FROM MAYHEM TO MAGIC (pt 4 of 4)

We ended pt 3 by asking, in short, why can't we leap before we look in our quest for creative colutions?

One answer is that we've tried shortcuts. Check the web. It's full of models, maps, diagrams, templates, tools and advice on, 'how to write a killer headline'. While a disciplined approach is clearly of some value, these techniques frequently involve groups of people. Good for team building. OK for volume idea generation and background work. Not a replacement for the illumination stage which is essentially a private, solo and immersive activity (exceptions; collaborative projects e.g. some music, movies, dance).

Another answer is that of course, we can leap before we look. Not every project or person needs to plod painstakingly through each step. Preparing a business pitch probably involves lite versions of all three steps. But most artistic serious endeavours will benefit from incubation. How much time each step needs is up to each of us to work out through trial and error. Handel wrote The Messiah, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, in three weeks. Some may take years to write a book. Others will get stuck in the 'I'm getting ready to get ready...' vortex forever.

The inexorable beauty of creativity is that if writing is thinking made apparent, then by committing to this process, we learn and grow ourselves. Perhaps that's what the ancient Greeks meant in their belief that the Muse only bestows creativity on those most worthy.

If you're interested in these kinds of questions and what we know about the workings of the brain, I recommend two books by Iain McGilchrist. 'The Master and his Emissary' and published this year, 'The Matter with Things'. Both yield fascinating insights. Details here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/