The Creative Process is a Perfect Design
The common denominator that's keeping you stuck.
The Creative Process Is a Perfect Design
The creative process doesn’t need improvement. It’s already complete. A perfect design. Every single part of it. The rupture, retreat, acceleration, and stillness all function in service of creativity.
There is no flaw. No wasted motion. No part that isn't essential.
Yet, there is not a single creative I have met who doesn’t want the process to be different. An uninterrupted trajectory of awesomeness. A constant win. A smooth incline, only ups. No downs.
Full transparency, I do too.
But when we desire this steady upward trajectory what we are really wishing for is for creativity to not be a process but instead a constant. One that gets turned on, stays on and only moves toward improvement and insight. But nothing actually works this way. Nothing human anyway. And the creative process if nothing else is inherently human. And beautifully so.
The constant output required for the creative process to only be an upward trajectory never allows space for input, receivership and most importantly coherence. And when we do not allow for these things, we rob ourselves of growth. We need every single part of the creative process in order to improve our work.
Creativity demands friction and flow.
The salty truth is, when your creative process isn’t supporting the expansion of your work, the elevation of your career, and moving you to higher levels of skill and mastery, the problem is not the process.
It’s that you haven’t been taught how to master it.
And that’s actually okay.
In fact it’s a good thing. Because you are in charge of your own commitment to action, change, and growth and you can learn how!
Awesome!
When your creative process is stuck, the question isn’t how do we ignite it?
The question is, how do we ignite you?
Many of us have never been taught how to be present within the full range of the creative process. Especially the parts that feel unfamiliar and uncertain.
When those states arise, it’s not uncommon to panic and interpret the pause as failure. In these moments, we tend to reach for what’s familiar. Tools, checklists, and productivity hacks, maybe things we’ve tried before. We work harder in order to ignite the process and ignite our creativity. Mostly because we have been taught to respond to the stalls and uncertainty of the creative process not with curiosity, but with productivity.
That strategy works for a while, but ultimately it doesn’t lead to mastery. And sadly blaming the process and not committing to doing the work necessary to allow for mastery doesn’t provide access to the deeper intelligence and benefits of the process.
Mastery of your creative process isn’t about holding upward momentum. It’s about building the capacity to stay present through the entire process. When it flows, when it withdraws, and when it threatens to undo you.
When we commit to looking within as much as we commit to taking external action, we allow the creative process to inform our work. Expand it. And open up the possibility for our creative endeavors to have meaningful lasting impact.
Mastery is devoted maintenance that becomes meaningful practice over time. And every stage of mastery requires support.
No one builds that kind of capacity in isolation.
We don’t master the creative process through effort alone. You cannot think your way into practice, regulation, coherence, or sustainability. We master the creative process by staying in contact with ourselves, with others, with the work even in the places we were taught to disconnect. Mastery is action, maintenance, then devoted practice.
Mastery of the creative process requires regulation in response to inspiration. A cultivation and expansion of the psychological and physiological range to tolerate what arises when the creative process stalls.
This expansion is achievable as a lone wolf, but the benefits are minimal. I’m not suggesting every visionary leader and powerhouse creative I work with join a social club, but I am saying that co-regulation with another person or group that shares the same intentional goal is essential to sustainable creativity,
(Footnote, I opened up a can of worms by evoking groups. So much to be said here. I’ll write a separate post about this but know that not every group is a good group. More often than not most groups are poorly run, not effectively boundaried and create the wrong kind of co-regulation. For now, buyer beware).
With the right support in place we allow the creative process to be the perfect design it is. We honor the periods of flux. We enjoy the benefits of being in productivity, receivership, and coherence. And most importantly we allow the creative process to do what it does best, encourage us to grow. Not only as creatives but also as humans.
xxx
Lisa
P.S. If you're ready to stop abandoning the process every time it shifts, I can help. I work with visionary creatives just like you who are ready to master their creative process not just when it's easy, but when it asks the most of them. If you want to explore working together, book a free discovery call and let’s talk about what Mentorship support could look like for you.
In Practice
A weekly rhythm for the creative season you're in
In Practice is a weekly reflection designed to meet you exactly where you are: in your process, in your leadership, in your life. Each week offers a theme drawn from deeper seasonal and emotional currents translated into insight, embodiment, and sustainable action.
Think of it as a creative weather pattern for your inner world.
A grounding cue to return to all week long.
Starting soon, In Practice will be for paid subscribers only. I’ll be sharing it freely for a short time so you can receive its rhythm and depth before it transitions.
If it's been meaningful to you, now’s a great time to upgrade and stay connected.
