Experimentation: The Key Ingredient in Crafting Your Unique Creative Sauce
Today, we are going to be unpacking another really common buzzword in the world of art and creativity, experimentation. What does it mean? What does it look like in practice? And, how to know it’s time to hit the breaks and actually commit to your creative ideas. If you’re ready to dive in, then keep listening or watching, if you’re tuning in on YouTube.
Let’s kickoff this exploration by talking about why experimenting sounds good in theory but is much harder in practice.
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We don’t know what experimenting means
First of all, we don't know how. We don't know what it means to experiment in practical terms. This is one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around in creative spaces. Experiment this, experiment that. But how do you do it? What does this mean within the context of your particular flavor of creativity? And when do you know that you've experimented enough? And, when should you stop experimenting? When should you finally commit to your creative idea or your project? There are too many questions and not enough answers.
We are afraid of failure
Let's be real here, failure and rejection sucks! It doesn't feel good. It can be painful and embarrassing when things don't work out if you try something new. So, we try to avoid it at all costs.
For example, I went through this last year when I joined forces with a colleague to launch a podcast (very similar to this one). I think you can tell that I've been thinking about podcasting for a while. But once the project kicked off, I quickly realized that it wasn't going to work out for me long term.
I had to admit not only to myself, but also to my collaborator, that this wasn't going to work out. I had to call it quits! And, it has taken me a while, almost a year, to be okay with this perceived failure. I felt bad about this project not working out the way I thought it would. In retrospect, I know that I made the right call and as cliche as it sounds, in the end this was a huge learning opportunity for me.
I realized what I wanted and how to do it differently. I learned that it was important for me to do this project on my own terms. This knowledge and experience was only possible because I took the risk of putting myself out there to figure it out. You know, as they say, there's nothing that can replace actual lived experience.
You can hear about experimenting all day long, but you won't know what this feels like until you actually do it.
We believe there is only “one right way” to do our creative work.
We avoid experimenting because we have been under the illusion that there is only one right way to do everything, this includes art, business, and life. We reluctantly agree out of our need for safety and certainty.
The general consensus is— follow the true and tried method, don’t take too many risks, look for the right answer, be a good girl or boy, be obedient, don’t get too weird, don’t be too confusing, play it safe. I’m sure you know what this is like.
This is an unspoken social agreement most of us follow blindly. Even though, deep inside, we have an inkling that is telling us that this is all a bunch of BS. But we still cling on to it. Intellectually we know that nobody really knows what they're doing and everyone is figuring things out as they go. Yet, we insist on following the one true path towards seemingly guaranteed success.
But like I said at an intuitive level, we know that this goes against the nature of creativity. We know this because part of what makes us creative people is our curiosity, our deep desire for exploration, and need to push beyond the obvious. We are hungry for more. We are desperate for a richer life.
And by richer, I don't mean like more money wise (of course, money matters), but I mean, richer in the sense of experiences and doing interesting things. So, this whole message of playing it as safe doesn't really work for us.
So, what is experimentation in creativity anyway?
If you do a quick Google search, experimentation is the process of trying out new ideas, methods, or activities with the purpose of discovering something new or testing out an idea.
In the context of our creativity, this means exploring different ways of being creative. This can include any of the following:
Playing with different ways to achieve a desired result in your creative work, whether it’s using a different medium or starting your work in an unconventional way.
Changing up aspects of your creative practice, like trying out different workflows or organizational methods
Or, alternating between different work environments to help you avoid boredom and seek out inspiration
Why should you experiment with your creativity?
The answer is simple, experimenting helps you to learn!
But there are also other benefits like:
Having room to test out your ideas before committing to them
Discovering what works and what doesn’t
Gaining real hands on experience
Developing a unique way of working aligned to your preferences
Practicing an experimental attitude to work through fear failure
Recognize when it’s time to stop experimenting
While experimenting is fun and important in our creative process, it’s equally important to learn to recognize when it's time to stop. If you’re not mindful, experimentation can easily turn into procrastination and creative block. And, at some point, you are going to need to commit to an idea to see it through.
So here are some signposts to help you determine if you're ready to move on from the experimentation phase:
If you’re getting bored with what you’re doing
If you’re not gaining any traction with a particular project, or
If you’re spending too many resources like your time, energy, or money, and you’re not achieving the results you’re looking for.
For example, in my personal entrepreneurship journey, I have spent the last decade trying to figure out how to use my creativity in the best possible way. I have a lot of creative energy and there are a lot of different things that I like to do but not everything is for me.
I have experimented with many things to see what I like, including freelance graphic design, hand lettering, greeting card design, illustration, pattern design (surface design), until I finally realized that my strengths and preferences were best suited for guiding and coaching others, which is how I landed in creativity coaching.
It’s important for me to share a little bit about my own journey with creativity so you can see that experimenting takes time. Because I think it's also really common to expect that you'll figure things out super fast. A lot of courses and programs promise to help you figure stuff out fast if you just purchase their course. This can end up costing you a lot of money.
In all honesty, I think the best way to figure out what works for you is going to come down to experimenting, which is why I’m discussing and sharing this information with you. Because this isn't emphasized enough amongst creatives.
Let’s Recap
Today, we talked about:
Obstacles that hold us back from experimenting with our creativity
A quick definition of what experimenting is and what it looks like in the context of creativity
And, lastly I shared many of the benefits of exercising an experimental approach in your creative journey and things to look out for when you’ve been in experimenting mode too long.
Remember, experimentation is about curiosity and play. It’s how you grow and learn what works for you and your creative vision. And more importantly, how you find joy through your creative explorations.
Renata is a creativity coach empowering neurodivergent and multi-passionate women of color creatives to overcome creative blocks with therapeutic art making and strategic planning so they can create with ease and achieve their creative goals. She’s currently offering a free copy of her therapeutic art making workbook when you sign up for her email list. Sign up here to get your free copy.
