Wasn’t the reason why we thumbed our noses at the “desk job” and “regular work” so we could create and explore and overcome and succeed and create some more? Isn’t this why we’ve fought our parents and our teachers and society in general with all our being to continue doing our profession with the utmost creativity? (*Hate my life, sigh!*) I’m spending the weekend working. Acceptance – No, I can’t come drinking tonight.Depression – F*ck this shit! No one cares, anyway.Bargaining – If I only sleep four hours tonight, dear Muse, will you still allow me to be creative and totally productive tomorrow? I swear we’ll catch up on sleep once this deadline is over!.Anger – What do you mean we’re all out of wine? Do you understand I have work to do and deadlines to meet? * Slams door, melts into a puddle of tears*.Denial – I still have plenty of time to meet this deadline! I can take a creative nap now and let ideas just simmer for a bit.The truth of the matter is that a lot of the frustration we feel as creative individuals functioning in an industrial world comes from the framework imposed upon us by a society that only knows how to praise what’s measured ( see: productivity lines and production “outcomes” by the piece).Īnd that’s precisely why doing creative work often feels like much the same as going through the 5 stages of grief: I swear your work process, your life, and the life of those around you will greatly improve if you understand how creativity works through five stages and what to expect in each one. If you’re in any kind of a creative profession, or generally consider yourself a creative and original thinker, you need, need, NEED to know about these stages of how to be creative! (Hello, bottle of wine and tissue box as I slump into a corner below my looming deadline… oh, trust me, I know!)

Acceptanceīut did you know there are 5 stages to creativity, as well?!?!Īnd NO, they’re NOT the same as the stages of grief, no matter how similar they may feel to you right now.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the 5 stages of grief before:ġ.

Creativity by mihaly csikszentmihalyi