Renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp defines the "spine" of a creative project as its central focus. This core idea connects all disparate elements, preventing the work from becoming disjointed and providing a grounding point from which all decisions must originate.
Related Insights
In writing 'The 99% Invisible City,' one author focused on including the best possible individual stories, while the co-author prioritized ensuring they fit into a cohesive book structure. This creative tension forced them to justify each inclusion and resulted in a stronger, more balanced final product.
While knowledge is valuable, choreographer Twyla Tharp argues that a creator's most difficult and essential work is "protecting but refining instinct." The challenge is to prevent intellectual understanding and external feedback from diluting the pure, immediate, and often correct, gut reactions that drive original work.
When building an elite team, choreographer Twyla Tharp looks beyond skill. The crucial factor is the collaborator's own intense desire to work with her and tackle immense challenges. The best team members effectively select themselves by demonstrating a commitment so strong they're willing to "go through the wall."
Bozoma Saint John applies the 'disagree and commit' principle to creative work. While diverse ideas are vital, once a leader chooses a direction, the entire team must rally behind it without reservation. Dwelling on what 'should have been' ensures the chosen path will fail.
Before starting a project, define its intended feel with key adjectives (e.g., "techie," "classical," "sharp"). This vision becomes a powerful filter, helping you make consistent decisions and resist the temptation to chase trends or get discouraged by other designers' work.
Gaining more knowledge as a creator doesn't make the process easier; it expands the field of options and raises the stakes, creating bigger challenges. Choreographer Twyla Tharp cites late-career Beethoven, whose deafness forced him into a unique, mature creative space.
Twyla Tharp defines a successful performance as a service provided. The key metric is not technical perfection or critical acclaim, but whether the audience leaves in a better state than they arrived—with a renewed sense of optimism or joy. This frames artistic creation as an act of public service.
Truly great work, from sushi masters to visionary founders, comes from a relentless pursuit of an underlying principle or 'divine lever'—like achieving 'wholeness' in architecture. This pursuit of essence, not just imitation of form, provides boundless energy and creates profound impact.
When working privately, don't label early attempts as successes or failures. Instead, choreographer Twyla Tharp suggests evaluating them based on their utility. The crucial question is not "Is this good?" but "Is this useful? Does it generate the next question and move the process forward?"
To avoid losing a project's initial spark, Twyla Tharp recommends keeping a literal box of tangible items. An object like a rock isn't a symbol; it holds the actual sensory memory—weight, texture—of the original idea. This physical anchor helps recall the core instinct when the creative process becomes confusing.