3 ms·

Is tapping into your flow state a similar thing to "being in the zone"? In which case, it's hard to tell, since it is quite subconscious. I'd be tempted to sa

Is tapping into your flow state a similar thing to "being in the zone"? In which case, it's hard to tell, since it is quite subconscious. I'd be tempted to say that being in the zone (if that's what you mean, let me know if not) happens to people who allow themselves to be less self-conscious, to be less disturbed by their own ego. In which case it may help them create better or more focused work. Although I realize I will probably give this a bit more thoughts, since that's interesting :)

grasshopperpurp 9y ago
>Is tapping into your flow state a similar thing to "being in the zone"? Yep, exactly! I could see people who try to control things too much having a hard time getting into that state/zone and replacing it with a long cycle of fussing, but that's just how I imagine it might work. Thanks for the reply :^)
- frading 9y ago
  That actually makes me think about 2 things now: 1. Being in the zone is good, but you may be functioning mostly on instinct, so the more experience you have, the better results you ll get. By that I mean that it s where that thing called craft helps you. You then have some techniques that you can rely on, and not only your gut feelings. 2. While being in the zone, it's still good to jump out of it and criticize your own work (as in you always have to be your best critic). It s almost as if criticizing yourself should be a reflex, part of your instinct. Sometimes I imagine someone commenting what I do and me trying to defend my work. If I can't defend it well, that means I better look into :) And I've mentioned that in another comment, but that applies to any work, whether it is considered creative or technical (knowing that there is a big overlap between those). As a person doing films and web app, my thinking is not very different from one to the other. (Thanks to you for making me think about this)
  - davidjnelson 9y ago
    Flow states have been studied for a while now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) I feel this diagram sums it up very succinctly: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Challenge_vs_skill.svg/300px-Challenge_vs_skill.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Ch... Powerful stuff.
    - frading 9y ago
      Excellent, thank you for those links. I will read them carefully.
  - grasshopperpurp 9y ago
    >1. Being in the zone is good, but you may be functioning mostly on instinct, so the more experience you have, the better results you ll get. By that I mean that it s where that thing called craft helps you. You then have some techniques that you can rely on, and not only your gut feelings. Absolutely! The work of creating comes in the preparation - on one's self and craft. It's like a boxer or mixed martial artist. The time in the ring is the payoff for all the hard work. It's also the moment of judgement for that work and talent. 2 Chainz says, Hard work beats talent, and I tend to agree. >2. While being in the zone, it's still good to jump out of it and criticize your own work (as in you always have to be your best critic). It s almost as if criticizing yourself should be a reflex, part of your instinct. Sometimes I imagine someone commenting what I do and me trying to defend my work. If I can't defend it well, that means I better look into :) For writing poetry, I've settled on something similar. I do think the medium affects the approach. There are times when I will write a page and a half in flow state and read it to realize I only like two lines, and I'll still feel it was time well spent. In visual arts, you can't really do this. Most of the time, I write in a flow state until something breaks the rhythm - typically the emotional/mental impact, rather than meter. When the rhythm breaks, I rewrite the part that works (physically, not editing) and attempt to take a different turn from that point. So, in the process of creating, for writing anyway, I think the editor should hang around just enough to shoo the creator onto the right path. The cutting room is a different story. Really enjoy learning about the way you approach all this! Thanks! :^)

grasshopperpurp 9y ago

>Is tapping into your flow state a similar thing to "being in the zone"? Yep, exactly! I could see people who try to control things too much having a hard time getting into that state/zone and replacing it with a long cycle of fussing, but that's just how I imagine it might work. Thanks for the reply :^)

frading 9y ago
That actually makes me think about 2 things now: 1. Being in the zone is good, but you may be functioning mostly on instinct, so the more experience you have, the better results you ll get. By that I mean that it s where that thing called craft helps you. You then have some techniques that you can rely on, and not only your gut feelings. 2. While being in the zone, it's still good to jump out of it and criticize your own work (as in you always have to be your best critic). It s almost as if criticizing yourself should be a reflex, part of your instinct. Sometimes I imagine someone commenting what I do and me trying to defend my work. If I can't defend it well, that means I better look into :) And I've mentioned that in another comment, but that applies to any work, whether it is considered creative or technical (knowing that there is a big overlap between those). As a person doing films and web app, my thinking is not very different from one to the other. (Thanks to you for making me think about this)
- davidjnelson 9y ago
  Flow states have been studied for a while now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) I feel this diagram sums it up very succinctly: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Challenge_vs_skill.svg/300px-Challenge_vs_skill.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Ch... Powerful stuff.
  - frading 9y ago
    Excellent, thank you for those links. I will read them carefully.
- grasshopperpurp 9y ago
  >1. Being in the zone is good, but you may be functioning mostly on instinct, so the more experience you have, the better results you ll get. By that I mean that it s where that thing called craft helps you. You then have some techniques that you can rely on, and not only your gut feelings. Absolutely! The work of creating comes in the preparation - on one's self and craft. It's like a boxer or mixed martial artist. The time in the ring is the payoff for all the hard work. It's also the moment of judgement for that work and talent. 2 Chainz says, Hard work beats talent, and I tend to agree. >2. While being in the zone, it's still good to jump out of it and criticize your own work (as in you always have to be your best critic). It s almost as if criticizing yourself should be a reflex, part of your instinct. Sometimes I imagine someone commenting what I do and me trying to defend my work. If I can't defend it well, that means I better look into :) For writing poetry, I've settled on something similar. I do think the medium affects the approach. There are times when I will write a page and a half in flow state and read it to realize I only like two lines, and I'll still feel it was time well spent. In visual arts, you can't really do this. Most of the time, I write in a flow state until something breaks the rhythm - typically the emotional/mental impact, rather than meter. When the rhythm breaks, I rewrite the part that works (physically, not editing) and attempt to take a different turn from that point. So, in the process of creating, for writing anyway, I think the editor should hang around just enough to shoo the creator onto the right path. The cutting room is a different story. Really enjoy learning about the way you approach all this! Thanks! :^)