Odyssey Magazine Issue 4, 2015 | Page 115

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THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Every creative process, be it in literature, in engineering, in information technology
– and even in love – always respects a same pattern: the cycle of nature. Paulo
Coelho looks at four agricultural analogies for the creative process.
field plowing
At the moment the soil is plowed up, oxygen penetrates where
it was not able to reach up to then. The field gets a new face,
the soil that was on top is now underneath and what was
beneath turned into surface. This inner revolution process is very
important, for just as the new face of that field will be seeing the
sun for the first time, and be dazzled by it; a reassessment of our
values will enable us to see life with innocence and no naiveté.

seeding
Every creation is the result of a contact with life. The creating
Man can not lock himself up inside an ivory tower; he needs to
share his human condition. He will never know what will turn
out to be important in the future, so that, the more intense his
life, the more possibilities he will have in order to find an original
language. Le Corbusier used to say that 'while Man wanted to
fly imitating the birds, he was never able'. The same happens
with the artist: although artists are translators of emotions, the
language they translate are not entirely known by them, and if
they try to imitate or control their inspiration, they will never

of everything crossing their mind during the maturing stage, not
respecting what is being written in the unconscious. The result
is that those notes, outcomes of the mind, end up disturbing
the results of inspiration. The creator needs to respect the
development, even though they know – just as farmers do – that
they just have a partial control over their field. They are exposed
to droughts or inundations. But if they know to wait, the stronger
plant, which resisted to the entire inclemency, will come to light
with all its strength.

harvesting
This is a moment in which man will manifest what he planted
and left to mature, on a conscious level. If he harvests to soon
the fruit will be green; if he harvests too late, it will be rotten.
Every artist knows to recognise the arrival of this moment.
Although certain questions have not matured enough yet and
some ideas might not be clear and crystalline, they organise
themselves as the work of art is being created. With discipline
and no fear, artists understand that it is necessary to work every
day until their works are complete. And what should we do with

reach the goal they wish to achieve.

the results of harvesting? Again, we look at Mother Nature: it

maturing

to themselves are neither being fair to what they were given in

There is a time in which a work of art writes itself into the
author’s soul – before the artist ventures to manifest it. In the
case of literature, for example, the book is influencing the writer
and vice-versa. It is to that moment that the Brazilian poet Carlos
Drummond de Andrade refers to when he says that we should
never collect the verses that go lost, as they do not deserve to
see the light of day. I know people who take notes compulsively

shares everything with us. Artists who want to keep their works
the present moment, nor to the inheritance and the teachings of
their forefathers. If we leave our seeds stocked in the barn, they
will end up decaying, even if they have been harvested in the
right moment. When harvesting is done, the moment in which
it is necessary to share one’s own soul, with no fear or shame,
has arrived.
That is the artist’s mission.. O

©Translated by James Mulholland • Travel with Paulo through his blogs, visit www.paulocoelhoblog.com

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