Trust the Creative Process

There are going to be days where the ideas flow like water, where your hands can’t keep up with the pace in which your mind is coming up with new and exciting ideas.

But then there are also going to be times where you can’t come up with a single thing. Times where every word you write down feels like pulling teeth, and then when you read back those words, you hate every letter.

Both of these are part of the process.

John Cleese, in Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide, writes:

When you eat, the bit where the fork returns empty to your plate isn’t a failure. It’s just part of the eating process.

Do you get annoyed when the fork leaves your mouth and returns to the plate? No, of course not. You understand that this is a necessary step in the process of feeding yourself.

You also shouldn’t be annoyed when you can’t think of any ideas. You need to understand that this is also part of the creative process. You need to give your Tortoise Brain a chance to work.

Trust the creative process. Even the annoying bits.