creative thinking is the rule rather than the exception in cognitive functioning of human beings.
The Human being has the ability – potential to develop creative thinking and to be creative, but if this ability is not developed or worked hard, it will not become creative.
“At 6, I am already combed, at 7, fully clothed, and then I write up to 9. In addition, between 9 and 1 I teach. Then I eat lunch, when I do not have any invitation, in which case I have lunch at 2 or 3. I cannot work before 5 or 6 and often an academy (a concert) prevents me. Otherwise, I write until 9. Because of the academies and the possibility of receiving a call here or there, I am never sure of composing in the afternoon, so I have taken the habit (especially when I go back earlier) to write something before going to bed. I usually do so up to 1, just to get up again at 6”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Hours of thought, of drawing pictures, graphics and sketching, writing and rewriting and practice may pay dividends.
The quality of the ideas comes from large quantities of ideas. To find your own process comes from a lot of practice and error.
Each person may experience his/her own creative process, with different ways of thinking or techniques, varieties of working environments, different types of philosophies, idiosyncrasies and motivations.
The creative process
“The young must, before everything, learn the perspective of the proper measure of things. Afterwards, he will study copying good drawings, to get used to a suitable environment. Then he will learn how to draw in a natural way, to see the reason of things that learned before; and finally must see and examine the works of several teachers, to acquire the ability in practicing his learning”.
Leonardo Da Vinci
There are many shapes, forms, processes to reach creativity.
One of the models of the process is the one of four steps – called the model of Wallas:
– Preparation
-Incubation
-Illumination
-Verification
Directors and idea-person of advertising, fashion, politics, business, marketing, management, technology, musicians, researchers, artists, athletes, among others spend a lot of time brooding about the problem, before discussing the ideas with their peers, colleagues and other directors and thus identify the best possible solutions.
Solving a problem is a reflective process of thought including pre-reflective stages that perfectly fit with the stages of preparations and incubation of Wallas.
Operations of strategic thinking include the listing of products, product features, and alternative usage of the products, places where the product can be used, designing sketching, mind maps and drawings.
Relevant Processes of creativity and skills Domains
Examples of relevant creative processes:
– To find solutions those are not obvious to others
– To pursue new directions, ways and forms
– To feel comfortable with complexity
– To feel comfortable with ambiguity
– To be reluctant to judge prematurely or past ideas
Every idea-person needs to understand the creative principles, such as possibilities in creative tools, the possibilities of qualities combinations, principles of design and layout, value the newness of typography and learn about the latest tendency in software.
Those who work in art, advertising, fashion, politics, business, marketing, management, technology, sports, and many others must love the words and symbols, to know its usage and know to treasure those memories.
Motivation, a volitional act
Creative problem solving requires lots of motivation, because this is not easy. This requires time, energy and passion.
Even when a creative process is an enriching experience on a personal level, creativity is definitely a social phenomenon.
Factors necessary for creativity in an area or domain:
– Relevant skills in that domain
– Important creative process
– Intrinsic motivation to the task
Understanding Creativity in Art, Advertising, Fashion, Politics, Business, Marketing, Management, Technology, Sports, Music, Research, among others
1. We must define the creative concept.
2. – You have to appraise or weigh the risks in the creative process
3. – You have to test, measure and find self-perceptions
4. – You have to train the generation of ideas
5. – You have to motivate and find the motivation through hobbies
New Models In The Creative Process To Achieve New Ideas, Beings, Things, Products And New, Creative, And Innovative Services; In Art, Publishing, Fashion, Politics, Business, Marketing, Management, Technology, Sports, Music, Research, Among Others
1st: Resolving the problem: A problem is given to the idea-person and they immediately start working on the solution
2nd: Having and applying thinking tools: idea-person learns to use the thinking tools as a way of being mentally more productive.
3rd: Graphing, drawing, and drafting ideas and concepts: idea-person take notes draw and draft while they are thinking.
4th: All above led me to the final Idea: Achieve a being or a new final, current, modern, creative, and innovative Product.
5th: Testing that idea, putting into practice that idea, launching the final Product or Being. Materialize the Idea and looking for concrete results
Advanced idea-person has learned many ways and tools for thinking and they have experience in using them extensively. They understand which tools are most useful to them and in each situation.
They take many notes while thinking, draw, and graph ideas without prior judgment, without prejudging feasibility.
For example, Advertising Creative is more concerned with a quality idea in order to transform it into a quality advertisement.
The idea, considered like the most important product in the thinking process instead of the advertisement.
Development Model:
1. – Be sure that the presented problem is the most important one to solve.
2. – Idea-person tests the tools to use and decide which one is the most productive for each case.
3. – They learn not to prejudge ideas in the thinking process and improve their notes throughout the process. They understand that an idea may be feasible and may always be active.
