6 WONDERFUL STEPS OF A CREATIVE PROCESS
I am not saying that summer is coming to an end, because that phrase always makes me a bit sad. But nights are getting colder, and I almost froze up while hanging out with my friends the other night. So, it's about time to start working on my Fall/NotYetWinter 2015 collection. I am always very excited to start a new creative process and get my brain cells working overtime.
This excitement and happiness is usually mixed with anticipation, nervousness and a bit of fear. It's probably how a women feels going to give birth. ;) So, before I even started working on a new collection I was already torturing myself with stupid questions like "what if I won't have any good ideas?" or "what if it'll take too much time and it'll be spring already!" and "what if everything will look like crap?" So yeah...that was awesome -_-
And then, while riding my longboard down the street, there is this flow that you get on a board. When everything just feels effortless and you can feel how everything is connected with this life force and there is no need to struggle. A tree doesn't struggle to grow, it is part of its life purpose. It doesn't doubt whether it'll be tall enough, or have leafs or not. It doesn't care it just does its thing, grows, has leafs, birds shit on it, people piss on it, but it doesn't care, it's just magnificent, fulfilling its life purpose without any struggle. Because everything that needs to happen, will happen.
We people, we like to struggle, we like to add some drama and make everything about us. So I thought f... this. I'm NOT struggling anymore, I am NOT doubting myself anymore, all this drama is in my mind anyway! I love what I do, I do it well and that's it!
1st STEP: KNOWING THYSELF
By now I know my self enough to know how I work best. So I hopped on my bike and took a nice ride to the fabric store. It's my favorite place to start and I always end up staying there for hours. I check out all new fabrics for the upcoming season. And as I surround and drown myself in these new patterns and textures it begins...ideas start poping up..."this would be a great dress", "and a sweater from this fabric", "and I could make a coat from this", "this is so great!", "this is going to be an awesome collection!" At that high point, feeling of happiness consumes my mind and body. Serotonin is the best drug ever! ;)
2nd STEP: KNOWING YOU WILL HAVE UPS AND DOWNS
But as time goes by all my ideas get mixed up and I get all frazzled. There is just too much stuff going on at once. Then I am like "where was I?", "where is that...wait a minute", "this is too expensive", "hm...maybe another color, but then it doesn't work with that", "maybe I don't like this fabric as much as I thought", "this will look like awful", "???!" and again, time goes by and I start doubting everything. And the fall is deep.
3rd STEP: DEALING WITH "THE DOWN"
Being able to see yourself and your fall down the "old useless habits" way.
I took a deep breath and channeled my inner rational voice. Actually I don't have one, I just imagined what my boyfriend would say: "Don't buy fabric for the whole collection right away, for today just buy your favorite and you'll figure stuff out later". You will not create your project in a day! Therefore give yourself some slack, and take one step at a time.
So I bought this awesome scuba-look-a-like fabric with a cool print for a skirt! On the way back home I already had one in mind.
4th STEP: GETTING IN THE ZONE
At this point I should explain how I get my ideas more specific.
Now here it gets more tricky because we all have our own way of focusing and narrowing down.
I almost never do sketches anymore. I used to draw sketches like crazy for school, but now I find them somehow contracted. My mind just stops and stares at the white paper. Clueless. I realized that my best ideas come at night when I can't sleep and I create new clothes in my mind, or when I go running or when I ride my bike. I don't even know where exactly am I, or how long has it been. I am totally in my zone, body is doing the same movement over and over, like some kind of body mantra which creates this rhythm of breathing, and my mind is just going places! And it's awesome! :)
5th STEP: YOU HAD YOUR DRAMA - NOW WORK!
The next step is to figure out how exactly am I going to make this garment. If it's something that drapes and flows around the body I start with a mannequin, pining my way through different forms and trying to bring my vision into life. If I want to do something with a strict form like a sweater or skirt, I go ahead and do a pattern right away. When the "prototype" is finished I try it on to see if everything works. If the pockets are the right size, the length, how the garment feels and moves with the body. If some changes are needed I implement them when I get an order.
