The 'Clean Slate' Method
5 Practices To Avoid "Creative Blindness" and Finish Your Projects Faster
Hey Creatives!
Want to know the strangest secret to better creative work? Stop looking at it.
Turns out, the more you stare at your work, the less clearly you see it.
Every time you peek at that half-finished painting or reread that draft, you're not actually improving it - you're just wearing down your ability to experience it with fresh eyes.
It's like saying your own name a hundred times until it stops sounding like a word at all.
Creativity is magical the first time it smolders your senses.
That’s the way you want to approach your work, like a first-time viewer. But that's impossible if you're constantly hovering over it.
In today's newsletter, I'm sharing the Clean Slate Method - an approach inspired by Rick Rubin, the author of “The Creative Act”- that turns traditional creative wisdom on its head.
We'll explore a few principles and techniques:
Why keeping your distance actually brings you closer to your vision,
How to maintain the mindset of a first-time viewer throughout your creative process.
Specific techniques to prevent the dreaded "creative blindness" that comes from over-familiarity.
Are you ready to discover how seeing less of your work might help you create your best work yet?
Let me share a few powerful techniques that have helped me break free from the revision loop to transform the creative process.
Practice #1: The Art of Looking Away
Think of your creative work like a child - it needs space to grow without constant hovering. Here's how to practice strategic distance:
Set firm "no-look" periods between work sessions - Try a 24-hour minimum rule. This means if you]re writing a novel, don't read yesterday's work before starting today's chapter. Stay fresh.
Create a schedule that enforces distance. Work on your project only on specific days, leaving gaps in between. These gaps are your creative reset buttons.
Use the "fresh file" technique - start each session in a new document or canvas, only combining work later. This prevents the temptation to constantly scroll up and revise.
ACTION STEP: Set a 24-hour timer on your phone. Don't look at your current creative project until it goes off. When you return, spend 5 minutes writing down your first impressions as if you're seeing it for the first time.
Practice #2: The First-Time Viewer Mindset
Imagine walking into a gallery or opening a book with zero expectations. That's the mindset we're aiming for. Here's how to cultivate it:
Before each session, take three deep breaths and mentally declare "clean slate." It sounds simple, but this ritual helps reset your perspective.
Practice "curiosity over criticism." When you look at your work, ask "What's interesting here?" instead of "What needs fixing?"
Use the "stranger's eyes" technique - before reviewing your work, spend 5 minutes imagining you're someone who's never seen it before. What would they notice first? What would surprise them?
Create viewing rituals that support fresh perspectives - change your physical location, switch the time of day you review work, or alter the format (like printing a digital piece).
ACTION STEP: Pick one piece of your current work. Set a 5-minute timer and write down everything that confuses, surprises, or interests you about it, forcing yourself to notice details as if you're a complete newcomer.
Practice #3: The Time Capsule Method
This one's a potential game-changer: Work in focused 1 to 2-hour blocks, then immediately "seal" your work away.
Save your files in a folder you won't open for at least two to three days. Name the file "TIME CAPSULE [DATE]" and set it aside.
Set a calendar reminder for your "unsealing" day. When you return, you'll be amazed at how differently you see your work. Time and space create a buffer zone that acts as a recovery period.
ACTION STEP: Choose your most important ongoing project and create a simple calendar blocking out specific days/times when you will NOT look at it. Start with the next 48 hours.
Practice #4: The Beta Reader Rotation
Here's a twist on the traditional feedback loop: Instead of showing the same person your revisions, find a new reader for each version.
Why? Each new reader brings that coveted "fresh eyes" perspective we're aiming for.
Beta readers get tired of reading the same chapter eight times. The fresh readers can give valuable alternative feedback.
Create a "feedback schedule" where you only share work every two weeks, and never with the same person twice in a row.
ACTION STEP: If no beta readers, do it yourself. Start a simple work log: Set a timer for 5 minutes and document your current project's state, including what you think is working well and what needs improvement. Review this log in a week.
Practice #5: The Format Flip
This one is more like a magic trick: Change how your work appears physically to trick your brain into seeing it anew.
For writers: Switch fonts, colors, or formatting between sessions. Change from Times New Roman to Courier to Arial - each font may show you different aspects of your work.
For visual artists: Photograph your work and view it on different devices, or flip it horizontally. You may spot things you've been blind to for weeks.
For musicians: Listen to your recordings through different speakers (like computer or headphones), at different times of day, or while doing different activities.
ACTION STEP: Take your current project and change one aspect of how you view it (different device, different room, different time of day, or printed vs. digital). Spend 5 minutes noting what stands out differently.
Distance Is Refreshing
The secret isn't in the specific technique - it's in creating enough distance between you and your work that you can actually see it again
Remember: Your creative mind is like a palate - it needs to be cleansed regularly to taste the full flavor of your work.
The key is understanding that every time you look at your work, you're either strengthening your ability to see it fresh or not. There's no neutral exposure.
Ready to put these practices into action? Start with just one technique from each category this week. Notice how your relationship with your work shifts when you stop clutching it so tightly.
Remember: Your creativity thrives in the space between looking, not in the constant staring.
Until next week,
— Rick
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