Creative Sprints Versus Creative Consistency: Which Approach is Best?
A challenge that all creatives face at some point is figuring out whether to be the tortoise or the hare. Should you approach your creative work as “slow and steady wins the race?” Or is it prudent to ride the wave of creative energy that comes with a burst of enthusiasm or moment of inspiration? Obviously in Aesop’s story, the message is that slow and steady is the superior approach, but the reality of creative work is a lot more nuanced…
I’ve learned this the hard way with writing my own books. Although it is rarely a smooth, linear process, each one of them has followed a similar pattern: the drafting and editing happens in a series of sprints, but it is consistency that carries me over the finish line to publication. Sprints are useful for getting the words out of my head or powering through a series of edits (which is not my favourite part of the process!), but it’s the unglamorous, often somewhat mundane habit of showing up and taking care of the details that turns the words into a finished project that is out in the world. Neither approach on its own has ever gotten a book done and published. Both play a necessary role.
What is a creative sprint?
I think of a creative sprint as any kind of short, focused burst of intense activity. Think a 30-day challenge like Nanowrimo, 24-hour designations, or two-day solo writing retreats. These challenges act as a container and the aim is to create as much as possible within that container.
There are real benefits to this approach. Starting a new challenge, and the sense of possibility and urgency that comes with that, can feel invigorating and exciting. It provides an element of structure and accountability that might be otherwise lacking in a more open-ended environment. Given an unlimited amount of time to noodle on an idea, we can start to second-guess and doubt our ideas, direction, and execution, but we rarely have time to do this in the middle of a creative sprint. Although its a pressured way of working, for some people this helps to keep the inner critic at bay, as there’s just no room for it.
On the other hand, a sprint is a sprint. It’s a short-term effort that doesn’t work for every project, especially those that are longer-term, complex, or rely heavily on other people. It’s also something that can be tempting to overuse: we see how much we’re getting done in a short amount of time and want to replicate that on repeat. But this can quickly lead to burnout and actually stall our progress in the long-term, rather than accelerate it.
The “creative consistency” approach
If a spring is a burst, consistency is a marathon. This approach is more about creating a steady, sustainable habit, such as 20 minutes a day or carving out time each week for specific tasks and practices. This approach looks like writing 500 words of your novel each day, keeping a daily sketchbook, or returning to practices that strengthen and deepen your craft on a consistent basis.
Creative consistency builds a sense of identity and confidence over time. When you’re showing up and doing the work over the long-term, that has a profound impact on your self-concept—more so than a sprint. This approach also makes it easier to plan and predict your creative time. You can get a sense of how long bigger projects might take, and the predictability and routine can make these bigger projects feel more doable. But there’s no denying that taking this approach alone can feel snail-paced and even somewhat boring, especially if you are someone who feels energised by new ideas, flashes of inspiration, and enjoys following rabbit holes of curiosity.
What approach is right for you?
As you can probably tell, some kind of mix of both approaches is likely best for most people. What that mix looks like, however, is going to different for everyone. Some people love the stability of having a predictable routine, while others thrive on solving problems, dealing with curveballs, and seeing how far they can stretch themselves.
Some questions to ask yourself as you figure out how this balance could work best for you include:
Do you typically thrive in a state of urgency or when you are engaged in a routine?
What does your life look like right now? Are you squeezing your creative work into the cracks between the chaos, or are you craving a shakeup to break the monotony?
When you think about past projects, what has helped you most: momentum or reliability? And what was your experience of this?
What is the purpose of your creative work right now: to build a habit or finish a specific project?
Your answers to these questions will give you a sense of how these two different approaches might serve you and your specific situation right now. And that might also change during the life of a project, as it does for me when writing books.
How to combine creative sprints and creative consistency
I find in my own work, the balance between these two approaches works best when I use consistency as the foundation, and add sprints to that foundation when necessary. Depending on your situation and lifestyle, you might find that you fall more into seasonal rhythms, with sprints in the winter, and a slower, more consistent practice the rest of the year. Or, as I mentioned above with book-writing, you might find your projects tend to follow a particular sprint-consistency pattern. The key is to be intentional and give yourself permission to shift approaches when necessary.
Like most elements of creative work (and life!), there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works for everyone. As I’ve mentioned before, that’s why I believe becoming more aware of and attuned with our own individual preferences, needs, rhythms, and ways of working is crucial. This is what helps us recognise, project by project, what we need right now: the slow tenacity of the tortoise? Or the eager rush of the hare? Most of the time, as it turns out, the answer is both.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash