There are three problems one might encounter in creativity:
- Beginning the project
- Ending the project
- Sticking to the project until the second goal is met,
At the outset, a project doesn’t have to be created in a sequential time-line form. One can begin anywhere. Composer John Cage has suggested that, if one is stuck on where to begin a project, begin anywhere.
I sometimes tell my students to begin working in the middle of a composition. And it doesn’t hurt to have an idea of the overall effect that you wish to convey. A few years ago I composed a piece that I thought would simply be very quiet. I decided to place the dynamic (volume) indications from very soft to almost-not-soft. So, I decided on a meditative effect and the music fit within this framework.
Writer Sariah Wilson has recently posted Five [excellent] Tips for Finishing Your Book in Writer’s Digest (linked below). It doesn’t matter that your project is a painting, a composition, a play, or a choreography. Start (anywhere) and finish.
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