Finding the golden mean in your creative process
The golden mean, which can be defined as the balance between two extremes, is a concept suggested by Aristotle that can be applied to the creative process to produce better outcomes. Finding balance within oneself is essential for artists to create better art and spend more productive time making it. Without balance artists can lose focus on their art, or burn out. The concept of the golden mean introduces a way to think about things as virtues, and asks you to find a balance between the two extremes of that virtue.
Productivity as a virtue. The creative process requires balance between inspiration and technique to reach its full potential. It is common for artists to feel overwhelmed or burnt out, but finding balance can help them avoid these pitfalls. For example, a writer who spends too much time editing and reworking their work may experience burnout, while a musician who rushes through their creative process may produce subpar work. Finding balance is essential to producing better art and maintaining productivity.
One metaphor that can illustrate the importance of finding balance in the creative process is that of a plant needing a balance of sunlight and water to grow and thrive. Similarly, artists need to find balance between inspiration and technique to produce great art. Another metaphor is that of a pendulum, which swings back and forth between two extremes, but reaches its maximum potential when it finds balance at the center.
To find the golden mean of anything, think of something that you’d like to achieve or have as a quality. That is a virtue. Creating meaningful work can be a virtue that you hold as an artist. On one extreme of meaning is meaninglessness, generally broad appeal art. On the other extreme is art that is so specifically meaningful, that it is meaningless to the majority of people. You can, and this movie was art, create Bee Movie (which doesn’t have much personal or sentimental meaning). You can also create a personal work that is extremely meaningful to yourself, but unfortunately completely inscrutable to the rest of the population. You need to find your own balance between these two extremes to make meaningful and successful work.
The golden mean is a valuable concept for artists to apply to their creative process and subsequent output. Finding balance is essential for producing one’s own best work, maintaining productivity, and avoiding burnout. Artists are plants that need a balance of sunlight and water, or pendulums reaching its potential at the center, finding balance in the creative process. Once you figure out where your balance is, carve yourself out more space in your comfort zone by figuring out how to incorporate new ideas.
