howdy do it with margot: the ugly phase of creativity
Howdy Do It came from “how do you do It,” the question Ellie & Margot found themselves asking about their freelance lifestyles, and so Howdy Do It was born, a weekly column about the things we do to keep ourselves organized, inspired and on track. Margot will be here on Mint each Monday, and Ellie will be over on Margot’s blog Pitch Design Union at the same time.
P.S. We got a little backed up this week, sorry for the Howdy Do It delay!
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I’ve noticed that there’s usually a point with most projects where I hit a wall for whatever reason & frustration takes over. I call it The Ugly Phase. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: negativity about self/work/client, general crabbiness and a desire to throw the whole project down the drain. It can be pretty paralyzing. Typically when it gets to that point I have to step away and deal with The Ugly before I’m able to continue on. Luckily I’m *pretty* sure I’m not the only one who has these episodes, and I’ve found some good words of advice via Scott Hansen. He’s put together a huge list of inspiring folks and what they do when they feel stuck with their work. Perfect reading for those days when you feel an Ugly Attack coming on. Includes loads of awesome folks like Nicholas Felton, Chad Hagen, Mark Weaver, Erik Spiekermann, Si Scott, Mike Perry and whole slew of others. Just so nice to know that everyone faces that brick wall and it’s NORMAL part of the creative process.
By Cristiana Couciero for Wired magazine.
Occasionally, after I get past the slump it’s clear I need to take the project in another direction, which is where this handy Wired article comes in. It’s a great story on the science behind screw-ups and why they help you in the long-run.
I think it’s particularly useful to apply this thinking to creative work to help you recognize when to use the imperfections & accidents to your advantage. So work out your Ugly and just keep going. You will get somewhere eventually.
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Margot and I have set up a Howdy Do It formspring account so that you can ask us questions (anonymously or not) and we’ll answer them as best we can. So, hop on over and ask away!
Click to read my Howdy Do It post on my latest motivational roadblock.
Responses to “howdy do it with margot: the ugly phase of creativity”
tara - scoutie girl
March 2, 2010 at 4:08 pmSo enlightening, Margot! I honestly thought that this “ugly phase” was a negative personality trait of line that surely meant I wasn’t right for freelancing. Thank you for sharing that I’m not alone!!
Now, in to battling through a particularly ugly mental block!
belinda/gretchenmist
March 2, 2010 at 6:53 pmthis is a great! thanks for making me feel more normal :)
alison richards
March 3, 2010 at 6:18 ami hate the ugly phase! i don’t get it with every project but every now and then something stumps me and it happens. it is good to know that many people go through this, because it can get quite negative sometimes.
like what it said in the wired article, i find it useful to seek out other people who have little knowledge of the project – sometimes the answer is so simple, you don’t see it! :)
kbd
March 3, 2010 at 2:15 pmwow, so inspiring! Its great to see how other people deal with the ugly phase. thank you!
laura
March 7, 2010 at 11:44 pmoh i have a BAD case of the uglies… i think it is just part of feb/march in chicago (10 days of 40 degrees and raining in our forecast ahead!) thanks for the encouragement.
p.s. your blog is a regular pick-me-up of mine, though i rarely comment, thanks for keeping at it! :D