New Year, New Process: Creative Processes

Welcome to Part 2 of my series on Creative Process. Last month, we dove into the process of goal setting and talked about a few of the reasons why an emphasis on systems rather than goals might be the best way to structure your focus this year.

This time, I promised we’d look at “creative synergy” – which is a fancy way of saying “juggling multiple projects in various stages of development without losing your ever-loving mind.”

When I started thinking about this process last month, I was coming at it from a mindset of productivity. If you want to put more out into the world, you have to produce more, right? And one of the most effective ways to produce more is to have multiple projects going at the same time so that as soon as you finish one, you’re already cycling into the next thing.

Part of the reason for this productivity-oriented mindset was the end-of-the-year vibe. December is the month where we hear all the messaging around goal-setting because the new year holds the promise of the “new you”, et cetera et cetera et cetera (to quote the King from The King and I).

But as soon as that calendar flipped over to January, what kinds of messages have been flooding my inbox and social feeds?

Messages about burnout, fixing our messed up relationship to time, and the evils of hustle culture.

So, on the one hand, we’re being told to “get after it” even if it means working until you drop – and on the other, we’re being told that living in the pressure cooker of Hustle 24/7 is damaging to us in every possible way.

As usual, when faced with these kinds of dilemmas, I like to thumb through my Aristotle and remind myself that the best way is the golden mean. How do we create a system of productivity that allows all the parts of our life to work together and moves us steadily toward our big dreams, but without massive stress and burnout?

That’s the goal of “creative synergy” as we head into February. So let’s jump straight into it.

What is Synergy, Anyway?

The dictionary defines “synergy” as “the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.”

Basically, synergy is a state of cooperation that produces a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. When I use the word to apply to the creative process, I’m looking for a process that allows me to work on multiple projects at the same time, all of which are moving me steadily in the direction of my bigger vision for my life and work.

There are a couple of issues that might jam up our ability to achieve this kind of synergy. We can get stuck or bogged down in a single project, thus losing sight of the whole ecosystem of our creative work. Or we can split our attention in so many different ways that we stall out our progress because we’re not able to spend enough time on what matters.

In order to avoid these pitfalls, we need a few tools: we need a strong sense of the vision we are trying to achieve, an honest awareness of our processes, and a solid method for managing our time. Let’s take each one in turn, and hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a roadmap for creating your own system of creative synergy.

The Vision

It’s impossible to prioritize projects if you don’t have a clear vision of where you’re headed. I could cite a huge list of books that preach the importance of vision as the foundation of productivity, but The Twelve Week Year makes a particularly strong case for it. Authors Brian Moran and Michael Lennington say that “vision is the ignition switch and power source of high performance. It is the all-important why behind the things you do.”

By way of analogy, let’s imagine you’re setting up a factory. You order the machines and you’re ready to start cranking things out. But – you don’t really have a specific design for the final product. All you have is some vague idea, like “mode of transportation.”

I think it’s pretty clear that without a firm and specific design, your assembly line will be a disaster, resulting in a waste of time and resources. It’s the same thing here. I can’t create synergy in my creative process if I don’t know what I’m building or why.

So, your first task is to do a little vision work. What is the life you’re trying to create for yourself, in as much detail as you can picture it? How does this vision offer joy and fulfillment in every area of your life, not just professionally? And how does your creative work fit into this vision?

Once you have a long-term vision, it can also be helpful to hone in on your vision for this year. What does that look like for you?

The Process

Creative projects, like insects and trees and every other living thing, grow in stages from conception to final delivery – its “birth” into the world. We can roughly chart the growth of a creative project through these phases: idea generation, research, and development, pre-writing, first draft, feedback, revision, feedback, and final delivery.

Some of these phases are more intensive than others and require different skills, and depending on the type of project you’re working on, the phases may take more or less time.

A disclaimer: you have to understand your own process. Working on multiple projects at the same time isn’t for everyone. That’s why your unique vision is so important, and why understanding how you produce your best material is also key.

Remember, this isn’t about what anybody else is doing. This is about you. Your vision. Your work. Your process. Your creative synergy.

