The Creative Process and "The Key To Being Original"

Check out this moment (about 9:30 in) of this TED talk by Adam Grant, "The surprising habits of original thinkers."

First, Adam makes a distinction between self-doubt and idea-doubt. Then, he breaks down the Creative Process as:

1. This is awesome

2. This is tricky

3. This is crap

4. I am crap

5. This might be okay

6. This is awesome.

"And so the key to being original is just a simple thing of avoiding the leap from step three to step four. Instead of saying "I'm crap," you say "The first few drafts are always crap, and I'm just not there yet." - Adam Grant

Skipping step #4 takes self-doubt out of the process entirely. Imagine your creative process being:

1. This is awesome

2. This is tricky

3. This is crap

4. This might be okay

5. This is awesome.

Sounds a lot healthier, right?

The whole talk is worth watching, but this moment really resonated. I hope it's helpful for you, too.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee