Creative navigation

Creative Compass

Not a project-management stage. The Compass is the creative navigation used as something moves toward purposeful work — four directions to be faced, not steps to be completed.

Direction 1

Imagine

Let the material arrive without judgement.

Ideas, sketches, wandering, collection.

Direction 2

Prepare

Study, arrange, and choose the approach.

Studies, research, decisions, materials.

Direction 3

Act

Make the work with sustained attention.

Projects, tasks, sessions, revision.

Direction 4

Share

Release it and let it be seen.

Gallery, publication, teaching, exchange.

Imagine → Prepare → Act → Share → and around again.

Thresholds

Refining

Choose, Commit, Refine, and Release / Reflect are still being worked out. Held loosely, not final doctrine.

Choose

Something is taken up rather than merely noticed.

Commit

Attention and time are actually given.

Refine

The work is worked into, and stepped back from.

Release / Reflect

It leaves the hands; what happened is looked at.