A New Rhythm
This week, the focus turns inward. You may feel the pull to articulate your thoughts more clearly. To speak less, but say more. To organize what’s been scattered. And to tell the truth, but gently and with intention.
It’s time to recalibrate: Contemplate refining your voice, reconnecting to your work with purpose, and slowing down enough to receive what’s actually meant for you.
This week’s theme: Clarity + the Pause
There’s power in stepping back. Reclaiming your space with a senior perspective.
A precision that comes when we stop reaching for what is next, and notice what is already being presented to us.
This week is about refining your message, returning to the essence, and honoring what’s already cultivated from within and giving it space to emerge. No permission needed or explanation necessary. Tune into what has been trying to surface and act from there.
Reflection
Where are you speaking from habit rather than from clarity?
What are you trying to articulate that still feels fuzzy or forced?
Are there places in your work, your relationships, or your leadership where silence might serve you better than sharing, at least for now?
What are you learning from taking the time to notice what is already there?
In Practice: Wherever You Are
Each of us moves through the creative process differently.
Here are cues to meet you where you are:
If you’re gathering inspiration
Notice when curiosity becomes noise. This week, simplify. Let fewer inputs lead to deeper clarity.
If you’re visioning or dreaming
A vision may be forming, but not quite ready to emerge. Let it simmer. Clarity doesn’t always arrive on demand, but it does arrive with patience.
If you’re building or refining
Look for the details that feel off. Allow your perfection to give rise to precision. Slow down enough to make what you’re building reflect the intention behind it.
If you’re challenging the status quo
Your voice is inherently powerful. But this week, ask: is your message landing? Clarity is the key to influence..
If you’re integrating or feeling tender
There is wisdom in your experience, but you don’t need to explain it all away. Let stillness be part of the process. Often the most powerful insight to share is the one that needs more time to grow.
Cue for the Week
This week is not about saying more. Hold intention to meaning and move with depth. Speak only what feels clear. Pause when you feel scattered and allow your voice and your presence to evoke precision.
Exciting Changes Are Coming to Muse – Starting This August!
Big things are on the horizon for Muse, and I couldn’t wait any longer to share them with you.
Beginning Sunday, August 3rd, the Muse newsletter will be evolving to better support your creative practice. Whether you're tuning in for inspiration, guidance, or the occasional cosmic nudge from your inner artist.
Here’s what’s new:
For Free Subscribers
You’ll continue to receive thoughtful and inspiring content, now with a little more rhythm:
1st Sunday of the Month – A fresh Muse Essay exploring the psychology of creativity, insight, and practice from your favorite Muse ;)
3rd Sunday of the Month – A special These Three Things Guest Feature, spotlighting creatives sharing their own practice, insights, and lessons learned.
For Paid Subscribers – The Full Muse Experience
If you're ready to dive deeper into your creative process, a paid subscription includes all of the above, plus so much more:
In Practice – A monthly theme reflection, setting the tone and intention for the month’s creative exploration.
These Three Things: Practice Edition – The original practice of noticing with prompts, exercises, and a deeper dive. Plus, Unlearned – A reflection from a featured creative on what they’ve had to unlearn in order to grow.
The Creative – A thoughtful essay responding to a quote about creativity. Equal parts meditation and motivation.
Introducing: Dear Creative
A brand-new monthly intensive exclusively for paid subscribers.
Kicking off the first week of every month (Monday–Friday), Dear Creative is a 5-day immersive experience. Think daily hype letters written directly to your inner artist.
Expect daily encouragement, powerful prompts, and reminders that you’re not alone on this wild ride. It’s part pep talk, part practice, and entirely devoted to supporting your creative spirit through the chaotic ups and downs of the creative process.
If you’ve been considering upgrading, now is the perfect time to join the full Muse experience. These new offerings are designed to help you feel seen, supported, and creatively ignited month after month.
Let’s make August the beginning of something expansive.
xxx
Lisa
Inside this week's These Three Things:
Reflections on hidden gifts, creative resilience, and the rebellion of imagining a public tantrum in the greeting card aisle. Including what others often see in us before we can, and why rejection might be a sign you’re finally putting real ideas on the table.
These weekly reflections are where I share what I'm noticing beneath the surface. Where intuition, energy, humor, and creative practice meet.
These Three Things is available for paid subscribers only. A quiet, focused space for thoughtful prompts, honest process, and building a reflective creative rhythm, even when the world feels chaotic. A necessary act of co-regulation among creatives, grounded in curiosity and ritual noticing.
And next week, I'm excited to welcome the brilliant
. Writer, podcast host, and creator of Codependency Alchemy, for a special guest feature available to everyone. You won’t want to miss it.Come take your seat at the table. We begin again each Sunday.
Upgrade your subscription to join us.
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