5 ms·

I believe for most people, the answer is: routine. Humans need it.

by randomsearch 5y ago

dageshi 5y ago
It's true, the issue is, creative work isn't routine.
- randomsearch 5y ago
  This is definitely untrue if you mean to imply that you cannot be creative when working to a routine.
- cooldrcool2 5y ago
  Most professional creatives have some sort of routine.
  - lanstin 5y ago
    And get cranky as hell when things disrupt those routines. Jxxx Chrxxxx there is no milk how am I ever going to finish the parser now.
- svachalek 5y ago
  The work is not but many things around it can be. Setting a daily schedule, always get a cup of tea/coffee, sit here, play this music, create a log entry, etc etc. Can all help put the brain in "oh it's time to work" mode. The pomodoro process works for me and for a lot of people. Just set a timer for 25 or 30 minutes and make a rule you can't do anything else until the time is up. Just sit there and do nothing if your brain refuses to cooperate. Eventually boredom will do the trick. Finally, creative work often involves lots of bits that aren't really creative. Source control, editing, issue trackers, etc. You can gain a lot by setting up a strict, thoughtless way of going through these motions. Makes it painless and not a hurdle, eventually, even if it still eats time.
  - bena 5y ago
    Yes, free up your mental space for creativity. For instance, I don't need lunch to be a free-wheeling creative enterprise. I can just grab something simple, easy, and available that I know I don't dislike. Now that I don't have to think about lunch, I can spend that mental energy thinking about other things. With enough ritual and routine, I can even dedicate that mental energy while I do those things. Ritual and routine don't stifle creativity, they give it the space to function.
- ruined 5y ago
  creativity can't be routine, so it's important to routinely make space in your life for creativity, so when it strikes you're ready
- edmundsauto 5y ago
  “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.” Many writers talk about routine being critical to drive their production.
  - randomsearch 5y ago
    I'd say the overwhelming majority of writers seem to have this routine writing in the morning.
  - dageshi 5y ago
    Certainly, mornings are generally very productive, you get a certain amount of productive time in the morning which is very valuable in my experience. The issue is, for me at least after about 2-3 hours of good real creative work I'm done, there's nothing left in the tank. No amount of routine or pomodoro or any other system has overcome this, my brain simply feels wrung dry of any more creative ability.
    - bena 5y ago
      You just kind of flew right past the point of his saying. The point wasn't "mornings are the creative period", it was that you force yourself to be creative by doing it every day. It's like that other adage about artists and critics. I'm paraphrasing here: "Critics will get together and talk about meaning and form and style. Artists will get together and talk about where to get cheap turpentine." It's almost you don't worry about the actual creative part of things. Just do things. Most of it will be bad. If you're counting on only creating good things or let creating bad things discourage you, you'll never actually create. Maybe you do feel wrung out after a few hours, but maybe if you honestly kept at it for another hour, you'll get a second burst. Maybe not. Maybe it happens sometimes, maybe not others. The real point is that unless you try it every day, you'll never find out.
- j7ake 5y ago
  Stephen Kings book “on writing” discusses this issue. From his perspective, and I agree with it, the way to get creative in writing is to be consistently writing every day.
- egypturnash 5y ago
  My day job is drawing and yes, there is routine. There are also all kinds of tricks to convince myself to start working on something even though I am not feeling the Muses beam raw hot inspiration directly to my hand, completely bypassing my brain.
pomian 5y ago
But routine can also kill creativity. Schedule in flexibility for change, randomness, energy flow. Do not hesitate due to, or use schedule, as an excuse, when adventure beckons!
- randomsearch 5y ago
  > But routine can also kill creativity. Maybe it _can_, but for many writers (for instance) routine seems to have been key. How do you schedule for creativity? Curious to give it a try.

I believe for most people, the answer is: routine. Humans need it.

dageshi 5y ago

It's true, the issue is, creative work isn't routine.

randomsearch 5y ago
This is definitely untrue if you mean to imply that you cannot be creative when working to a routine.
cooldrcool2 5y ago
Most professional creatives have some sort of routine.
- lanstin 5y ago
  And get cranky as hell when things disrupt those routines. Jxxx Chrxxxx there is no milk how am I ever going to finish the parser now.
svachalek 5y ago
The work is not but many things around it can be. Setting a daily schedule, always get a cup of tea/coffee, sit here, play this music, create a log entry, etc etc. Can all help put the brain in "oh it's time to work" mode. The pomodoro process works for me and for a lot of people. Just set a timer for 25 or 30 minutes and make a rule you can't do anything else until the time is up. Just sit there and do nothing if your brain refuses to cooperate. Eventually boredom will do the trick. Finally, creative work often involves lots of bits that aren't really creative. Source control, editing, issue trackers, etc. You can gain a lot by setting up a strict, thoughtless way of going through these motions. Makes it painless and not a hurdle, eventually, even if it still eats time.
- bena 5y ago
  Yes, free up your mental space for creativity. For instance, I don't need lunch to be a free-wheeling creative enterprise. I can just grab something simple, easy, and available that I know I don't dislike. Now that I don't have to think about lunch, I can spend that mental energy thinking about other things. With enough ritual and routine, I can even dedicate that mental energy while I do those things. Ritual and routine don't stifle creativity, they give it the space to function.
ruined 5y ago
creativity can't be routine, so it's important to routinely make space in your life for creativity, so when it strikes you're ready
edmundsauto 5y ago
“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.” Many writers talk about routine being critical to drive their production.
- randomsearch 5y ago
  I'd say the overwhelming majority of writers seem to have this routine writing in the morning.
- dageshi 5y ago
  Certainly, mornings are generally very productive, you get a certain amount of productive time in the morning which is very valuable in my experience. The issue is, for me at least after about 2-3 hours of good real creative work I'm done, there's nothing left in the tank. No amount of routine or pomodoro or any other system has overcome this, my brain simply feels wrung dry of any more creative ability.
  - bena 5y ago
    You just kind of flew right past the point of his saying. The point wasn't "mornings are the creative period", it was that you force yourself to be creative by doing it every day. It's like that other adage about artists and critics. I'm paraphrasing here: "Critics will get together and talk about meaning and form and style. Artists will get together and talk about where to get cheap turpentine." It's almost you don't worry about the actual creative part of things. Just do things. Most of it will be bad. If you're counting on only creating good things or let creating bad things discourage you, you'll never actually create. Maybe you do feel wrung out after a few hours, but maybe if you honestly kept at it for another hour, you'll get a second burst. Maybe not. Maybe it happens sometimes, maybe not others. The real point is that unless you try it every day, you'll never find out.
j7ake 5y ago
Stephen Kings book “on writing” discusses this issue. From his perspective, and I agree with it, the way to get creative in writing is to be consistently writing every day.
egypturnash 5y ago
My day job is drawing and yes, there is routine. There are also all kinds of tricks to convince myself to start working on something even though I am not feeling the Muses beam raw hot inspiration directly to my hand, completely bypassing my brain.

pomian 5y ago

But routine can also kill creativity. Schedule in flexibility for change, randomness, energy flow. Do not hesitate due to, or use schedule, as an excuse, when adventure beckons!

randomsearch 5y ago
> But routine can also kill creativity. Maybe it _can_, but for many writers (for instance) routine seems to have been key. How do you schedule for creativity? Curious to give it a try.