6th STEP: BEING PROUD & KNOWING IT'S ALL JUST A GAME
At the end I love wearing my Neon Rabbit stuff, and I love it even more when collection gets sold. And then I always have to laugh at myself knowing I went through all this trouble for a pair of pants! Jeez woman! ;)
This excitement and happiness is usually mixed with anticipation, nervousness and a bit of fear. It's probably how a women feels going to give birth. ;) So, before I even started working on a new collection I was already torturing myself with stupid questions like "what if I won't have any good ideas?" or "what if it'll take too much time and it'll be spring already!" and "what if everything will look like crap?" So yeah...that was awesome -_-
And then, while riding my longboard down the street, there is this flow that you get on a board. When everything just feels effortless and you can feel how everything is connected with this life force and there is no need to struggle. A tree doesn't struggle to grow, it is part of its life purpose. It doesn't doubt whether it'll be tall enough, or have leafs or not. It doesn't care it just does its thing, grows, has leafs, birds shit on it, people piss on it, but it doesn't care, it's just magnificent, fulfilling its life purpose without any struggle. Because everything that needs to happen, will happen.
We people, we like to struggle, we like to add some drama and make everything about us. So I thought f... this. I'm NOT struggling anymore, I am NOT doubting myself anymore, all this drama is in my mind anyway! I love what I do, I do it well and that's it!
1st STEP: KNOWING THYSELF
By now I know my self enough to know how I work best. So I hopped on my bike and took a nice ride to the fabric store. It's my favorite place to start and I always end up staying there for hours. I check out all new fabrics for the upcoming season. And as I surround and drown myself in these new patterns and textures it begins...ideas start poping up..."this would be a great dress", "and a sweater from this fabric", "and I could make a coat from this", "this is so great!", "this is going to be an awesome collection!" At that high point, feeling of happiness consumes my mind and body. Serotonin is the best drug ever! ;)
2nd STEP: KNOWING YOU WILL HAVE UPS AND DOWNS
But as time goes by all my ideas get mixed up and I get all frazzled. There is just too much stuff going on at once. Then I am like "where was I?", "where is that...wait a minute", "this is too expensive", "hm...maybe another color, but then it doesn't work with that", "maybe I don't like this fabric as much as I thought", "this will look like awful", "???!" and again, time goes by and I start doubting everything. And the fall is deep.
3rd STEP: DEALING WITH "THE DOWN"
Being able to see yourself and your fall down the "old useless habits" way.
I took a deep breath and channeled my inner rational voice. Actually I don't have one, I just imagined what my boyfriend would say: "Don't buy fabric for the whole collection right away, for today just buy your favorite and you'll figure stuff out later". You will not create your project in a day! Therefore give yourself some slack, and take one step at a time.
So I bought this awesome scuba-look-a-like fabric with a cool print for a skirt! On the way back home I already had one in mind.
4th STEP: GETTING IN THE ZONE
At this point I should explain how I get my ideas more specific.
Now here it gets more tricky because we all have our own way of focusing and narrowing down.
I almost never do sketches anymore. I used to draw sketches like crazy for school, but now I find them somehow contracted. My mind just stops and stares at the white paper. Clueless. I realized that my best ideas come at night when I can't sleep and I create new clothes in my mind, or when I go running or when I ride my bike. I don't even know where exactly am I, or how long has it been. I am totally in my zone, body is doing the same movement over and over, like some kind of body mantra which creates this rhythm of breathing, and my mind is just going places! And it's awesome! :)
5th STEP: YOU HAD YOUR DRAMA - NOW WORK!
The next step is to figure out how exactly am I going to make this garment. If it's something that drapes and flows around the body I start with a mannequin, pining my way through different forms and trying to bring my vision into life. If I want to do something with a strict form like a sweater or skirt, I go ahead and do a pattern right away. When the "prototype" is finished I try it on to see if everything works. If the pockets are the right size, the length, how the garment feels and moves with the body. If some changes are needed I implement them when I get an order.
6th STEP: BEING PROUD & KNOWING IT'S ALL JUST A GAME
At the end I love wearing my Neon Rabbit stuff, and I love it even more when collection gets sold. And then I always have to laugh at myself knowing I went through all this trouble for a pair of pants! Jeez woman! ;)
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