5 creative types + their struggles
If you're a longtime newsletter or podcast follower, you know I'm always talking about the 5 stages of the creative process. If you still don't know what those 5 stages are, that's fine, my husband doesn't even remember them and I am constantly talking about this shit.
Here's the general concept: If we want to develop a new idea, ANY new idea, we move through 5 stages in our creative work:
Clear (getting ready, creating time),
Play (experimenting)
Fuel (getting information)
Generate (producing w/ constraints)
Reflect (reviewing/questioning)
I'm gonna tell you the biggest take-away from my coaching work right now, you ready?
We get stuck as creatives, when we over-invest in one stage of the creative process.
And the interesting thing is, that EVERYONE has a stage that they prefer. A stage they like to spend time at. A stage they privilege over other stages.
Some people love to play – to test and experiment. Some people love to fuel – to seek inspiration and new ideas. (and so on and so forth)
It's great to have a stage that you thrive at, but the challenge is, we get stuck when we spend TOO much time at that stage.
I think of these preferences as being aligned with 5 creative archetypes. Here's what I call them:
The GOOD STUDENT gets stuck at Clear.
The GS loves to organize, prepare, and finish their "to do list" before they can start their creative work. They are rule followers and often think of others before themselves. They struggle with playing.
The DREAMER gets stuck at Play.
Dreamers love to explore new ideas. They enjoy the early, brainstorming phase of the creative work. They struggle with follow-through.
The SEEKER gets stuck at Fuel.
Seekers love to learn new skills and fill their tank with inspiration. They are always consuming new information. They struggle with generating constraints and focus.
The STRIVER gets stuck at Generate.
Strivers value the production stage. They love to create and release work into the world. They have a "go go go" mentality. They struggle with burnout.
The ANALYST gets stuck at Reflect.
Analysts love to... you guessed it, analyze. They are question-askers. They love self-reflection. Sometimes this can paralyze them from taking action. They struggle with getting started.
If you want to learn more about these archetypes and their strengths and struggles, listen to my podcast episode: 5 Creative Archetypes and Their Struggles.
