Yes/And

Would you describe creativity as a free-flowing, unbounded romp or a process of thoughtful exploration and refinement? Number 11 on the Mau-ist hit list points to a third possibility:

11. Harvest ideas.
Edit applications. Ideas need a dynamic, fluid, generous environment to sustain life. Applications, on the other hand, benefit from critical rigor. Produce a high ratio of ideas to applications.

On rare occasions an artist will toss out a perfect gem in one sitting, as though taking dictation from some unseen composer. The rest of the time our universe is governed by the divergent rules of harvesting ideas and crafting applications. Not that songs are written in a tidy, two-step process – these modes bounce off each other, arguing, dancing, overlapping one moment and then flying apart the next.

The trick is figuring out whether to be fluid or rigorous, but only the song – and possibly her hairdresser – knows for sure. On good days you'll be clear enough for the song to guide you. If that's not happening, try playing first with one mode, then the other. Pick the one that energizes you. If that doesn't work out, there's always the Answer Me Buddha.