I imagine that if you are reading this, you are either someone involved in a creative process or someone helping others through that process.

In any case, it’s worth remembering (or reminding others) that the only thing we can be sure of is that devising will be hard work. We watch a great piece, a great performance and we want to emulate it. But are we prepared to put in all that hard work? Going over scenes, ditching material, rehearsing over and over and over again…

Well, we have no choice. Art isn’t magic, just the result of a lot of hard work.

Don’t take my word for it, instead, here are some words from Milton Glaser, the designer of the often plagiarised I ♥ NY logo.

There’s no such thing as creativity. As if creative people just show up and make stuff up. As if it were that easy. I think people need to be reminded that creativity is a verb, a very time-consuming verb. It’s about taking an idea in your head and transforming that idea into something real. And that’s always going to be a long and difficult process. If you’re doing it right, it’s going to feel like work.

from Jonah Lehrer’s book, Imagine.

• Physical Theatre