Some of my recent animation and illustration efforts have given me reason to pause. For better or worse, not all of my creative work is on the same level of quality. There are problems that can degrade quality, depending on what you perceive quality to be. However, I am the gate keeper when it comes to my art. Sometimes I let work go through that needed more. The question I’ve been thinking about is... More what?

Creative Process
When I see myself struggle with quality I have take a look at my creative process. If the house I’m living in is leaning one way or the other, I inspect the foundation. The creative process is as important to the quality of an artist’s work, as is a foundation to the frame of a house. So, what causes me to deviate from my process? Here are three problems that I’ve noticed that keep interfering with my work.

3 problems that can push creatives off their process

Problem 1 “Lack of Time”
Sometimes project deadlines can be very tight. This can cause us to abbreviate our creative process. We try to put the bulk of our time in the right places, but all too often some detail is either over-looked or not thought through. Many times we’re not able to see what could have been better until long after the job has been delivered.

The answer to this kind of “lack of time” problem is getting feedback from others by showing them work in progress. Feedback is always a great idea no matter what your time constraints are, but if you on a tight deadline getting feedback is even more crucial. Showing other creatives your work in progress and asking their opinion, will allow you to catch problems and will make your quick work vastly better.

Problem 2 “Over Confidence”
Why blaze a new trail when the one you’ve already made is working well for you? We creatives are certainly up for the challenge, but a wise artist will pick his battles carefully. There are times when you may think that you are beyond your process. That somehow you’ve outgrown the steps that have made you successful. Artistic thought will always challenge us to question what we do and how we do it, but if you wander off the trail you’ve made and wonder why you’re lost, get back to the basics of your creative process and you’ll find stability.

Problem 3 “Renegade Ideas”
Ideas by their very nature live to give birth to other ideas. There is no such thing as one idea and because of this, it can spawn a creative infinite loop. It’s a hell of a roller-coaster ride. It’s both exciting and empowering because ideas are the adrenaline of the creative world. At some point however, you will need to get off the roller-coaster and when you do you may realize that ideas are pretty easy to come by. What’s tough to do is to shape those ideas into some kind of physical manifestation. Unmanaged Ideas can be destructive. Falling prey to unmanaged ideas that come late in the process of a project, can effect quality. It can effect how clearly that original idea is communicated in your work. Be watchful of ideas that come late in your workflow. You should honestly consider all ideas, but be careful.

How To Put Quality First
Your creative process is not the same as mine. If you don’t have one... get one! Your career depends on it. Find someone you respect and copy theirs until it morphs into YOUR creative process. I don’t know of any successful artist that doesn’t have a creative process.

In conclusion, here is the key to quality: “There are no shortcuts.” (ha ha) I wish it were something magical. But I’ll say it again. “There are no shortcuts.” If you shortcut your process it will show with a lack of quality in your work. There is a tip I can offer, one that I have a goal to accomplish, because like I said earlier, I feel like my quality is suffering.

Here’s the tip: At every stage of your process... on up to your final work, treat each stage as if it’s the final work. How about a practical example?

3d Character Animation: Approach your thumbnails drawings as if they are the final work. Spend enough time with them, that you would be comfortable giving them to someone else to animate from. Approach the blocking of your characters as if it’s your final work. Meaning, do your blocking so well that you would feel comfortable giving it to someone else to finish. And so on... each step in your process is your final work. If you do that, your work will always have the best of quality.

Tags: Creative process, blocking, ideas, renegade ideas, blocking, animation, illustration, process