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The Creative Process

© Roxianne Moore

Review of Trust the Process:
An Artist's Guide to Letting Go by Shuan McNiff
Shambhala, 1998
ISBN 1-57062-357-0

Must someone be a "born writer" to succeed in writing? Or is writing a skill that can be learned?

The same questions might be asked of any creative mode. Some believe that one must be born with some innate talent to become a writer, artist, actor, creator. In Trust the Process Shaun McNiff, however, approaches the whole topic of creativity from another standpoint. He focuses not on learning any particular skill, but on what it takes to be creative, and he claims that art and creativity may be learned.

"Creative practice can be viewed as a ritual of preparation, readying the psychic household for unexpected guests and fresh combinations of familiar things," McNiff writes. In discussing creativity, then, he concentrates more on the practice and the process rather than on any particular mode of expression. In fact, he urges writers to try their hands at painting or acting or dancing in order to overcome blocks or enhance creativity. In the same way, he encourages artists to branch out into other media, to explore the idea of creativity.

One point that seems crucial in McNiff's discussion of the creative process is the idea that there's no such thing as a mistake. The anger aroused by a mistake, he says, may actually release more creative energy and help the artist break out of stale patterns.

Much of what McNiff says can be applied to writing. Even if we're not planning to write the next bestseller or establish a new mode of literary expression, writers do strive to be creative. Whether you are writing literary fiction or service articles for women's magazines, you need to develop your own style and voice in order to stand out.

Although he teaches creativity for writers, artists, actors, and others, McNiff doesn't offer any lesson plans or specific methods for developing your creativity.

"A complicated expressive gesture cannot be broken down into a lesson plan. It can only be learned through practice and repetition, with the goal of reaching a point when it happens instinctively."

Many factors may block creativity and keep us from developing our skills as writers and artists. Fear of change, anger, feelings of inadequacy: all these affect how we approach our art. What McNiff offers is a host of suggestions and coping skills. For instance, he suggests exploring those areas of your life in which you stubbornly resist change. Then trace those patterns of inflexibility back in time to see just how deeply such patterns can be ingrained. Learning why you hold certain

The copyright of the article The Creative Process in Resources for Writers is owned by Roxianne Moore. Permission to republish The Creative Process in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.