My partner and I love cooking together. It?s something that we both value and enjoy in our lives, from the choosing to the preparing, the cooking and finally the eating. But we didn?t always appreciate it as we do now. Here?s what used to happen:

We?d get out a selection of recipe books (at LEAST 7, but preferably double figures), scan through every page of every book and narrow our choice down from hundreds to a couple of dozen or so.

Then began the debate on which was most healthy, which was easiest to cook, which we hadn?t eaten recently, which we had time to create, and, crucially it seemed then, which we had the exact ingredients for.

More often than not we?d stumble at that last stage and realise we didn?t the right type of natural sea salt or our pak choi wasn?t organic and return to a previous recipe to try to choose again.

An hour or so later (if we?d chosen quickly) we?d then prepare and cook our carefully selected meal. Usually though, with thoughts in our minds like: ?Hmmm. I think I quite fancy that chicken dish after all. I wonder if we could do that tomorrow? Or the next day. The other recipe books are still out, maybe I should go and see if there?s something better??.

And then came the tasting. Now we?re not gourmet chefs but both capable of following a good recipe and making a delicious meal. Yet our comments at the table would be things like ?It?s nice BUUUT? could?ve used a splash more soy sauce in the marinade? or ?I think next time we should slice the carrots more thinly, the recipe said 3mm batons and some of these are definitely nearer 5mm.? Ok maybe that last one is a slight exaggeration?

The point is, there was no enjoyment in the process. What could be a fun, creative shared experience, became instead scientific, analytical, stilted, almost obsessed with making the perfect decision at every stage. And mostly our focus was on what could?ve been, the choices we didn?t take, the chances missed.

Sound at all familiar to you?

Now, our creative kitchen habits are rather different. We?ll pick an ingredient, say chicken or spaghetti or broccoli, then grab a few recipes that use that ingredient and pick the first one that appeals to us both. Which takes up to about 5 minutes.

Then - and this part is significant - we put all the other recipe books away!

We start cooking, maybe add a few creative tweaks along the way, using the recipe as a guide and an outline, not a sacred set of laws that must be obeyed at all costs.

Our focus is now on ENJOYING the creating, cooking and eating of the meal we?ve chosen. And now, the whole process is quite a different experience, we do enjoy it so much more at every stage. (Well OK sometimes those carrots are still a little chunky, but hey it adds a bit of variety in life!)

Think about your own experiences for a moment. How does you relate to the above in YOUR creative life? Which are you most like when it comes to choosing, preparing and creating a new project? The drawn out analytical perfectionist, ever hung up on making the perfect decision at every step? Or the free flowing creative, picking one project then committing to it, giving it your best and enjoying each stage of the creative process?

If you?re more like the first, be assured you?re far from alone. Yet how well does it serve your creativity and enjoyment of creating?

How could changing your approach increase your creativity and raise your enjoyment of all the creative projects you embark on? After all, if we don?t on some fundamental levels ENJOY creating, where?s the motivation for continuing to create at all?

? Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin