Mindful Making with Pranav Volety
Written by Maggie Bond
On Feb 22, 2024 , The Vault hosted a seminar with the club’s very own Pranav Volety, where he shared his insight on the application of mindfulness within the creative process.
Pranav Volety is a creative director and photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin. He has a background in music production and an extensive portfolio of creative endeavors. Using his own experiences, he enlightened fellow members of The Vault about their own creative processes, sharing the importance of integrating mindfulness into one’s creative process.
Pranav started off the seminar with a few readings from a novel which discussed the barriers humans face regarding creativity, such as creative blocks and negativity. After this introduction, the group went around and shared their personal creative outlets as well as an obstacle that occurs while pursuing it. A common answer amongst the group was the fear of their ideas not being “good enough,” as well as the fear of being compared to others.
In response, Pranav urged the group to question the insecurities the group had surrounding their respective creative processes by flipping them on their heads: He stated no idea is original. However, the way a person executes an idea and puts their own touch on it is what makes it unique and special. Being kind to yourself when coming to this realization was another idea Pranav stressed.
We then dove into three important factors regarding the creative process.
Samples
This is a point in the process where you have to ask yourself what your personal influences are, focus on the intentionality of the piece, and tap into a personalized ritual while creating.
2. Creation
Here is where you need to note how you are documenting your process, and become aware that you are the expert on the way you see the world. Your perspective is the only true point of view you have mastered.
3. Collaboration
This step forces the creative to be aware of the people and the things around them that may be influencing them and the things they create. Collaboration is necessary because other individuals can add insight you may not have to a project.
After going through these steps, Pranav mentioned the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are beneficial not only to your creativity, but also your character. These are the people that will inadvertently influence your work and who you are as a person.
Next the group did an exercise where we meditated on a creative idea we have had, and focused on the steps we could take to make that idea a reality. After the brief meditation, we drew out on paper what it would look like to follow through with those steps and bring the idea to fruition.
When we finished the exercise, Pranav shared with us the conventional creative timeline. Steps in this process include:
Spark - The thought or idea that leads your project
Pitch - Telling others about this idea and receiving feedback
Work - The development of the idea
a.Here, he noted, it is okay to evolve or change the original idea
Release - Publishing the work for validation or as a creative outlet for oneself
This process is beneficial for any creatives as it gives some structure to the nuanced art of creation.
To conclude the seminar, Pranav spent time emphasizing the importance that creative work can have on the world. From innovations in accessibility, to spotlights on social justice campaigns, creatives have and will continue to change the way we see the world through innovative and profound art and media.
Overall, this seminar shined a new light on the impacts and importance of including mindfulness within the creative process, and how it can broaden the horizons of creativity boundlessly.
Edited by Lauren Veum, Brett Byers, and Katherine Rubinstein.