I mentioned above that each different phase of the creative process requires a different set of skills. They also each require different levels of energy. Some parts of the process are fun, energizing, and engaging. Some parts are a drag, or they dredge up a bunch of negative emotions or imposter syndrome. I recommend paying attention to the ebb and flow of your energy as you work through a project. The last thing you want to do is stack multiple projects in such a way that all of them are sucking your energy at the same time.

I feel an objection coming, so let me address it here: no, we don’t always have the luxury of working within our ideal system. Sometimes the work just has to get done. But we can still approach that work mindfully, recognizing when it drains us or energizes us, and giving ourselves permission to find ways to recharge as needed.

To start thinking through your own process and building your own system of creative synergy, try asking yourself these questions:

1. Based on my long-term vision and my vision for where I’d like to be at the end of this year, how will I get there? What are the steps on the path? Reverse-engineer the journey.
2. Based on my current life circumstances and my typical creative process, what kind of project load is a reasonable stretch for me?
3. What are my favorite parts of the creative process, which energize me or “fill the well” for me creatively?
4. What are my least favorite parts of the creative process, which I find draining or challenging?
5. Do I have two or three ideas in progress already? What stages are they at? Could they be stacked more effectively?
6. If I only have one project, could I start brainstorming and researching an idea for a second? How might adding a second project move me toward my goals and vision?
7. If I have representation or someone helping me navigate my creative career, what do they recommend I focus on first?

One final disclaimer before we move into our final segment on scheduling out the work. Just because you have awareness of your process doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Awareness of your process can help you make targeted improvements so that you are better able to handle a higher level of productivity.

The Schedule

Once you have your vision and understand your process, it’s time to plan. Your plan will answer the key question: “How can I do this?”

As Moran and Lennington say in The 12 Week Year, execution is the great differentiator. This is why setting up your systems as we discussed in Part I is so important. Without those solid systems in place, it will be hard to scale your productivity.

Each of the goals you set for yourself should have a deadline and be measurable. And I think breaking them down into their constituent “stepping stone” stages is also very helpful. These stepping stones give you a roadmap for how to get from where you are to your goal, and they can be added to your weekly and daily planner.

There are so many different methods for managing your time, so if you’re unhappy with your current method (or don’t have a method at all), I definitely recommend doing a bit of reading or watching videos on YouTube to find a process you think will work for you.

Particulars aside, the general principle in every time management system is intentionality. So many of us have families and day jobs in addition to our creative work – so time is a precious commodity. Budgeting your time is as necessary as budgeting your paycheck.

Plan out on paper what you’d like your week to look like, and then decide how you will spend the time you have budgeted for your creative work. Think about batching like tasks and creating a block for those types of activities. Some ideas for activity blocks might be: writing, editing, emails/phone calls, or research. Remember, each of these blocks should be keyed toward the stepping stones you’ve mapped out for yourself so that you don’t end up spinning your wheels.

To keep yourself honest and consistent, it’s helpful to establish regular check-ins on your goals. Last year, I added a weekly review on Sundays as part of my planning routine. It was so helpful to get a sense of how much I’d accomplished, what worked, and what didn’t. It’s a way for you to catch problems before they snowball out of control, and reset your systems for a new week. I highly recommend trying this if you don’t already do it.

Possible, and Worth It

Synergy, to me, doesn’t just mean harmony. I have spent far more time operating from a place of burnout than I’d like to admit, and I know that it’s not sustainable over the long term. I’ve had to reset most of my systems this year, and it is still very much a messy work in progress. But the process of resetting those systems has helped me think through that long-term vision, set clear goals for myself, and start to put into practice a more intentional approach to my time, energy, and resources.

If stacking multiple projects feels too overwhelming right now, start with one. Figure out the systems you need to put in place to make your creative work sustainable over the long term. It’s absolutely possible to create synergy not only within the sphere of your creative work but also between all the various parts of your life. And it’s absolutely worth it!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32 members to create a project? We'd love to hear about it. Email Emily at blog@stage32.com and let's get your post published!

Please help support your fellow Stage 32ers by sharing this on social. Check out the social media buttons at the top to share on Instagram @stage32 , Twitter @stage32 , Facebook @stage32 , and LinkedIn @stage-32 .