Creating creative tension

DIY creativity gym

Resistance. Tension. Blockages.

These things are about as welcome as clogged plumbing.

At the same time they can be thrilling and lead to overflows of creativity.

"Great albums are usually made by groups who have attained a certain measure of mutual understanding. Very great albums are almost always made by groups on the brink of splitting asunder." -- Richard Cook and Brian Morton, Penguin Guide to Jazz, in the entry on John Coltrane's A Love Supreme

There’s a myth that within the creative process that artists and their process must be tortured. The stories around the recording of A Love Supreme are a great examples. At the same time, Kind of Blue was recorded in just nine hours. There are times the process flows and times it doesn’t.

Tension and conflict can be a problem in the creative process. But when they are treated as an itch that you just can’t reach. Creatively we can feel the pull of longing contrasted with the satisfaction of attaining. But tension can be unbearable. Great wor…