The Creative Process & Developing Your Ideas (Patreon)

Creating is difficult. Coming up with ideas and developing them coherently, putting thoughts into words to describe what you wanted to convey. From the deepest symbolism to the self-indulgence, sometimes it can be a pain to get motivated, to stand up and actually do things.

I am no expert in this topic. I am also not going to offer specific tips that'll help artists draw better or writers convey what they want on paper. But being creative, and creating things, is something very dear and close to my heart. And it's this motivation to do things that I want to focus on- specifically, why I think everyone should try. Try to draw that character you really wanted to draw. Try to write that story that seemed like it could be cool in your head. Try to make your inner world known.

Maybe not now. Maybe not in the coming weeks or even months. But keeping track of your ideas, and in due time, putting them out there for others to see. For you to enjoy. Wherever they may take you.

Let's get started shall we?

The Worth of your Ideas

Not long ago, I had a struggling friend come to me, asking for help to get her out of a creative slump. In retrospect, I'll admit, that whole conversation was the likely catalyst that led to choosing this topic as an option for a major essay, and I am glad it got picked over the other options.

This friend had problems developing her ideas, not because of a lack of them, but because of a perceived lack of worth. Why create something that you know is going to go nowhere? Why put in the effort if it's just going to be ignored? What if you do not know how to convey this idea in any effective way? Some projects are too ambitious, and it is good to know when you've bitten more than you can chew, to take a step back and re-consider your options.

But that doesn't mean ignoring a thought and abandoning a project are a good alternative.

There are several things I could say about the value of one's ideas and thoughts, but I want to focus on two specific ones- The myth that ideas must be wholly unique and expertly thought of, and the concept that one is not good enough to express their inner world, or that their inner world isn't valuable enough.

The former is a dangerous route to go down. By convincing yourself that your ideas aren't original enough, you prevent yourself from exploring them and coming up with interesting new ways to convey them. Similarly, you can think that in order for a story or a character to be interesting, you need to pack them full of symbolism, of meaning, from the very start. In reality, these are two falsehoods that prevent you from even attempting it. Everything in culture is remixed from what comes before, intentionally or not, it's our own personal flair that makes it special. And depth isn't something that you need, shallow ideas merely for fun are just as valid as something attempted with meaning, not to say, many deeper ideas can start as shallow, and become developed in time. But you wouldn't know that, if you don't try.

The latter is a bit more complex. Because of these prior conceptions, and other factors, like holding stories to an impossible standard, or having a certain lack of self-worth, many can end up believing things they come up with to be inherently worthless, or even if they have some value, believe themselves to not be good enough to make it happen. The idea that you're simply not good enough to write what you want, or that no one would be interested in this comic you thought would be fun to draw. It holds back your potential, and muddles your dreams. It's easy taking solace in this spiral, if you don't try, you won't fail, and if you don't fail, you don't get hurt. But not getting hurt doesn't matter in the end, when you don't even try.

Try, try, try. I keep pushing the idea, of trying, but why try, right? I am not going to go stereotypical, you know, the whole "Well, maybe people will enjoy it! You gotta try and see for yourself!". Nah. If you do try and fail, then that train of thought only reassures you to never try again. "Well, I did it, and it didn't go well. So now I know not to do it".

When you try, you have to isolate yourself from the idea of putting it out there for people to see. You want to share your good ideas with others, yes, but creating isn't about what people will think of it. Creating is an act you should do, first and foremost, for yourself.

Things don't need to be unique, as long as they come from you. It doesn't need to be flawless, you just need to enjoy it and want to see it through. And in creating it for yourself, you're honing that skill, the ability to express yourself, to understand yourself and what you want, becoming better and getting more into your own ideas, so that you may eventually end up with something you're actually proud to share.

Creativeness is a form of self-expression. It doesn't need a reason or a purpose, it doesn't need to take into account whether people will like it or if it will be popular or not. You create to put your inner world into words. You create as a way of showing what's been going through your mind, what you like, what you think, how you feel. And from there, it could stay that way, or you could eventually develop it further. So long as it comes from the soul, so long as you enjoy thinking about it and expressing it, it will be good.

So try. Because it doesn't matter how overdone a kind of story may be, or whether you think your work isn't perfect. You're the only person in the world that could come up with this exact idea, and put it into these exact words, or depict it in this specific way. You're more unique and powerful than you know.

