E127-Going-4Words-r
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Speaker: [00:00:00] A structured creative process really comes in handy. It's going to provide a guide, a foundation that will help you collect your thoughts, navigate through your ideas so you can choose an idea, and then do the work and do the good work. Welcome to the BDI Create Today podcast. This is a podcast where we uncover and discover the who, what, where, when, why, and how you can be creative or have more creativity.
And together, we'll explore the extraordinary impact creativity can have in your life, in heart, mind, body, and soul. And if we haven't met yet, I'm Beth Buffington, a licensed artist, digital illustration instructor, and a creative coach living [00:01:00] just outside of the Windy City, Chicago. But mostly, I'm someone who is curious about how creativity can weave its way into nearly everything in our lives.
Each week, we are going to look at one or more of the sparkly facets that make up the ever-changing kaleidoscope that is creativity.
Hello, and welcome back, my friend, to another episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington. I am so glad you're here with me today, whether you've been with me from the very beginning, the very first episode, or if this is your first time that we are meeting. Either way, this episode, my friend, can be life-changing for you.
Today, we're going to do something a little different. We're going to go back into the Create Today archive. We're gonna go back to [00:02:00] episode 24, back to where I first introduced my Going Forwards creative framework. And the reason I wanted to revisit this episode is because something, something shifted about the framework for me, and it was something pretty big.
And I think that it might shift something inside for you, too. So I wanted to share what I discovered with you. And when I first recorded episode 24, I was talking to folks about how to use the Going Forwards framework to be more productive. And I was focused on artists and writers and entrepreneurs and musicians.
Actually, any person in any job who just wanted to finish more projects, beat creative block, and do better work. And the Going Forwards framework, revive, realize, refine, and release, it absolutely does [00:03:00] that. It makes you more productive. It is a great creative tool for productivity in the workplace. That has not changed.
But my friend, here is what has changed. I now realize that this framework is so much bigger than just a creative practice for better work, for better productivity. The Forwards framework is a practice for your whole life, for your heart, your mind, your body, and your soul. Because when you feel more in tune with who you are and what you have to give, that wholeness shows up not only in your work, but also in your relationships and in whatever you are building right now or dreaming right now for your future.
And here's what I mean. As I was researching again through this final word of my framework, release, I had a personal reckoning. You see, years ago, I had [00:04:00] just burst through this really difficult season of work that was really hard. The work itself, I loved it. It was incredibly creative. Lots of art involved.
In fact, if you would have said to me, "Describe your perfect job," this would have been it. But the environment built around the job was toxic. There was competition that pitted employee against employee instead of with employees as teamwork, and this ramped up comparison and it ramped up unfair judgment.
And there were countless meetings while I was there, impossibly stressful meetings, that even after I walked away from that job, those conversations during the meetings, they kept replaying over and over and over in my head. I thought about them in the shower. I thought about them while I was walking the [00:05:00] dog.
I would wake up dreaming about them during the night. They were conversation loops I was having trouble turning off. And I realized that those experiences, even though they were in my past, even though I walked away from them for good reason, these experiences were continuing to shape how I thought about myself, about my capabilities, and about what I might be able to do in my future.
These experiences were staining how I showed up for new opportunities, how I trusted or didn't trust myself with new opportunities, with new business relationships, with- my new goals that I was setting for myself. Maybe for you, it wasn't a stressful job creating residual anxiety. Maybe it's a relationship you have with your family, with a partner, with, um, a community.
Maybe it's something that has [00:06:00] happened to you and you've labeled yourself as a failure. Maybe it's a harsh word someone said to you years ago that you still hear echoing over and over again in your head. These would be events or experiences, conversations, something that's happened that you have created as baggage that you don't need to carry, but you're still dragging it around with you.
And that is what I wanna talk about today because release, this fourth word in the framework, it has two sides to it that I did not fully understand when I first recorded episode 24 that explains the entire Going Forwards framework. And I wanna explain the two sides of release. And the first one is you just let go of that emotional weight that is too heavy to carry.
It's that worry, the anxiety, past experiences that have become detritus, you know, that clutter [00:07:00] that is blocking your path or keeping you locked away from what could be a brighter day tomorrow. And when we hold on to those things, my friend, they quietly steal our energy, our confidence, and our growth. And the second side of release is just as important and maybe even more so.
It is the releasing of goodness that you have to give to the world. And my friend Our world is in chaos right now. I'm sure you have been feeling it in small ways, medium ways, large ways. Our families, relationships, community, nation, and yes, the whole world needs your kindness, your service, your gifts, and your good work.