4. – They consider the discovery of a great idea as the ultimate goal, then transfer the idea in a final product.
“There is nothing that fools us as much as our own opinion in judging our work; and in this case enemies’ criticisms are more useful than friends’ praises; because since they are the same as us, they can beguile us as much as our own opinion”
Leonardo Da Vinci
Creativity may be magical, but it is not magic. It is a method for finding solutions to problems; solutions that reveal our ability to adapt and move forward as human beings.
One of the first insights accomplished is that creativity is a personal process. Each person experiences it differently from everyone else, even when parts of the process can be identified as similar or possible to be shared among one another.
It is necessary to be creative in five (5) aspects when speaking about launching a new product or service into the market: First: Creativity of the New Product is Necessary (that the product is unique, reaching the needs and desires of people that were not there before, generating monetary and non-monetary value, that the package is creativity in the package and design, intangible creativity); Second: Creativity of the Strategic Communication of the New Product or Service is Necessary (Above The Line (ATL) and Below The Line (BTL) Creativity, Creativity in Design and Advertisement); Third: Creativity of the Distribution Channel is Necessary; Fourth: Creativity in Organization or Who makes the New Product or Service is Necessary (Creative Teams, Individual and Collective Creativity, Creative Environments); Fifth: Creativity in Advanced Research and Consumer Behavior is Necessary (needs, desires and fondness), such as knowing the Target, taking into account the unconscious part of the people rather than the conscious part, having to learn together with this the intrinsic, implicit, unseen needs, attachments, desires and what the consumers do not currently have, if Steve Jobs had only listened to the consumer, he would have improved the Mac computer and would have never invented the Ipad, beware of this lesson.
Below there are creative tools, many of them which shall be developed along with their respective processes.
Some interesting tools in the Process:
– Mixing research with testing; use of experience and experimentation.
– Obsessing with the problem, resting and creative pause in order for the idea to come out.
– Use of imagination, fantasy, daydreaming, anything that does not attack the idea.
– Use of prêt a porter (making something ready to wear), depending on the problem.
– Lists of features (use of attention directing tools).
– Asking people about their own experience and later reflecting their insight through proper values (algorithm and expertise tools).
– You must think of the audience in Art, Advertising, Fashion, Politics, Business, Marketing, Management, Politics, Technology, Sports, Music, Research, among others: people sell art with a combination of words and photography or visual things.
– Perform a research with the salespersons, do shopper marketing, do visual research.
– Research tool through visual images (Publicists do this).
– Psychological research: when the participants of a study are induced to using visual images as communication tools they have more freedom to answer compared to what a normal research question may accomplish.
Research via visualization can incorporate an important dimension of experiences as emotions, which are not easily or clearly expressed with words.
Visualization can provide facts and subjects that can be verbally discussed and analyzed.
Research performed via visualization develops the quality of the data.
The visual challenge, originally considered as an interview supplement, captures imagination in several forms that had not been previously seen or anticipated.
– Use of random Photos – used as Provocation – (tools used to Provoke, how to provoke a physical or chemical reaction, for example: introducing a Random Word, a randomly chosen photograph, creates a different reaction).
– Making a wish list or a list of attachments, a list of needs (needs and desires).
A final list must be compiled, close to 300 names; this compilation represents a good number and an incredible cerebral power. Conceptualization comes from this.
– Use of drawings, designs, mental maps, visualizations, illustrations, graphs (as an example, those used by Leonardo Da Vinci, and in three (3) perspectives).
An introspective and self-analysis level represented in drawings is really remarkable.
Drawings and visualizations represent a remarkable level of introspection and self-analysis of whomever does them.
– Use of deduction and induction – (explicit tool in the Philosophy of Andrés Bello).
It seems that intuitively people are regularly involved in thinking tasks and build experiences developing these tasks, they can become people more metacognitive alert than those who are not focused on these activities on a day-to-day basis.
If you have previously experienced a task and fail to fulfill it for any reason, you may use this experience to justify these resources in different paths with the hope of having a better result.
Metacognitive strategies are those employed to ensure that a goal is reached or accomplished.
Typical cognitive strategies, for example, may be involving the making of lists of benefits of a product for the consumer. Another could be making a list of the features of these products.
To use enough time in order to create the personality of a brand.
Visual images may be used to explore human experiences better than other forms of communication.
For example, Research through the visualization of a product is used as a visual task developed by the participants during a research project.
People that practice and work in Art, Advertising, Fashion, Politics, Business, Marketing, Management, Technology, Sports, among others, are prepared to bring their tasks to the table and others love them, hate them, change them, buy them, steal them or dismiss them; they have learned to constantly handle critique, they have learned to revise themselves, to recover, to win and to lose, even clients and businesses.
These types of personalities are the great thinkers.
2018 Marcel Arellano. All rights Reserved.
Ramon Marcel Arellano Baez 