Feeling Our Way Through the Creative Process
“I don’t think you can do great creative work without acknowledging and understanding how to work with feelings as a real part of that.”
“You can never hide the traces of yourself and your way of being: they always show up in your work,” Sarah Stein Greenberg writes in Creative Acts for Curious People.
Executive Director of the Stanford d.school, encouraging students to feel is core to Sarah’s mission and her team’s design thinking philosophy.
How do they achieve it when creativity is often a rollercoaster of emotions? By expanding our ability to see what is, imagine what can be, and navigate ambiguity as we create it.
“In a lot of types of work, we’ve said this kind of work is an intellectual process. Or, this is a professional environment and feelings aren’t a part of it. I don’t think you can do great creative work without acknowledging and understanding how to work with feelings as a real part of that.”
In our conversation, we explore exercises to thrive in each stage of the creative process, from incorporating more play and daydreaming into our work to “setting the conditions” to do our best thinking. “The sense of possibility that happens when your imagination is triggered is key to being able to expand your mind, which is at the heart of so much creative work,” she says.
Sarah beautifully curates over 80 of these exercises in Creative Acts for Curious People, revealing that design thinking doesn’t solely amplify our creativity. It offers a dynamic lens to navigate our lives.
What is one playful activity that would add meaning to your life this week? How might you enjoy it with no expectations?
Have fun!
Jenna