And when we hold on to doubts about ourselves, when we stay stuck in what we're afraid of, or ashamed of, or [00:08:00] unsure about ourselves, we keep all that goodness locked up inside us, and the world misses out. You have something to give, and going forwards is the practice that can help you get there. So today we're gonna go back to episode 24, and I want you to listen to it with fresh ears.
Whether you're hearing it for the first time or not, I want you to listen to it as more than just a creative tool. Hear it as a practice for your whole self. Because when you feel better, when you are lighter, and more alive, and more connected to who you are, you do better work. You build better things.
You show up better for the people around you who need you. That is what going forwards is really about. Ready? Let's [00:09:00] go. Here is episode 24 that I'm sure you're going to enjoy. Now today, we are casting off into a multi-part series. We're going to explore a fundamental aspect of creativity that often gets overlooked, but is absolutely crucial, and that is the creative process.
Now, I know a lot of creatives have closets full of art supplies, and maybe a studio full of half-finished projects. Or maybe, uh, are feeling blocked or burned out with their creativity. Or maybe there's a creative out there listening today that's thinking, "My best creative days are over." Well, this episode, my friend, is for you.
So whether you're an artist, a writer, an entrepreneur, a musician, a gardener, a baker, or someone who loves a good spreadsheet, having a creative [00:10:00] process to guide you can make the difference in transforming your creativity from a mere spark into an idea that is going to help you create your next great masterpiece.
But what exactly is a creative process, and why is it so important? So let's start with a simple definition. The creative process is a series of steps or stages that individuals can follow to generate and develop and refine their ideas. Now, it's kind of like a roadmap that's going to guide you from an initial concept all the way through to final execution.
And while the specifics can vary greatly depending on the field and the individual, I've discovered that there are four common stages that I believe most creatives can put to use [00:11:00] and think about as their creative process. So let's talk about the importance of having this kind of structure, a creative process, to rely upon while working on a creative project.
One of the biggest misconceptions about creativity is that it's entirely spontaneous and unstructured, something that's just going to happen and fall out of your head, and you're like, "Oh, my gosh, look what I just did." Now, while these bursts of inspiration do happen, relying completely on what can be a rare moment can be unreliable and can end up being very stressful because you're thinking this has to happen all the time, and my friend, it doesn't.
Just aha moments like that, they don't happen every day for everyone all the time. And this is where having a structured creative process really comes in handy. It's going to [00:12:00] provide a guide, a foundation that will help you collect your thoughts, navigate through your ideas so you can choose an idea, and then do the work and do the good work.
A creative process is also going to nudge you to actually finish your project. A creative process is also going to help you from getting stuck, blocked, or overwhelmed. So think of it like this. Imagine you're going to build a house. Would you start building a house without a blueprint? No, you would not.
And a good majority of us wouldn't cook or bake something without following a recipe, and the same goes for creativity. Having a process in place is like having a blueprint, a roadmap, a recipe that's going to help you follow through the steps as you work through a creative project. It's gonna keep you on track, it's going to [00:13:00] help you manage your time effectively, and ultimately, it will increase the quality of your work.
Hm, that sounds pretty good, right? In the next four weeks, we are going to take a peek into my Going 4Words creative process. This is going to help you navigate from no ideas to concepts, to working on a project, doing the work, to finishing your work. My simple and easy-to-follow creative process breaks down the creative process into four words, and these four words will help you go forwards with your creativity.
And yeah, that's a pun. Four words help you go forwards. And my four words, this creative process, is divided into four main phases, four words. And those words are revive, realize, [00:14:00] refine, and release. So let's take a quick moment to chat a bit about each of these four words and how they can help you go forwards with your creative projects.
The first word is revive, and the revive stage takes place when you are in between creative projects. So sometimes after finishing a project, you might find yourself a little creatively exhausted, right? So the revise phase is time when you take a pause to exhale and allow your creativity to rejuvenate.
This stage is often just taking a break, doing unrelated activities, or simply giving yourself time to reflect. It's during this period that you take time to let your brain rest. And when you give your brain time to rest and be idle, your brain [00:15:00] actually gets really busy, and it makes connections between different pieces of information, often leading to unexpected insights.
Think of it like letting seeds germinate after they've been planted. And this stage is crucial because it allows for the magic of creativity to begin to happen. Now, the second word in my Going 4Words with your creativity is realize. And the realize stage is all about seeing ideas. So in this phase, you are actively gathering information.