Creative Backlog

Going back to the friend that inspired this essay regarding creativity, even once convinced that her ideas were interesting and she should attempt to put them out somewhere, it all came down to something that kept keeping her away from trying. She felt her ideas were too complex to actually develop properly, and so, in the end, she'd end up with all these scattered thoughts and cool tid bits of stuff she had no use for! And so the pile of unused thoughts kept growing, and she became more and more frustrated.

We've all been through something similar, haven't we? Starting new WIPs, new projects that we get really into, only to eventually ditch them, because we lost our drive, or because they grew beyond the scope of what we're capable of. They died down, and in the end, it was all time we lost from actually doing other things.

But that's not true, is it?

Why does it matter if the project comes to fruition in the end or not? Yes, having something finished, that we can be proud of, that we feel accomplished after, is a really good feeling! But the process of thinking it out, of creating it, regardless of how far the project actually got, should also be enjoyable. If you create, and enjoy making, if you draw or write for pleasure, if you compose part of a song you never finish, there's nothing wrong with feeling your drive waver and fizzle away. You still put effort and meaning into it. You can still look back fondly on what you did, instead of focusing on what you could've kept doing. 

We bank a lot on the idea that we need to produce something for our time to have been spent in a valuable manner. Had you actually finished a smaller project you're unsatisfied with, continued with a WIP that you lost all drive for, or used your time to create something else you wouldn't have enjoyed as much trying to make... Would you've actually been happier? Would you have actually spent your time better than quitting when you stopped deriving enjoyment from it and moving on to new thoughts and ideas that make you happy?

But it goes deeper than that.

Because even if you abandon a project or drop an idea, it's not like these things just disappear like you had never made them in the first place. They remain, in your mind. Your files may still be around. Yesterday's OC may be tomorrow's protagonist in your novel series. The song you abandoned could have a leimotif you really enjoy and would like to use in another song. Ideas are made of smaller ideas. If something doesn't work, there's no shame in starting something new. And if something works, why not take advantage of all the things you have already done and experienced in the past?

Re-using. Re-mixing. Re-creating. This backlog of ideas and designs, from abandoned or halted projects, they're not just a pile of shame that you will never use, it's a pool of concepts to draw from for your future projects. Technical skill and thought processes aren't things that disappear between projects. They carry over, they evolve, and they shape what you do, and how you do it.

So.

Your ideas are valuable. You're capable of more than you think. Your backlog of unfinished ideas can always help you shape what comes next. I've been talking all this time about why you should create, why you should try to push yourself and make something.

But of course the next step makes one wonder... What should you make? How do you go from a scattered thought to an idea you can actually develop?

Self-Indulgence and Making It Fit

As much as I like to talk about how you should try to do something, all of my talk to try and create all come down to the assumption you actually do have something you'd like to create. And while many people likely don't have to drive to do so, or don't really want to express anything specific, I do feel every single person has something like that. Ideas, thoughts, shaped by their experiences. Tunes that could be put onto a musical sheet. Images in their mind that they play over and over.

Every individual inner world is fascinating and full with all sorts of different things. But coming up with something to actually make is intimidating, isn't it? There's so many things to consider, it feels.

And that's very much wrong.

The one, major thing to consider when you're creating, is that you like what you're creating. Not even in the sense of agreeing with it, obviously, like with villainous characters. But there must always be something you find interesting. Something that holds your attention, that spark that keeps you going. If you don't like doing it, is it really worth to keep doing it? Self-indulgence. Doing what feels right.

So really who cares about this fear of what people may think? Create something you'd like to see. It doesn't matter if your character is a power fantasy. A story doesn't have to be any more gritty or happy, nor have a happier or more tragic ending than what you want it to have. Who cares if you've used that instrument a lot already? Let it make you happy. Go with the flow. Express yourself, devoid of judgement or fear. Create for yourself, as if you would never show it to other people, then slowly open up to those around you. That is what I mean by isolating yourself from the idea of putting it out for people to see. What I meant by creating for yourself.

Be happy with what you create, and it will never feel like you're wasting time. Create what you want, and feel confident in it, because if you don't make what you like, who would?

And when delving into more complex narratives, do exactly the same. Symbolism for the sake of it is nothing. Symbolism to convey something you feel is important, now that's different. A story can have all the depth and realism of the real world, but if the one conveying it is doing it in a soulless manner, it will come out forced. If you think it's cool, if you think it would be great to have it, for your character, for your world, why not just do it? Use those old ideas that went nowhere, and make them fit.

Making them fit. Sometimes you may hold back because it doesn't feel fitting to have a certain thing in your work. You drop something you felt was good because of a certain degree of expectations in what you're producing. I say fuck that. I say put it in. It may take a little bit to work around why it happens, but that's okay, isn't it? Delving deeper in, giving it your own personal twist. Why make something that's like everything that's been before yours, when you could have fun with it and make it personal?

