This posting concerns two points that I considered making two posts but decide instead to combine them as the needed each other. The first point concerns and open minded response to the creative process the second part deals with a loose definition of steps and tools to help nurture a creative solution, the process is mainly focused on interactive solutions, but are applicable to most commercial creative endeavors.

A non process – creative process

I know it sounds like I’m being obtuse when I say that my process is process-less but its half true (so is the comment about me being illiterate). The fact is I do have a loose process but its never aloud to define its implementation. I’m a firm believer in taking everything on at its own merits and for me to approach a challenge with a defined system would not give the challenge a chance to be met to its entirety and in tern lessens the integrity of the solution.

Defining the undefined

The closest term I have heard in a business sense is ‘An eyes wide open approach’ I quite liked and it helped me form the opinion that there was another way of embracing the natural nature of the creative process, a philosophy that I became interested in just after the burn out of finishing my Fine Art Degree, moving to London and then leaving London a couple of months later. I started reading the work of Alan Watts a a British philosopher, writer, speaker, who held both a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate of divinity. Most notably I was reading his final book Tao – The Watercourse Way. Now I wont blather on about the tenements of Taoism or Zen mainly because my understanding is not deeply intellectual on these matters and because these explanations are best served elsewhere.

Key principles from my explorations into Tao & Zen stuck in my mind as being relevant to the commercial creative process :

The first revolves around the question “Why in a heavy wind do tree’s get blown over but the grass’s remain?”

The second “That it is pointless to try and put obstacles in the way of moving water, it will find its own course”

The key principle that I took away and have implemented is that in order to solve a creative challenge you need to understand the nature of the driving force and move accordingly. This involves at first a lot of listening and a lot of questions before any action is taken. It also involves a lot of saying “I don’t mind” when asked what your requirements are. You have to be very open minded and take on board whatever is available, perhaps with a little poking under rocks to see if there is anymore interesting stuff that’s not instantly visible.

The problem of perception – That’s just lazy

One issue that I always anticipate and sometimes find is that there is a perception amongst many , even amongst those that should know better that they should expect a huge flurry of activity at the start of a creative challenge addressing, with lots of documents and bits of software. Some think that I’m just being none committal, really I’m just listening and observing and taking it all in. I’m not getting involved with issues that don’t concern me or my deliverables, if someone wants me to use a certain communication mechanism, then fine, if you want me to use a project management mechanism also fine, its not I’m not interested, I just don’t care (but in a positive way). I am more interested in letting you do your job I don’t often feel the need to get involved as for the most part I tend to work with project managers, technical developer who know what they are doing and how to do it.

The nature of water – a thin structure to help the child grow

This all being said even water needs a little help to move along so in general I tend to use the following mechanisms as tools, I don’t always get to use them as sometimes clients just aren’t interested in getting a considered response to there creative issue (more often they just don’t have any budget), sometimes its just not practical.

Step one: Try and understand the characters of the key project leaders (this will teach you a lot about what to expect from the working relationship and how to present responses back)

Step two: Try and understand the background to the creative challenge, whats driving it why does it have to happen, where does it have to go.

Step three: Try and understand the brand behind the creative challenge as if it where a person. I prefer to create or get the client to create a brand persona that defines who the brand is, what they where,listen to eat, value and act.

Step four: Try and understand the audience that the creative solution is to be interacting with, and how the owners of the creative solution would want its audience to react back. I prefer to establish a set of user personas for this stage.

Step five point one: Try and establish an over all aesthetic for the creative solution initially away from any technical architectural issues. I prefer to create a set of mood boards for this step as an iterative process.

Step five point two: Try and resolve the architecture and technical requirements. I prefer to create a set of wire frame documents that illustrate whats needed, what priority it has and vaguely where about it should be.

Then when all these elements and probably a few more or less are in a healthy state they get put in a comfortable room with some nice music a pot of fine strong coffee and are encouraged to dance sing and fornicate with each other until a fine child is born. This child who we shall name, rather dispassionately and unimaginatively – Uwe Concepts is then given all the valid markup and fine coding nutrients and love until he is ready to be presented to his audience and do his thing.

Sometimes the starting points will be different, sometimes they will not, sometimes the steps will differ sometimes they will not the important fact is that I try not to pre-conceive what Uwe’s face will look like before I see it for real, I try and not anticipate what stages his parents Wifram & Moody have to go through to make Uwi, but I do have an idea about what basics are going to need to happen (I do have three children after all).

In Summary

• Be alert
• Be responsive
• Be open
• Forget the ego (he’s not anyone’s friend)
• Don’t rush to do the colouring in before the outlines are drawn
• Go with the flow of the requirements of the creative solution

Happy to get feedback, comments and criticisms.