Thread by @dickiebush

There are two parts to the creative process:

• Gathering raw materials
• Refining those raw materials

A thread on how thinking this way can unlock your creativity and 10x your output:

I break these two stages down into:

• Creative generation
• Creative execution

And you can see these two phases in any creative process.

• Filming → Editing
• Writing → Rewriting
• Sketching → Refining
• Recording → Remixing

But this distinction is important.

Why is this distinction important?

Because these two phases require completely different states of mind.

And most people try and lump them together, which leads to creative frustration.

So the key to unlocking creativity:

Completely separating these two processes.

So the first thing you should do: find different sacred times for both.

For me, 95% of my creative ideas come during two times:

• Long Saturday walks
• 60-minute Sunday sauna sessions

And 95% of my creative execution comes during one time:

• 6 to 8 AM, seven days a week.

The mental model to use when finding these times:

Creative generation is best done away from the desk where your mind can wander. But make sure you can capture the ideas.

Creative execution is best done on a regimented, daily schedule. That way, you are executing every day.

The ideal mental state for creative generation:

• Calm
• Relaxed
• No fixed time
• Potentially slightly intoxicated

You want your mind free to wander and explore with no set agenda.

My personal favorites:

• Long walks
• Youtube rabbit holes
• Exploring lindy blog posts

Common mistakes in the creative generation phase:

• Filtering ideas
• Hitting backspace
• Forcing yourself to explore something
• Thinking everything needs to be perfect

The goal here is simple: get as much "creative potential energy" out of your head as possible.

Good ways to improve your creative generation:

• Create an elite capture system
• Learn to see ideas everywhere
• Use the Bird Song technique (h/t @aliabdaal)
• Give yourself permission to create junk (h/t @jamesclear)

This is simply the consumer-to-creator mental shift.

Now, the next step: creative execution.

The ideal mental state for creative execution:

• Done every day
• Done at the same time
• Done with a repeated mix of stimulant/music/sleep/etc

You want to turn your creative execution process into a well-oiled machine.

Common mistakes made in the creative execution stage:

• Distractions
• Perfectionism
• Impostor syndrome
• Fear of being judged

The root of these problems? Ego.

The easiest way to solve this? Up your publishing cadence.

Become too prolific for your ego to keep up.

And that's it!

These are some of the core creative principles we teach to every Ship 30 for 30 member.

If you're looking to start writing online (with a community of 200+ others writing alongside you), sign-ups for our next cohort end on Friday:

ship30for30.com

If you found these ideas valuable:

1. Follow me @dickiebush for threads like this 4x per week

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