The soul of creativity is this self-indulgence. You create to express what you want. So don't be silly and hold back what it is you want for someone else, for societal expectations, for hypothetical people who could see it in the future. 'Cringe' is a word people who don't know what Fun is use. There are no rules to what you can and can't create. Feel good about it, and you will feel proud about it.

I do truly believe, as pretentious as it may sound, that the process of Creating is more akin to Exploring. Those ideas, that potential, already exist there, in your mind. You're not making something from scratch, you're examining yourself, and what you know, and explaining what it is you're discovering. Just like a story flows from point to point, this exploration of the mind is a stream of consciousness from idea to idea, thought to thought. As long as you cling to your desires, and as long as you work on making something you yourself would enjoy, this fluidity will happen on its own.

Sharing your Inner World

Do remember, though, that creating for the sake of it, for your sake, without thinking about sharing it, doesn't mean that you're not going to share it. You have to become comfortable with what you do and learn to enjoy it, yes, but at the end of the day, validation and seeing what people think about your work is still a thing. A thing that is very intimidating. You may overcome the fear of being judged during the process of creation, but once you put it out there, it's a distinct possibility. People will not like your work. That can be assured, there will always, always be someone out there who doesn't like what you do. But you should seek comfort in that.

Because you can not satisfy everyone, you should focus on the people that do enjoy it. And that means, to start, you should share these projects and ideas with people you trust. The people closest and most dear to you. Listen to their feedback, explain things to them. Because if they care about you in the same way, and share your interests, they will be not just a source of positive reinforcement, but also a very good tool to develop your project further.

You already know many things about what you want to do, and where to lead it. But there's always things eluding you. Things you haven't thought about. If friends and family enjoy what you're doing, they will have questions, and ideas of their own to add upon yours. And when they ask, or propose something, not knowing the answer is not an option. Because this is something you have done. You hold the power. You make the rules. What feels good? What makes sense? Little by little, closing holes, expanding with things you hadn't thought. Explore your mind, and seek what fits. There will be never plot holes when you've connected things in ways that make sense. And if there's any hole or improvement you could make? People you share it with will quickly try to poke at them and point them your way.

When the people you like being with not just enjoy, but encourage you to keep going? When they're as excited for you to keep going as you are to do so?

Then creativity just comes on its own.

And when it does, so should your soul shine through it.

Unashamed of what you want and like, and delving deep for others to see and share their own experiences and see themselves in yours.

You may have noticed, through this whole talk regarding the creative process, I've been sharing some images that perhaps don't seem to have much to do with the topic at hand! I'll come clean that this is partially a #Shill on my part, but these are the experiences that have shaped my view on how to make things, and I thought it would be interesting to share some of my own work!

Barring the two Homestuck images I used, the rest are drawings of my own for a fantasy setting I am working on, and intend to write a novel on! It's a setting I hold very dear and close to my heart, and after years building it slowly, I definitely feel accomplished and proud about it, even though I haven't published anything with it yet! It started as little more than a RPG setting experiment, bare-bones and basic, but I learned to just keep going. To keep adding upon it, and letting things fall into place. Making it a self-indulgent world with things I like, with a story I feel is interesting. A place I'd like people to get lost in, have fun, and create their own characters, see themselves reflected into it. Magic, fantastical species, arcane technology...

Everything from old sketches in my notebooks, to custom spritework, experiments with music, and just talking with my friends and family about it, even if inspiration to write doesn't come as often as I'd like it to, I can say few things have made me feel more accomplished and happy than coming up for ideas for this, and expressing myself through a world of my own. And that's why I wanted to talk about the Creative Process, and about people using it to show what's going through their minds. Tell their own stories. Their own worlds. Their symphonies and lives.

And who knows, if you guys are interested, I could talk about my setting, Arathia, either here or on Discord, at some point!

But I digress.

I hope my encouragement will push some people to start working on projects of their own, or at least consider talking to others about things they want to do!

In the end, regardless of you creating something or not, being yourself and being true to yourself, exploring your inner world, understanding and being aware of what you do and what you're capable of doing, is, I believe, an important exercise. Don't others make you feel bad for what you like, what you want, and what you do. 

As long as you're not actively hurting others, doing what makes you happy is what everyone should aspire to.

Until next time, everyone, and if there's anything you're working on, whether it be an OC or a major project, please feel free to talk about it in the comments or on the Discord!

See you all. <3