Great creatives have practiced enough they reflexively make things that are good, allowing them to focus on putting their deepest feelings into their work, resonating with their audience.

According to award winning singer-songwriter Georgann Ireland, who I recently interviewed for the Create Connected podcast, there are 3 tiers.

Zero to Novice

You enter a creative domain like songwriting, singing or something else entirely. You don’t know what you don’t know. You have raw emotions that you want to authentically express through your chosen medium(s).

Novice to Good

You learn the craft and get a grasp on how to make things that are technically correct. Elements of style, ways to connect with your audience, and usual forms help you build knowledge on what makes for good work in your chosen art form. This requires active thinking from you to make sure you build good habits and avoid common pitfalls.

Good to Great

Elements of style, relate-ability, and the use of forms become instinct and reflex. You don’t think of them consciously, freeing up that mental space so you can return to the raw emotions you’re feeling and want to translate into your art form. The things you create are inherently “well crafted” but also break from norms where necessary to resonate more deeply with your audience.

Source: Georgann Ireland, award winning singer-songwriter in the latest Create Connected podcast + newsletter.