Know Thy Process
As many have said, “Know Thyself” is ground zero for all emotional and spiritual quests. For an artist, it has an equally important corollary: “Know Thy Process.” Each art-form has a craft. When craft and vision are effectively integrated, great art is produced.
There is another “craft” that rarely gets the attention it deserves. This is the “craft” of working with yourself as an artist. I have come to view this as knowing your process.
Liken yourself to an athlete’s trainer. Helping your athlete be successful will depend largely upon your skills of observation and analysis. You look, listen and ask the hard questions. You find out the strengths and weaknesses –– learn what works and what to avoid. Once the data is in, you will be able to construct a program that will effectively keep your athlete at peak performance.
This same scrutiny bears fruit when applied to monitoring your own process as an artist. In the name of protecting and nurturing your talent, you will benefit tremendously by observing and fine-tuning your choices. Everything deserves inspection, from the smaller things like: does background music help/hurt your creativity?... to the more encompassing larger issues, like: What is the mindset necessary to produce your best work? What steps do I need to take to achieve that mindset?
The list can go on and on. Eventually it will move from analytical to intuitive. You simply do the right thing. The creative act is mysterious and unique to your personality. Regarding process, there are no shoulds or shouldn’ts… only what works for you.
One could argue that Art is 99% process and 1% result. It, therefore, becomes a very practical investment to ensure the process is as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible.
Knowing your process is an ongoing journey that will take you as far as your passion and curiosity can reach. Nothing guarantees commercial success. But, ultimately, knowledge brings clarity… and clarity, in of itself, is an essential tool in dealing with life’s relentless instruction.