π The Way I Write
A framework to start and to keep going in any creative process
Creativity itself doesn't care at all about results - the only thing it craves is the process. β Elizabeth Gilbert
People who know I am a full-time employed architect and urban designer always ask me the same question about The Sketch Club: how do you find the time?
I strongly believe that finding the time to write, to draw, to do anything creative, is not really the issue, we all have some spare time - it is just a matter of priorities. But even when whatever we want to do is an absolute priority, it is always hard to start and, more so, to keep going.
My experience is that the success of making it a priority to do anything creative equates to having a framework to start and a framework to keep going. In this post, I will cover the two overall frameworks and some methods I use to publish The Sketch Club weekly, plus a list of recommended books that have helped me shape them. The same applies to the practice of drawing.
Take these and make them yours:
How do I start?
Start by taking notes (or doing sketches) constantly!
Generally, people who havenβt engaged with a specific creative process (almost certainly not because of capability or skills but because of fear) see a blog post from the outside, and all they can see itβs all the work in the writing, in the output, in the words.
The reality in my case is that 90% of the post is not about writing: it is about reading, researching, discovering, taking notes, observing, drawing, playing⦠Writing and editing (at least for me and the way I write) are the easiest part of the process and tend to come at the end. There is first, a longer process of observation and exploration. Julia Cameron calls it filling the well.
I believe this is a common misconception of the creative process, and the reason why so many people give up early: it takes consistency and discipline. The sort of consistent work that takes days, months, even years.
I am always paying attention to the questions I find exciting or interesting. And then the posts are born spontaneously from these observations and notes. I am always taking notes and sketching. They are like pixelated pictures that little by little, through iteration, become sharper and sharper. In fact, every time I have set myself a task the other way around, trying to write purposefully about a specific topic, I have massively failed.
How do I keep going?
Set up an accessible and lean workflow (to evolve those notes or sketches into a bigger thing).
I mainly use Notion to collect notes and build drafts and WIP posts. I love that Notion is synced in all my devices, so I can take notes on the go on my phone and then work on my laptop. Most part of my process goes through a digital tool but I am always complementing it with my analog journals, sketchbooks and my evening pages.
I make it easy for me to evolve the notes I take into fully written posts, then I edit and re-edit on the same page. My browser has the tabs ready with the systems I use for writing and editing, plus I have set up a calendar on Notion to visualise when to publish each post.
My piece of advice: keep the steps between different software or frameworks as lean as possible, and always allow your workflow to make it easy to edit and find information in the future. Being organised pays off. Also, test and find your own methods and frameworks: visual maps, drawings, lists, etc. And remember that these frameworks should work for you, so make them flexible enough to evolve them to your needs as your creative practice progresses.
What shall I read?
These are some books I always recommend as they have helped me design my own workflows and craft my practice:
The Artistβs Way by Julia Cameron
Keep Going by Austin Kleon
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The beauty of frameworks is that they can apply to any creative endeavour, but success, in the end, relies on building the appropriate habits and having the discipline to make them happen.
The hard part is getting to the first word (or the first mark if drawing). The rest is just a matter of keeping going.
βοΈβ¨
Happy sketching!
Ana
Thanks so much for reading!
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All images and text Β© Ana Vila
π Bonus for supporters. Below are some images of personal notes on my Notion pages.
This is a board view of WIP posts and ideas. I categorise them and assign colours to clearly see their stage (I am a visual person):
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