photo by laihiu
Creativity on the go comes in a lot of different flavors. There’s the graphic designer parked in a Tokyo café with her Macbook Pro, then there’s the writer crammed into a Parisian metro seat scrawling nearly illegible notes in a journal. Creativity on the go isn’t only for exotic destinations, though — it might mean the comics you draw during the 45-minute train ride to work, or the tools you bring to your parents’ house during the family reunion.
Whether you’re a location-independent freelance writer or an illustrator who likes to travel, the key to getting creative things done on the go is to be clear in advance about what you want to accomplish. If you’re trying to churn out a final draft of an article, you’ll need a different backdrop and different tools than someone aiming to crank out a rough draft. Before traveling, I take some time to review my creative projects and figure out what stage I want to bring them to. I also make sure to pack the tools for recording random ideas and inspiration.
Stages of the Creative Process
Charlie Gilkey at Productive Flourishing has a great post describing the creative process and its four stages. Here’s a brief overview of what each stage involves:
- Preparation: A painter in preparation mode might sketch in a local park. A photographer might study a photo essay, or review the photos taken during his last shoot.
- Incubation: This stage requires limited distractions so you can process the ideas stemming from the preparation stage.
- Illumination: This is when that idea — “the one” — bursts in your brain. When all that matters is pouring the idea onto the page.
- Implementation: That short story starts forming on the page. You start writing the code for that beautiful web design you envisioned. You’re on location finally doing the photo shoot you’ve planned for weeks.
When you’re packing your tools for creating, it’s extremely helpful to understand which phase you’re in. You may not be able to accomplish every stage on the go — a painter may need his studio, for example — but I’m often amazed by what can be created during travels.
Being mobile during the preparation stage can be particularly valuable. When you’re absorbing new environments and new experiences, it’s almost inevitable that they’ll seep into your creative work. The incubation stage is a little trickier. If you’re on a train or strolling along the beach, it can be quite easy to be alone with your ideas and brainstorms. But if you’re dodging motorbikes and rushing through malls in Bangkok, you might have a tough time focusing on your ideas.
The illumination stage has a mind of its own — it’ll swoop down on you when you least expect it. I actually find that it nearly always hits me when I’m away from my computer and not sitting in front of a notepad. This is why it’s so important to pack your tools for recording these unexpected moments of illumination.
The implementation stage may include several phases, each one requiring a different mindset. For writers, this stage includes the various drafts of a text. For a photographer, there’s the actual snapping of photos and then there’s the editing. I think we can safely say that the implementation stage is usually followed by revisions and reworkings. The beginning of the implementation stage can often be accomplished on the move. There are exceptions, of course, but there are also many options for mobility. The later stages, including revision, often require more tools. They can be done while traveling, but require more preparation.
My Creative Toolbox
To give you an idea of how you can pack for creativity, here’s an explanation of my creative kit. Keep in mind that writing is my primary medium, enhanced by multimedia like photography, video, and audio recording.
iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard
This is the ultimate pair for freewriting and rough drafts when it’s too much to do by hand. The keyboard unfolds to a full-size keyboard (minus the row of number keys), and then you prop up a phone in the little attached stand. Type pages and pages of notes, then you can bluetooth it to a computer later. The iGo keyboard works with most phones or PDAs that have Palm OS or Symbian OS. I chose the old, chunky Nokia 6600 because it was affordable — and indestructible. You can check if your phone is compatible here. These tools are handy for different stages of the creative writing process, though not very useful for revision and final drafts.
OK, this is really my boyfriend’s backup camera, but I steal it every chance I get. When I look at photos I’ve taken with the G10, I sometimes wonder if photography is my true calling — the quality of the camera is that good. You can set it up with automatic settings, or go manual. It even does RAW format, for you serious photographers out there.
I don’t have anything to say that hasn’t been said before — there’s a reason Macs have a cult following of creatives. This laptop can serve as my word processor, photo editor, audio studio, and video editing lab. I bring my laptop on trips when I need to do research, complete articles, or do frequent blog posts.
This bag is the perfect size when I’m not carrying my laptop. I can hold a camera, my bluetooth keyboard and notebooks, all without getting too bulky.
Ziploc® bags for books, notebooks, and electronics
These keep my notebooks from getting completely battered around in my bag. They also keep my notebooks and electronics dry — a crucial thing during rainy season in Thailand!
I won’t get deep into the software I use, but I want to point Mac users to Scrivener, which is excellent for undistracted writing. It works for novels, short stories, articles, books — you name it.
This audio recorder is very good in most respects, but the battery’s endurance is not too impressive.
This is the audio recorder on my wish list…
I’m super excited about the imminent arrival of my new camcorder. I won this camcorder in Melissa Pierce’s Life in Perpetual Beta contest. It’s very light but also high quality, so it’ll be perfect for traveling.
I like the unruled pages so I can do mind maps and indulge my poor drawing skills. And write, of course.
Cheap Notebooks
Cheap notebooks are great for brainstorms and uncensored idea recording. Sometimes the Moleskine makes you feel that it should only contain worthy ideas — the cheap notebook, on the other hand, doesn’t care what kinda crap goes into it.
