The hottest Creative Process Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Art & Illustration Topics

Office Hours

Story Club with George Saunders • 116 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. The editor plays a crucial role in shaping and refining writing pieces.
  2. Writing for online platforms requires a different style and pace to keep the reader engaged.
  3. Editing involves identifying the essence of the draft and enhancing it for a more impactful result.

Amazement

Soaring Twenties • 108 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. The author shares their journey of writing and rewriting a book of poems over the years, highlighting the importance of revisiting and restructuring creative works over time.
  2. The process of creating a collection of poems involves carefully selecting and arranging individual pieces to create a cohesive and meaningful narrative thread throughout the book.
  3. Self-publishing can be a valuable outlet for producing work and refining one's craft, leading to personal growth and the eventual creation of a polished manuscript for publication.

How AI Turned Me Into a Cartoonist Instantly: Because Nobody Reads Your Articles Anyway

Crypto Good • 3 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. Many people don't read long articles anymore; they skim through them for quick information. Turning writings into comic strips makes the message more engaging and memorable.
  2. You don't need to be a skilled artist to create cartoons anymore. AI tools can help anyone generate comic strips quickly and easily, no prior experience required.
  3. Creating comics with AI only takes a little conversation about style and mood, and then you can transform your ideas into fun, visual formats that people enjoy.

Vibes Driven Development: Trust Your Vibes (and ignore everything else)

An Ode to Restlessness • 1 HN point • 26 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Creative Process
  1. Vibes Driven Development (VDD) is all about using your mood and environment to guide your coding. Instead of sticking to strict plans, you let your feelings and instincts shape your work.
  2. To implement VDD, create a cozy workspace, choose music that inspires you, and stay flexible with your coding ideas. Trusting your vibes can lead to unexpected creativity and solutions.
  3. VDD offers a fresh break from traditional methods like Agile and Waterfall, which can feel rigid and stressful. It encourages developers to embrace spontaneity and find their own rhythm while coding.

DALLE, AARON, Kata: Strategies for Legibility

Cybernetic Forests • 39 implied HN points • 28 Aug 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. Harold Cohen developed AARON in the 1970s, an AI program that co-created art with him, showcasing a unique relationship between the artist and the machine.
  2. Artists can infuse their spirit into tools and images, as seen in the Japanese textile tradition, emphasizing purpose and repetitive practice.
  3. Strategies for artist legibility within sophisticated image-making systems like DALLE2 involve using prompts, selections, and exploring the concept of feedback loops through repetition and variation.
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a letter about the creative process of a writer

Tumbleweed Words • 38 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. The creative process for a writer involves drawing thoughts from a subconscious place and crafting them into words on a page.
  2. Creating meaningful work requires dedication and perseverance, despite doubts and external distractions.
  3. Reflection and inspiration from past experiences play a significant role in fueling the creative process.

The Infinite Almanac of Writing Wisdom

Tigerfeathers! • 17 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Collect and organize writing tips and techniques to create a valuable resource. This helps writers find inspiration in one easy place.
  2. Writing is an experimental process where you learn by doing. It’s okay to have rough drafts as they can lead to better ideas during revisions.
  3. Engage your audience by being specific and personal in your writing. Sharing your own experiences makes your work relatable and engaging.

straight outta tartarus

visa's voltaic verses ⚡️ • 17 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Creative Process
  1. Losing is a natural part of the learning process. It's important to keep trying and learn from our experiences, just like in the game Hades where you often die but keep getting better.
  2. Your focus should be on the journey and process, not just the outcome. Celebrating small improvements, like getting better at a game or mastering a new skill, is key to building persistence.
  3. Finding deeper meaning in your creative efforts can lead to better results. Just like in a game, you have to be open to discovering hidden insights and emotions in your writing or projects.

On choosing typography

subtract • 5 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
🪑 Design Creative Process
  1. Choosing the right typography is crucial for a book's design. A clear heading and body type can greatly impact readability and the overall feel of the book.
  2. Personal preferences can guide typography choices, especially for personal projects. It's okay to stick with what you love even if it's commonly used.
  3. Experimenting with different typefaces is key to finding the best fit. Pairing a grotesque type with a serif can create a nice contrast and enhance the visual appeal.

It's hard to make art with AI, but it's not impossible

ART⋂CODE • 13 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. Making art with AI can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. The key is finding a way to express your personal vision through the tools.
  2. Using AI might streamline the creative process, but it can also make it harder to put your unique voice into the work. You need to find a way to infuse your style into what AI generates.
  3. Art is not just about making choices; it's about a deeper connection between the artist and their medium. Embracing this relationship can lead to more meaningful creations.

