The creative process can be deceptive.

When we set out on a project – a script, a shoot, an edit – we’re often faced with insecurity.

There are an unlimited amount of options and paths. We become overwhelmed with choice, and lose sight of our own intuition.

So we turn to external inputs to help influence our creative choices.

We watch films. Read scripts. Listen to podcasts. Do a thousand things except the one thing we actually need to do – create.

The more “research” we do, the further away we find ourselves from our original intention. We hear conflicting advice, are overwhelmed with ideas, and in turn end up searching for even more answers.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for inspiration and education. But the key is striking the right balance.

Last week I had a huge creative breakthrough on a script I’ve been working on. But it didn’t happen during one of my planned writing sessions. It happened on a day off. A new idea popped into my head, seemingly out of nowhere.

The next day, when I sat down for a re-write, I finished 11 pages in just a couple of hours. It was some of the best writing I’d done in a while.

I could have chalked it up to just being lucky, having more energy that day, or just being in a better creative flow.

But it wasn’t luck or chance. 

I had accidentally struck the perfect balance that week of creative input, time away, and creative output.

And it really solidified for me the importance of finding harmony between these elements.

So often we want to brute force our way through a creative project.

We wish we would just sit in a room and will ourselves to come up with a brilliant concept or whatever it is we’re focused on.

But creativity comes from the unconscious mind, not the conscious one.

The best analogy I could give is growing a tree.

You start with a seed (your idea), and plant it underground.

You take time away from it and let the rain and sunshine do its work (AKA your unconscious mind).

Eventually, the tree grows and bears fruit. And when it does, you can finally harvest it (conciously bringing it into the real world).

But here’s the most crucial part – if your balance is off you’ll never reach the point of harvest.

Plant too many seeds and overfertilize them and they will die before they get a fighting chance.

Don’t give the seeds enough time to germinate and the plant will never break through the soil.

Try to harvest too early and the fruit won’t be ripe.

There may not be a perfect formula for creativity. But the closest recipe I could ever find looks something like this:

10% input.

50% time away.

40% output.

Input is important – we need to get inspired somehow. That’s where the seeds are planted. But a little bit is all we need.

Once we’ve planted the creative seeds, we need time away. Our unconscious mind needs to process in the background, while we sleep, when we don’t even realize it. This takes time.

Eventually those ideas bubble up to the surface and we can work on them consciously. 

But in order to go through this process, the ratio needs to be correct.

Too much or too little of any element will throw off the balance.

100% of our time spent on inputs would result in overstimulation. Too many ideas. Social media brain fog. Analysis paralysis.

100% of our time spent away from the work is simply a never ending cycle of procrastination. With each day making it harder to jump back in.

100% of our time spent doing deep creative work would deplete us of our best ideas, and create volume without any real quality.

We can only accomplish our best work when we let it flow through our minds in the most natural way.

We need small amounts of high quality input. Time away to let it germinate. And focused work to harvest the best ideas.

It’s impossible to get this balance right every time. We’re all human and susceptible to bad habits and routines.

But recognizing that there is an optimal balance goes such a long way. It reminds us that we can tilt the scales in our favor, creating better work more effortlessly.

So if you’re struggling with a creative block on anything right now, consider the ratio I shared above.

Identify which part of your process is out of alignment.

Adjust as needed, and get yourself back into a flow.

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