Pencil Case
My pencil case holds a couple ballpoints, gel pens, Sharpies, pencils, and markers.
Mini All-in-1 Memory Card Reader 
These are important for being able to upload and store photos and documents.
Last but not least, don’t forget your chargers!
I asked people on Twitter what tools were essential for mobile creativity. Cameras were a top choice:
What creative tools do you use when you’re on the move? I’d love to hear how your creative process plays out on the road.
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My Macbook and Scrivener are peanut butter and jelly for sure.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..10 Ways to Find Your Writing Style
For me, all the tools listed are fine, but they are productivity mechanisms rather than creative channels. Sometimes it’s good just to go unequipped. So we can experience what’s new and soak up all the sensory input travel provides without pressure for output. So I suppose my best travel tool is to use my wits, plus my senses to enjoy the moment?
Barbara Martin (@Reptitude)´s last blog post..About The Artist’s Way
When I first read the title of your post, my mind immediately jump to the most literal definition of “on the go” because I thought, “hey, I think best when I’m moving too!” Of course, that’s not exactly what you were talking about, but I do think it’s interesting that all of my writing ideas come to me when I’m moving (walking, running, driving in my car, etc. – there’s a blog post in there somewhere, I’m sure!)
As for my on-the-go creativity toolbox in the wider sense, my Macbook and cell phone go pretty much everywhere with me, but I also always have some paper and a few pens, just in case – you never know. I also tend to leave myself voice mail messages or text messages, in case I can’t write something down. A little low tech, but it works for me.
Can’t say enough good things about the blue tooth keyboard and phone combo. Opening the keyboard early in the morning when there is nothing to write about . . . and then clicking out two pages that were in corners of my mind is mind-freeing.
Another of my favorite on the go gadgets is a Sony digital recorder. Once or twice a week I will talk a letter to friends, plug the recorder into the computer and have Dragon Naturally Speaking transcribe the letter.
And paper and pen – always.
Dave Thurston´s last blog post..Technically, not until 5:07 pm, 5 year ago
Hmm, that’s the second day I’ve heard someone mention Scrivener. Interesting.
Most of my favorite on the go tools were mentioned (laptop, camera, moleskine.) I love having my iphone w/ me (in a bind, i can capture notes in it, keep track of appointments, take pictures, etc…)
If I’m traveling lighter (sans laptop and big, bulky camera), I like to have a purse w/ my iphone, pen, pencil, marker, and a small unlined moleskine. That’s more than enough to capture what I need when I’m on the go.
Sometimes I like to take walks with a cloth bag filled with goodies. A fun book, a sketchbook, some drawing tools, and maybe a snack. Makes a perfect, on-the-go picnic!
Leah´s last blog post..Do Art Not Dishes: How to Stop Avoiding Your Art Supplies in Four Steps
Your posts offer such practical advice. I love the ziploc idea. I don’t travel much, but sometime, I take my journal to the park with my kids.
I’ve been a professional writer for 20 years, but after a year of exploring photography every day, I’m seriously having dreams of a Nikon D 90 with a $1,000 zoom lens. Just a small setback of $2,500. A girl can dream.
jen´s last blog post..lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
@ Writer Dad – Yes, another Scrivener buff! I love the full-screen setting.
@ Barbara – There certainly is a time for creating, and a time for absorbing. Taking the time to engage and absorb is incredibly important! That said, I don’t think the tools above are necessarily productivity mechanisms — they’re tools that enable my creative projects to emerge. Wits and senses definitely come first though
!
@ Meredith – Same for me! I always get up and move around the house when my thinking stagnates. When I’m on a walk or exercising, my mind starts organically spinning in different ways — love it.
@ Dave – I love the idea of recording letters to friends! Have you ever tried sending them the recordings?
@ Leah – Your picnic sounds wonderful… I’m actually meeting up with some friends at a lake today, with a similar bag of goodies in tow!
@ Jen – Yep, the ziplocs are amazing – no more creased and torn books, too. I love experimenting with photography — it adds a completely new facet to writing, I find. You should check out the Canon G10 — much lower price tag, but it takes pretty close to pro-quality photos
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I’m not a Mac person, but I have my AT&T HTC Fuze where I can type in my ideas when I need them, then upload them to my computer later. It has it’s camera, it has its voice recorder, internet connection. I haven’t had the money of late to buy myself a really nice digital camera, but I probably will at some point in the future. And I usually carry a notebook of some kind, when I want to free think w/ out my gadget – I tend to lean toward a graph paper notepad – you can still write on it like normal, but if I need some better ideas on dimensions, it’s already set up.
@ Alastria – Funny, I love graph paper notebooks too — except I never use it for estimating dimensions — something about it attracts me more than lined paper, though.
Thanks, Zoe. I hope to add more creative work/ art-making to my portfolio of location independent things I do some time in the future. I do love my macbook, although I secretly covet the Macbook Pro!
.-= Cath´s last blog ..Leading Your Life: How is the World Broken? =-.
@ Cath – So much can be done with the Macbook, but the Pro is definitely useful when you start doing video editing or any of those programs that take a lot of juice!