Illustrations for "The Expedition to Khiva" by Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky

The Library of Alexandria Ultima • 8 implied HN points • 19 Feb 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. The illustrations created by Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky help bring to life his book, 'The Expedition to Khiva'. They provide a visual glimpse of the journey and the locations he experienced.
  2. These images were not included in the book itself, showcasing the unique nature of the collection of drawings.
  3. The book and the illustrations capture the historical journey from the Caspian Sea to Khiva, highlighting important sites and experiences along the way.

My Last Commission That Looks Like This

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 24 Feb 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. Sometimes, artists struggle with the challenges of taking on commissioned work, as it can change their creative process and compromise their artistic values.
  2. Pricing art can be a complex and delicate task, involving considerations of time, materials, and the artist's worth.
  3. Artists often face the dilemma of balancing financial needs with the desire for artistic freedom and expression, which can lead to difficult decisions in their artistic journey.

The Art Critic Part II

The False Consensus Effect • 39 implied HN points • 15 Jan 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. The post discusses the events surrounding the Capitol riot on January 6, highlighting the insurrection, sedition, and impeachment of a U.S. President and lawmakers.
  2. The author reflects on the art world, critiquing the influence of money and power in auctions and the value of artwork compared to the intentions of the artists.
  3. Effective altruism and the debate around the impact of creating art versus supporting charitable causes are explored, with strong criticisms towards the idea of art being considered frivolous in the face of global suffering.

Notes from Retreat

As Ever • 7 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Creative Process
  1. Spiritual exercises help us face our true selves. It's important to be honest about who we are and what we feel.
  2. Artists have a responsibility to share beauty that helps others. Creating art should be about serving people, not just seeking approval.
  3. Change can be scary because it means letting go of what we know. Trusting in a higher purpose can lead to surprising growth and deeper understanding.

Three possible beginnings of a book review

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 2 implied HN points • 27 Jun 25
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. It's important to have a strong opening for any piece of writing, like a book review. A good start can grab your readers' attention right away.
  2. Seeking feedback on your writing is valuable. Others can give you insights on which parts work best or what needs improvement.
  3. Writing is a process that often involves trying multiple versions of something to find the best fit. Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas.

Bodies Bodies [A Primer]

The Author Is Dumb • 6 implied HN points • 07 Nov 24
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. The author is working on a new book that will be written in real time and is focused on themes of faith.
  2. Unlike previous works, this book will not have a paywall, promoting access to everyone, while still appreciating paid subscribers.
  3. The style of this book might be different, potentially being more autobiographical and experimental compared to the author's other writings.

Intracranial tectonics

Perambulations • 3 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Some people believe that writing helps them reveal and correct deficiencies in their thinking process.
  2. The author finds it difficult to write and think simultaneously, preferring to have a structured idea before writing.
  3. Engaging in activities like playing video games can help the author's subconscious mind solve problems related to writing.

Quick notes from vibe-coding a comic website

Artificial General Ideas • 0 implied HN points • 20 Oct 25
💥 Comics Creative Process
  1. Vibe coding allows you to create a website without writing any code. It's all about having fun and letting tools do the work for you.
  2. Image generation for comics can have many flaws, like inconsistent characters and spelling errors. Sometimes it takes many tries to get a good result.
  3. While vibe-coding works well for simple projects, getting exact results might need some coding knowledge and adjustments as projects become more complex.

Singing a Song with Data

Handy Data • 0 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🎶 Music Creative Process
  1. European countries like Germany and Austria had a significant concentration of classical music composers, reflecting a rich cultural heritage and historical support that influenced the development of musical talent.
  2. Most classical composers had lifespans between 60 to 80 years, with some outliers, showcasing how personal health and living conditions played a role in their creative lives.
  3. Composers had a varied range of composition durations, with works lasting between 20 to 50 minutes being common, while some, like Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Mass in B minor,' pushed the boundaries with significantly longer pieces.

Notes from a Lost Future of AI Art

Cybernetic Forests • 0 implied HN points • 13 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Creative Process
  1. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) were used in AI art and photography to understand the fundamentals of AI image generation, before being largely replaced by Diffusion models.
  2. To be an AI photographer, learn what the AI requires to work efficiently, take numerous photographs (500-1500), and capture the space around interesting elements to create patterns.
  3. After obtaining a dataset of images, cropping, rotating, and reversing them can significantly increase the dataset size, leading to different outcomes when training a model, which can be done efficiently using tools like RunwayML.

Spontaneous vs planned writing

VS Blog • 0 implied HN points • 22 Sep 23
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Spontaneous writing feels fresh and improvisational, like a journey into the unknown.
  2. Planned writing tends to be more serious and structured, often focusing on presenting ideas well rather than the essence.
  3. Engaging in spontaneous writing may tap into your subconscious more effectively, allowing for a flow of ideas and creativity.

