{"id":70264,"date":"2022-06-22T10:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T14:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=70264"},"modified":"2022-07-01T12:09:24","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T16:09:24","slug":"what-are-process-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-are-process-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Process Goals? The Key to Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What are process goals? Why do process goals help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/stimulate-creativity\/\">stimulate creativity<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>Keep Going<\/em>, artist Austin Kleon says that creative people benefit from creating process goals. While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/outcome-goals-examples\/\">outcome goals<\/a> make creating work a means to an end, process goals make creating work an exciting and joyful experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out how to pursue process goals to embrace your creative side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-healthy-process-based-goals\"><strong>Healthy Process-Based Goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What are process goals? Unlike outcome goals (which focus on the result), process goals focus on the actual <em>process <\/em>and the things you enjoy about it. Process goals allow you to enjoy the work itself and avoid feeling pressured to complete it. This prevents you from having to go through the cynical disinterest of burnout or the anxiety and dread of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/getting-overwhelmed\/\">feeling overwhelmed<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: While Kleon speaks mainly about the joy and excitement you might find in the pursuit of process-based goals, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/flow\"><em>Flow<\/em><\/a>) suggests that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/flow\/chapter-3#pleasure-vs-enjoyment\">you can enjoy an activity in and of itself without experiencing pleasure or positive emotion from it.<\/a> Instead, Csikszentmihalyi suggests that enjoyment of a process in itself is more of <strong>a sense of satisfaction from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-master-a-skill\/\">mastering a skill<\/a> or completing a challenge<\/strong>\u2014this suggests that even if you don\u2019t experience joy or excitement at the moment, you can still find deep meaning and enjoyment from the process of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-be-more-creative\/\">being creative<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To pursue healthier, process-based creative goals, Kleon suggests taking time to make art for yourself and for a loved one.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-make-art-for-yourself\">Make Art for Yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make some creative work that\u2019s just for you\u2014this will help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/focus-on-the-process\/\">enjoy the process<\/a> of creation without having to worry about what anyone else thinks. You can store this work away somewhere, or even destroy it right after you finish making it. What matters is that you practiced creativity and took joy in that practice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The suggestion to create entirely for yourself touches on an aesthetic debate: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/432197\">Does a creative work need an audience to count as art<\/a>? Some who answer \u201cyes&#8221; argue that art by definition inspires emotion in those who see it\u2014so if nobody else sees a creative work, it fails to meet the definition of art. On the other hand, some who answer \u201cno\u201d argue that what defines art is the intention of the artist\u2014if they want it to be art, it is. This second definition suggests that even when you make something for yourself, it\u2019s still art.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-make-art-for-a-loved-one\">Make Art for a Loved One<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make a piece of creative work as a gift for someone you love or care about. The positive feelings you have toward them will serve as motivation for your work. You\u2019ll also share in the joy they feel when they receive your gift\u2014this gives you concrete, positive reasons to continue making creative work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: You might be confused by Kleon\u2019s suggestion to make creative work into a gift, given that this is a goal based on producing a result (a gift to give) rather than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-creative-process\/\">the creative process<\/a> itself. To clarify this confusion, think of Kleon\u2019s recommendations as ways to inspire passion and joy in the making of your work\u2014you\u2019ll experience more of those positive emotions when you\u2019re making it for someone you love.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are process goals? Why do process goals help stimulate creativity? In Keep Going, artist Austin Kleon says that creative people benefit from creating process goals. While outcome goals make creating work a means to an end, process goals make creating work an exciting and joyful experience. Check out how to pursue process goals to embrace your creative side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":69483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,42,43],"tags":[658],"class_list":["post-70264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-motivation","category-self-improvement","tag-keep-going","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are Process Goals? The Key to Creativity - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To unleash your creative side, you need to set process goals. 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