You're doing some research, and you're immersing yourself in creative possibilities. It's like filling a pantry with delicious ingredients for future baking. During this stage, you're not just passively absorbing information, but you're actively focusing on the world around you. You're asking questions.
You're [00:16:00] seeking inspiration. You're pulling yourself out of autopilot, which we do a lot in our daily lives. So when you're out of autopilot, you're actually able to see the world with your creative eyes, and you're able to look for that next great idea. You're collecting, you're organizing your information so that you can find it when you are ready to actually begin to work.
The key here is to open yourself up to a wide range of influences and perspectives that will cause that little spark of inspiration to strike and bring in that new creative idea. Now, the third word in my going forwards with your creativity is refine. Now, the refine stage is when the work begins.
You're going to start by reviewing your collection of ideas from the [00:17:00] realize phase. You're in the pantry. You're looking at all the delicious ingredients that you've gathered, and you're thinking, "What will I make with these ingredients?" And then you're going to choose what your next project will be from the ideas that you've gathered.
Sometimes this is one of those aha moments when a brilliant idea or solution suddenly comes to you when you least expect it. You might be taking a shower or driving or in the middle of the night. It happens. And then sometimes it's just a subtle pull towards a direction from an idea that you have gathered and put into a location for later review.
And now you're looking at your ideas and you think, "Hmm, maybe this." And you will find it intriguing, and you will begin to work. Now, these moments of clarity are the result of the hard work that you put in during your realize phase, right? [00:18:00] And, and in that phase where you're reviving and you're allowing your brain to be idle.
So these two phases are the payoff for giving your mind the space and time to start connecting those dots and doing the work. So this refine stage is where you bring your ideas to life. It's the execution phase where you turn your abstract ideas, your concepts into tangible reality. And then depending on your field, and this could involve writing, designing, building, gardening, baking, writing music, anything, any number of activities.
But this is where you put your head down, my friend, and you get the work done. The refine stage, it requires some discipline, some focus, some persistence, and a willingness to overcome obstacles. This is where that real work happens, and it's also where you get to see the fruits of your [00:19:00] creative labor.
This is where you have to do the work. And the fourth word in my going forwards with your creativity is release. In this final phase, I'm gonna tell you, this can be, for some creatives, the most difficult phase. This is the time during your creative project when you, the creative, must decide this project is finished.
In the release phase, it is time to put down your tools and use your project for whatever purpose it was created for. So stop making that one last detail, or if you're like me with a digital project, moving something one pixel to the left, to the right, to the north, to the south. It's time to put down your tools and use your project for whatever purpose it was created for.
So is it a gift? Time to give the gift, my [00:20:00] friend. Or are you planning on using it to decorate your house? Get to it. Put that thing up on your wall. Are you selling it to a customer? My friend, go make some money. Now, the reason that this last phase, the release phase, is often difficult, well, we're gonna talk about this in the podcast when we explore this very important final phase of my creative process, the release phase.
Now, let's take a moment to pause for a word from our sponsor. And today's sponsor, well, that would be me. If the idea of releasing and finally putting down the weight of what you've been carrying so you can move forward with more freedom and happiness, if this is resonating with you, I want to invite you into the offerings here at Create Today.
First, let's talk about my Create Today membership. This is [00:21:00] a unique creative community that is built around using creativity as a practical, powerful tool for your wellbeing to enhance not only your personal life, but also your creativity. We explore the Four Words framework together, and we support each other throughout all the hard parts, the reviving, the realizing, the refining, and yes, the releasing And if you're looking for something more personal, I offer one-to-one coaching where we explore your creativity, just you and I.
We look at your goals, your plans, your path, and you can discover the unique ways you need to go forwards with your creativity to find the happiness in your creative life and in your creative goals. You can find all my memberships, my coaching, and all the Create Today resources at [00:22:00] www.bdi-create.today.
And you'll also find links to take you directly to the signup and registration pages in today's show notes. My friend, you deserve a happier and healthier life and successful creative pursuits, and you don't have to figure out how to get there all by yourself. So come and create today together with me.
Now, we've just done a really quick tour of my FourWords creative process so that you can go forwards with your creativity. So let's talk about the benefits of having a structured approach that you can be aware of and follow while you are creating. So here's a list of what you can look forward to when you have a creative process that you can follow.
First, enhanced productivity. First and foremost, a creative process [00:23:00] enhances productivity. It is giving you that clear roadmap so that you know where you're going and how you want to do something, and when you need to finish it. And you can manage your time more effectively. You can avoid getting stuck in creative ruts or being distracted by other shiny objects, and it's gonna help you stay focused and organized, and this is going to allow you to make steady progress on your projects.
