Most of us fall into one of two creative types, we either

• have 500 creative ideas before the first cup of coffee slides down our throat
• have one creative idea that is the best thing since the sliced bread we are about to toast

Either way, those ideas need to be captured and developed.

We may work with others and so a quick email or tweet to one of our creative collaborators may be the next thing to do. Alternatively, we may have captured the idea on a piece of paper to work on when we have a chance.

The next step for us is to develop the idea to something more than a thought or jot on paper. Quite often the creative juices will be flowing at this time and so you want to crack on with developing your idea. Unfortunately this is where a lot of energy is misspent.

We can end up putting so much effort into getting ready to develop our idea that our creative energy is all used up. But with a little preparation we can save a lot of time.

Preparing our creative space and tools is one way to focus the energy we have into the creative act and not waste it.

I dabble in recording music and I use Cubase. This is a great multi-track digital recorder. However, if I have an idea and launch the program, it can take me a while to get to point of doing anything creative. Therefore I have set up some templates in the program. These templates are ready to record straight into. The settings are ready and the common instruments I use are already loaded.

So, when I have that creative musical spark, I don’t need to worry about setting up the computer. it is all ready for me. Any energy that I do have can be almost totally channelled into creativity. So to make things easier for yourself

• prepare any templates for programs you may use
• keep a box of art tools close by that don’t need unpacking
• learn shortcuts for any computer programs you use

Creative energy is precious, don’t waste it. It only takes a little preparation to free your energy and let it roam. So do that preparation, before the next big idea comes along.

The wonderful Smashing Magazine has just listed some other great time-saving tips for designers and you can find them here.

There is (yet) another great post, and ongoing conversation, over at Lateral Action. The post by Mark begins with the premise, in the movie world, that the film Watchmen will be a commercial success due to the publicity it has gained through the legal dispute between Warner and Fox. I’m not going to get into the debate on this site, if you want that, then go and join in at Lateral Action.

Mark questions those creatives who complain about not being recognised for their art when they don’t promote it. This is something I totally agree with. I’ve mentioned it before here, if you are doing art for art’s sake, then you’re doing it for yourself. But if you want it to be enjoyed by others, then you need to put promotion into your strategy.

Here’s a wonderful, handy and free flash application. If you want to make some music and you need to write it down this is wonderful. You can print with a varity of staves, time-signatures and more.

Free printable staff paper @ Blank Sheet Music .net