Picture this:
You’re sitting at your desk, brimming with excitement about your latest creative idea.
You dive in headfirst, ready to bring your vision to life. But within minutes, you’re overwhelmed, unsure of where to start or how to proceed. Sound familiar?
Many creatives find themselves trapped in this cycle—bursting with inspiration but quickly becoming bogged down by a lack of structure and clarity.
The solution isn’t to work harder or blame yourself for lack of focus. Instead, it’s about redefining how we approach creative projects.
In this article, we’ll explore a new definition of “project” tailored specifically for creatives.
We’ll discuss why traditional definitions fall short and how this fresh perspective can transform your creative process, helping you bring your ideas to fruition with confidence and clarity.
The Creative’s Dilemma: When Traditional Project Definitions Fall Short
Traditionally, the Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” 1
While this definition has served many industries well, it falls short for creative work.
Let’s break down why:
1. Too Commercial and Specific: The emphasis on “unique” products or services doesn’t necessarily apply to all creative work. While products may result from creative endeavors, not all creative work is product-oriented.
2. Action vs. Framework: A project isn’t just an endeavor or action; it’s an information framework for action. Projects organize resources and behavior; they aren’t the actual resources or behavior themselves.
3. Temporary vs. Discrete: While “temporary” implies short-term, creative projects can span long periods. “Discrete” better captures the idea of a defined beginning and end.
These limitations highlight the need for a definition that better aligns with the nature of creative work.
A Fresh Perspective: Redefining Projects for Creative Work
Given these shortcomings, I propose a new definition:
“A project is a discrete, multifaceted framework of intentional action that creates a result.”
This definition encompasses several vital aspects particularly relevant to creatives:
1. Clear Start and Finish: Unlike ongoing practices or habits, it has a defined beginning and end.
2. Complex and Multilayered: Unlike simple tasks, it contains various elements, including tasks, resources, and even other projects.
3. Purposeful and Deliberate: It organizes intentional behavior rather than reactive behavior.
4. Outcome-Focused: It leads to a tangible or intangible outcome.
Why This New Definition Matters for Creatives
Understanding projects in this new light can revolutionize how we approach creative work. Here’s how:
1. Organizing Ideas into Actionable Steps:
For example, a graphic designer working on a brand identity project can break it down into discrete phases like research, concept development, and refinement, each with its own set of tasks and resources.
2. Managing Long-Term Creative Endeavors:
A novelist writing a series of books can view each book as a discrete project within the larger framework of the series, helping to maintain focus and momentum over years of work.
3. Maintaining Creative Freedom Within Structure:
A musician composing an album can use this project definition to organize recording sessions, collaborations, and production tasks without feeling creatively constrained.
4. Tracking Process and Feedback:
A filmmaker can use this framework throughout their process to evaluate what is working and what isn’t so they can iterate as necessary.
Embracing a New Approach to Creative Projects
By redefining projects, we’re not constraining our creativity—we’re giving it a structure to flourish.
This new definition provides a framework that closes the gap between creative concept and first action, helps manage complex long-term endeavors, maintains creative freedom within a supportive structure, and allows for tracking progress and feedback..
Remember, the goal isn’t to box in your creativity, but to give it room to grow and thrive.
By embracing this new definition of projects, you’re setting yourself up for more focused, productive, and fulfilling creative work.
In the next article of this series, we’ll explore the crucial skill of distinguishing between projects and tasks for effective creative project management. Stay tuned!
Sources
- Project Management Institute, editor. The Standard for Project Management and a Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). Seventh edition, Project Management Institute, Inc, 2021. ↩︎