Screening + Q&A: Jane Schoenbrun: We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) w/ Tomi Faison

Do Not Research • 0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. The film 'We're All Going to the World's Fair' directed by Jane Schoenbrun is about a young girl's experience on the internet, reflecting the personal relationship many people have with online communities.
  2. Jane Schoenbrun's approach to filmmaking involves collaboration and exploring personal experiences through creative expression, showcasing a style that blends personal storytelling with the online world.
  3. The interview touches on themes of hierarchical structures in the film industry, the intersection of online culture with loneliness, and the potential for artists to create meaningful work by understanding and utilizing different mediums.

song-writing process

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 15 Aug 23
🎶 Music Creative Process
  1. Songwriting starts with an idea, usually recorded in voice memos, and then the group collaborates to develop it into a full song.
  2. Ideas can vary in how complete they are when presented to the group. Sometimes one person has a full vision, other times it's just a spark.
  3. It's common to forget good ideas, but the focus should be on enjoying the process rather than getting attached to any single idea.

9 Steps To Hire The Right Designer

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 24
🪑 Design Creative Process
  1. It's important to hire based on shared values and character, not just skills. People can learn skills, but their attitude and fit with your team are crucial.
  2. Ask candidates about their life goals and mindset. Understanding what drives them helps ensure they align with your company's vision and culture.
  3. Communication is key in a design role. Look for designers who listen well and empathize with clients, as it leads to better designs and relationships.

Revision Notes, Er, Notes on Revision

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 04 May 22
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. It's important to get the main idea of your story right before you start revising. If you focus on editing without a solid foundation, you might end up doing extra work later.
  2. When revising, only focus on the parts that will really affect your overall story. Don't waste time on small edits if big changes are needed.
  3. Keep your revisions organized and make it fun! Use different tools and methods to keep your attention, and don't hesitate to set aside parts that aren't working for you yet.

Of Writing and Residencies

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 22
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Residencies can help you break bad habits, like too much screen time, and allow you to reconnect with your creative process. Being in a place without distractions can be refreshing.
  2. Meeting other artists at residencies exposes you to different ideas and collaborations, which can inspire new projects. It's a great way to find motivation and support from fellow creatives.
  3. Residencies boost your self-confidence as a writer. Having your work validated by an official program can help you trust in your skills and artistic direction.

When 'How to Start?' Is the Hardest Question

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 21
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Starting to pitch your ideas can be really scary, but it's a necessary step for getting published. Don't let fear hold you back from sharing your work with editors.
  2. Rejections are part of the process, and it's important not to take them personally. Every pitch you send is a chance to learn and improve.
  3. The more you pitch, the better you'll get at it. Set small goals and keep trying to generate new ideas to increase your chances of success.

Time for New (School) Year’s Writing Resolutions

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 16 Sep 21
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Rethink your routine to better suit your needs. Changing how you organize your workweek can help you feel more refreshed and ready to write.
  2. Reading is key for writing. It inspires you and helps solve writing problems, so don’t skip it, even when busy with drafts.
  3. Engage in other activities you love to relax. Hobbies like painting or gardening can calm you and spark writing inspiration.

On Writing Your Memoir Over Email

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 02 Dec 20
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Writing a memoir can be harder than expected, requiring craft and focus on narrative. It's not just about telling your story but understanding the characters and what you want the readers to take away.
  2. Getting advice from others in a writing community can help. Focusing on a central question can give your memoir direction instead of trying to cover everything in one book.
  3. Using emails as a writing approach can make the process easier. Treating your writing like letters to someone can help you express your feelings and find your narrative more naturally.

Why Writing Routines Work

The Fairest Writer • 0 implied HN points • 27 Apr 20
📚 Literature Creative Process
  1. Having a regular writing routine can help you focus and reduce stress. Find a time of day when you feel most energetic and make that your writing time.
  2. Start with something easy before diving into harder tasks. Freewriting or simple exercises can warm you up for more serious writing.
  3. It's important to take breaks, but set clear plans for when to start and stop. This way, you can recharge without losing track of your writing goals.

The Creative Wisdom in The Art of Poster Design

Multimodal by Bakz T. Future • 0 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Process
  1. Craft, style, and concept are the three key elements in poster design. A strong concept can make a design work even if the craft and style aren't perfect.
  2. It’s important to integrate fonts and lettering early in the design process for better composition. This helps to avoid fonts feeling like an afterthought in the final piece.
  3. Using colors other than black can create more interesting designs. Dark blues or purples can add depth, making the artwork stand out more.

Taste: the Unquantifiable Fitness Metric

Nano Thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 15 Jul 25
🎶 Music Creative Process
  1. Creating music with AI involves several steps, from generating initial ideas to fine-tuning them, and these steps help improve the quality of the final song. As you experiment, you learn what works and what doesn't.
  2. People often struggle to define their personal 'taste' when it comes to music or any creative work. It's a mix of feelings, memories, and emotions that can change over time and can't always be easily measured.
  3. AI tools can help with creative tasks, but they don't replace the need for human judgment. Understanding when to invest time in perfecting a creative output can make a big difference in quality.