Number two, you're going to get higher quality work, and who doesn't want that? A structured creative process leads to higher quality work. So by systematically looking and choosing carefully and evaluating your ideas, you ensure that only the best concepts make it to that refined stage where you're doing the work.
So while you're [00:24:00] making that work, you already know you've got a good idea because you gave yourself time to rest, and you gave yourself time to do your research. So at the refined stage, you're already pretty sure you've got a good idea. And this results in a more polished and impactful end product. And it will also give you more confidence as a creative, 'cause you have a process that will keep you from straying or getting overwhelmed, and will help you actually finish more projects.
The third thing that is going to be super helpful having a creative process that you follow is you're going to reduce stress. This is a significant benefit because, my friend, creativity can be daunting, especially when you're facing that blank canvas or an empty page and you think, "I don't have any ideas."
Having a process in place that has filled that creative pantry [00:25:00] with great ideas provides a sense of direction and control that is going to make the creative journey a little less overwhelming. And the fourth thing that's really important about having a creative process is you're going to have greater innovation.
So having this well-defined creative process, it's fostering innovation by encouraging you to explore a wide range of ideas and perspectives. So when you're in that realize phase and you open yourself up to new ideas, and you explore and have new experiences, it's going to increase the likelihood of coming up with unique and groundbreaking solutions and new creative projects.
That is going to be fabulous, don't you think? So wherever you are right now in your latest creative project, just take a sec and think, "What phase of [00:26:00] going forwards am I in now?" Are you possibly in the revive stage? Are you in between projects? So do you need some creative rest and rejuvenation to just get back some of that creative energy that you might have depleted on the project you just finished?
Or are you in the realize phase? Are you on the hunt for some creative ideas? Are you gathering and collecting and organizing in preparation for your next great masterpiece? Maybe you are in that refine stage. So are you hip-deep in the weeds of doing the work on a project? If so, have fun, my friend.
Enjoy. Maybe you are or should be in the release phase. Is it time to stop adding that one more detail? Or should you just look at what you have and say, "Good enough," before you push what you think isn't a perfect [00:27:00] masterpiece into the back of the proverbial creative closet? Do you need to put down your tools and release your work into the world?
Think about it. Where are you in your process and your creative confidence as you go forwards with your creativity by using my four words, revive, realize, refine, and release? Remember, it's important to understand how to use the power of a creative process. It's an amazing tool that can help you harness your creativity, increase your productivity, and bring your ideas to life.
Creativity is more than just having great ideas. It's about making those ideas happen and then sharing your amazing ideas with the world. Oh, and that, my friend, was episode 24, where it all began. I hope [00:28:00] hearing it today, maybe for the first time or with a whole new perspective, I hope it sparked something in you, because that is exactly what going forwards with your creativity is designed to do.
In the past four weeks, in episodes 123 through 126, we deeply explored each of the four words: revive, realize, refine, and release. And if you missed any of those episodes, I highly recommend going and listening to them and understanding the goodness it can bring to you in heart, mind, body, and soul. So go back and explore and have some fun.
Each one of these episodes will give you the tools to move through its particularly unique phase with more intention, more confidence, and more joy. And let's just, again, touch lightly on each of these [00:29:00] powerful word tools. Revive is our first word, and it will give you permission to check in honestly about your energy levels.
The revive stage gives you concrete ideas about how you can rest, refuel, and maintain your energy to be more productive with life and with career. The realize word, well, this stage gives you the opportunity to open your eyes, hop off of autopilot so you can look around you and see the beauty in your world and realize those blessings that you have right in front of you at this very moment, and it will also help you understand there are possibilities around you right now.
The refine stage, oh, here is where we get the work done, and this is the good, meaningful, purposeful work. [00:30:00] So have some fun actually doing your good works. And release, probably our most important word. Release is where you let go of the baggage that's weighing you down and you let your goodness out into the world, your gifts, your service, your kindness into a world that is truly, deeply needing what you have to share.
And here's what I want to leave with you today. Whatever you are carrying, whatever you're afraid to let go of, whatever gift you've been holding back, the Going Forwards framework is not just for your next creative project. It's not just for your next job of any kind. It is for you. It is for your whole self.
Thank you, my friend, for being with me today. Thank you [00:31:00] for being part of the Create Today community. And as always, keep looking for that next great idea. Keep going forwards so you, my friend, can stay creative.
