Ten things I wish I’d known about the creative process

Making and breaking the rules is part of every creative process. Drawing on nearly two decades in creative strategy, Joss Debae shares ten prompts about when to put structure in place, and when to ignore it.

Joss Debae

Process has never felt all that compatible with creativity to me, because it suggests a series of predictable steps – and almost 20 years after studying industrial design, my career, let alone the way I work, rarely feels that linear.

Nowadays, I run a business focused on creative strategy, helping studios such as North, Made Thought, It’s Nice That and Studio Nari develop brand identities and campaigns, and working with companies including Nike, YouTube and Meta to shape how new product innovations are brought to life through design. There’s never been a grand plan, other than to work with great people on interesting projects, so I’ve learned by figuring things out as I go.

The truth is, no two projects ever follow the exact same method. Resources change, timelines shift, and you often have to make do and adapt. But over the last decade or so, I’ve landed on a set of prompts which I think capture the realities and contradictions I run into every time I do creative work. Hopefully, you’ll find them useful, whatever stage of your creative career you find yourself at.

01 Plan: create a structure

Before starting anything, think about where you need to end up and work back from there. A clear direction makes it easier to know how to start, but also when to finish. Set some limits, test your thinking and stay focused. You can always draw outside the lines once a blueprint is in place.

02 Play: create a mess

Don’t worry about where you need to end up. Creative work is unpredictable, so embrace its ambiguity. Keep hold of your beginner’s mindset by looking at things as if it’s the first time. Make room for spontaneity, get lost and enjoy what emerges. You can always tidy it up later.

03 Feel: the first idea is usually right

You often sense what works before you can explain it. Trust that gut feeling, remain intentionally naive and let your instinct guide each move. The less you know, the more you can get out of your own way. Intuition is more powerful than any insight.

04 Think: on closer inspection, the first idea is usually wrong

Question everything. Trust your intellect and learn to love data. Be led by analysis and let cold, hard evidence sharpen your point of view. The more you know, the more accurate and nuanced each decision becomes.

05 Zoom in: details matter

The best perspectives come from leaning in a bit closer. It’s the little things people remember most, so spend more time obsessing over each individual part. Taking a more micro view reveals the crucial things you’d never notice at first glance.

06 Zoom out: details don’t matter

The best perspectives come from stepping back to reveal the bigger picture. Take a macro view to see the wider context and understand how that impacts everything. Don’t sweat the small stuff or get lost in the details – sometimes the whole is what really matters.

07 Inform: start making sense

Make things obvious and leave no room for interpretation. Be rational and use facts so others know exactly what they’re looking at. Leading with logic and creating clarity are powerful tools for shaping the work and making it land.

08 Inspire: stop making sense

Make things up and create room for interpretation. Be irrational and play with fiction to spark the imagination of others. Holding things back and creating a bit of mystery are powerful tools for shaping the work and making it land.

09 Order: find some balance

The best ideas often come from placing the right things together. Look for patterns, adhere to established codes and let things fall naturally into place. If the work feels inevitable on reflection, you’re probably onto something.

10 Disorder: find some chaos

The best ideas often come from forcing the wrong things together. Look for anomalies, challenge expected codes and create a sense of friction. If the work feels uncomfortable at first, you’re probably onto something.