Creative Process

What I learned about the creative process...

This semester, one of the most valuable lessons I learned about the creative process was the importance of time management especially in balancing my creative project with the demands of my other classes. Early in the semester, I found myself overwhelmed by overlapping deadlines, but the workplan we created in CPSA250 helped me break the project into manageable steps. By setting mini-goals leading up to each critical critique and faculty conference, I was able to stay on track and get rid of the last minute crams. The faculty conferences were also very helpful. Getting feedback early on helped me see what was working and what needed more attention. It gave me the chance to make changes before in class critiques where my peers gave me a lot of feedback.

One thing I learned in class that really helped me was Wallace’s 4-step model. It talked about preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification (Bremenstuhl). I used this model without even realizing it at first. When I was preparing, I did research literature reviews. During incubation, I would take breaks and come back but also recieve feedback from peers and my faculty advisor. Illumination for me was discovering the double bind which gave me the tools I was looking for, and verification was when got feedback and fixed my work to make it perfect. Understanding these steps helped me trust the process and not stress as much.

Bremenstuhl, Heather. CPSA250 Lecture Slides, Project Management Strategies. University of Maryland, Spring 2025, slide 29, Google Slides.