The Creative Self Check-in

(first published 03/04/2023 in its original form here.)

As a creative, it can be really easy to get tunnel vision.

I know I'm prone to it. Keeping track of short-term, mid-term and long-term creative goals, all while balancing them with work, life, relationships, hobbies... It can be pretty overwhelming. Working on fulfilling your short-term goals, and also on fulfilling your long-term goals, means you might forget to take a beat and assess the goals themselves. That is to say, it's easy so focused on the what and the how, you forget to take a step back and look at the why.

Why am I doing this? Are these plans still aligning with my goals? Do I still want the same things? Am I proud of what I'm making? Am I happy?

These are the types of questions that get lost when we don't explicitly make space for them. The Creative Self Check-in, an exercise I was introduced to at the Canadian Film Centre, is hugely helpful for this. How it works is, you make a plan to sit down every 6-12 months and take a look at where you are, where you're headed, and how you feel about both of those things.

Making your list of questions is also really useful, because it forces you to figure out what matters to you. Your priorities, your goals, what you're willing to sacrifice, and what you need to protect – even from yourself. I don't know if there's a better process for both my ongoing professional happiness, and the health of my creative brain, than this one little exercise.

Here are the questions I sit down and ask myself...

• Am I finding time to create out of joy?
• Am I creating work I’m proud of?
• What have I most enjoyed working on recently?
• What am I most excited to do next?
• Are there any projects I should set aside for now?
• Which of my learning goals am I making progress on?
• Which learning goals am I not making progress on?
• Have my learning goals shifted since my last check-in?
• What creative skills would I like to develop?
• How would I like to work towards developing those skills?
• What type of project do I want to spend more focus on right now?
• What type of project do I want to spend less time on right now?
• When I imagine my ideal creative future, what does it look like?
• Are my creative and learning goals helping me in that direction?
• What is my five-year vision for myself, creatively?
• How has that changed since my last check-in?
• Am I happy and creatively fulfilled? If not, how can I get there?

Everyone's check-in questions are probably going to be different, and change regularly as you develop, and as your needs and instincts shift. Your check-in questions might be similar to these, or totally different!

For me, this specific set of questions helps me zero in on how I'm feeling about what I'm creating, whether I'm creating out of joy or obligation, and whether my creative or professional desires have shifted. These questions remind me of my learning goals, which can easily be forgotten in the thrum of life. They also act as a reminder that I control my creative intentions and my learning goals, and that I am 100% allowed to change my mind about what I am interested in. If not for these questions, I might not have realized my shift toward games and game design as an interest, or that I was feeling emotionally worn-down by writing too many television pilots in a row without other creative stimulation; both were revelations that have been huge for my creative and mental health. I've recently added more questions about my future; as I get deeper into my thirties, I want to know that I have a sense of what I want my life to look like, beyond the scope of my creative slate.

Your own questions might be totally different. You might engage more with practical realities such as budgeting or networking, or wellness elements like self-care. You might have specific behaviours that you are looking to cultivate, such as finishing projects or learning to collaborate, that your check-in questions might be helpful with. Or, you might have one or two questions you ask yourself to ground your focus, and be satisfied with that. It's all about what helps you examine, understand, and pursue creative fulfillment. And each time you sit down to check-in, re-assess the questions: Are there questions that feel subtly off from what you're focused on? Are there questions that no longer feel useful, or questions that are currently missing that you feel you need to answer for yourself? Even the act of building and adjusting your list of questions can tell you more about yourself.

In terms of process, you can sit down and write out your answers, or just read through the questions and think about what your answers might be. You might share your process with others and talk through your answers as a group, or make it a private, personal process you work through on your own.

It's all up to you.