Behind the scenes of Mandalashop's creative process
At Mandalashop, each new collection is the fruit of a long creative process in which intuition, inspiration and adaptability combine to give birth to objects that carry meaning and energy. Our ideas are sometimes born of our own inspiration, sometimes from the feedback and suggestions of our customers, be they private individuals or professionals. Today, we plunge you into the heart of our creation by telling you the story of our latest collection: astrological sign mugs.
From idea to first draft: follow your intuition
Everything often begins with an inspiration. In most cases, our creations are born of a specific vision, a strong symbol that resonates with us. Other times, we respond to suggestions from our customers, whether private or professional. But each creation has a profound meaning and is part of a logic of harmonizing energies.
For the collection of astrological sign mugs, the inspiration came several months ago. Astrology has fascinated us since the dawn of time, and we immediately felt that there was something beautiful and powerful to express through these signs of the zodiac. I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve: a refined, cosmic aesthetic, with a background evoking the depth of the starry sky.
It was this initial vision that guided the whole process. Having a strong initial vision is an asset, as it allows you to lay a solid foundation. But you also need to remain open to changes and unforeseen events along the creative path.
Relying on teamwork
Once the idea is in your head, you need to bring it to life. Arnaud, the team's designer, steps in to bring the vision to life. I give him my ideas and my expectations in terms of rendering, and he takes care of the graphics. We always work in close collaboration, validating each step together to arrive at the perfect result.
This duo work is essential because it allows us to cross perspectives: my ideas and feelings are combined with his technical mastery and creativity. The exchange and confrontation of points of view enrich the project and lead to a more accomplished result.
In any creation, it's crucial to have an outside view and fluid teamwork, as we can sometimes be too close to our initial idea to see what could be improved.
Technical constraints: an obstacle to overcome
Ideally, an idea would take shape immediately and perfectly. But in reality, the creative process is often fraught with pitfalls. For this collection, we encountered a major obstacle: our first visual was too complicated to print.
The idea of the starry sky, which seemed obvious and beautiful, turned out to be technically too complex to realize on our mugs. So we had to face up to the reality of technical constraints and put the project on hold.
This kind of situation happens a lot in creative work. An idea can be excellent, but if it's not feasible in the desired conditions, you have to know how to adapt. The important thing is to accept these limitations and look for solutions, without abandoning the overall vision.
Giving ideas time to mature
Faced with this obstacle, we decided to put the project on hold to concentrate on other creations. Sometimes, it's essential to take a step back and accept that things won't happen immediately.
When we relaunched the project several months later, Arnaud proposed a visual without a colored background, in a more minimalist approach. However, it didn't correspond to the image I had in mind for this collection.
But in the meantime, something had changed: looking back, I had a new intuition that would unlock everything.
This illustrates an essential lesson in creativity: sometimes it takes time for ideas to evolve and find their ideal form. Taking a break allows the brain to process information in the background and bring out unexpected solutions.
Giving way to intuition and discovery
While we were discussing the new version of the visual, a question spontaneously popped into my head: "By the way, is there a color associated with each zodiac sign?"
This simple question changed the game. By doing some research, I discovered that each sign of the zodiac had a dominant color associated with its energy.
This revelation opened up a whole new field of possibilities for the collection. Instead of a simple plain or starry background, we could play with the specific colors of each sign to further reinforce the symbolic impact of the visuals.
Listening to your intuitions is a key part of the creative process. It's often the spontaneous ideas that arise without warning that lead to the most interesting discoveries. Letting yourself be guided by these flashes of understanding allows you to go beyond the initial limits of the project.
Researching and testing to find the perfect balance
With this new idea in mind, I researched the colors associated with each zodiac sign. But it wasn't enough to have these hues in theory, they had to work in practice on our mugs.
So I submitted these color choices to Arnaud, who reworked the visuals by integrating these new hues. Each color was adjusted several times to achieve perfect harmony and respect the spirit of the collection. It has to be said that the rendering of colors differs according to the medium, which makes the task much more complex!
This process of research and experimentation is crucial. A good idea must always be tested and refined. It may take several tries before the right balance is found. Perseverance and attention to detail are precious allies in any creative process.
Appreciating the moment when everything aligns
At last, after months of work, adjustments and reflection, we finally had our collection of zodiac mugs!
The moment when everything finally aligns is a unique sensation. It's the culmination of a long road, where every difficulty, every adjustment and every intuition has found its place.
This moment reminds us that patience and perseverance always pay off in the end. When it comes to creation, you can't rush things. The best ideas may take time to blossom, but the end result is always worth it.
Key lessons from this creative process
This project reminded us of several fundamental lessons about creativity. Every step of the way has enabled us to understand and experiment with key principles, which apply far beyond the simple framework of product creation.
1) Trust your intuition: a valuable compass
Intuition plays a fundamental role in any creative process. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, an idea comes to us and pushes us to explore a new direction. This is exactly what happened when the question of astrological colors spontaneously popped into my mind. This intuition was the trigger that changed everything, enabling us to unlock the project and give it new depth.
This kind of sudden inspiration often happens when we're immersed in a project, but it's essential not to ignore them. Intuition works like an inner compass, drawing on our knowledge, experience and sensitivity. It's not based on strict logical reasoning, but on a more global and subtle perception of things.
When creating, you need to know how to listen to these weak signals. The more we trust our intuition, the more precise and relevant it becomes. It guides us towards solutions that, quite often, would not have come to us through purely analytical reasoning.
2) Accept obstacles as opportunities
When a project encounters difficulties, it's easy to feel frustrated or to see these obstacles as a hindrance to progress. Yet these constraints can be gateways to new solutions. Had we persisted with our first idea of a starry background without taking into account the technical limitations, we would have wasted time and energy trying to force an unsuitable solution.
Far from being a failure, this obstacle forced us to rethink the project from a new angle, leading us to an even richer and symbolically powerful approach with the integration of the colors of the zodiac. This change of direction not only solved the initial problem, but also gave greater coherence and authenticity to our collection.
The challenges encountered in a project are often invitations to explore other paths. Rather than striving to make an idea work at all costs, it's sometimes more productive to step back and ask whether another approach might be even better.
3) Giving ideas time to mature: the importance of hindsight
We live in a fast-paced world, where we often try to finalize a project as quickly as possible. Yet some ideas need time to develop fully. Taking a break from creating the astrological mugs enabled us to come back to them with fresh eyes and new energy.
This maturing process is often invisible, but essential. Even when we're not actively working on a project, our minds continue to process it in the background. It's in these moments of pause that new connections are made, unsuspected ideas emerge, and innovative solutions appear spontaneously.
So it's important to accept that some ideas need time to evolve. Rather than forcing a project forward at all costs, it is sometimes more beneficial to let it rest so that it can reach its most complete and harmonious form.
4) Collaboration: the richness of exchange
Finally, this experience reminds us just how valuable teamwork is in a creative process. Each person brings his or her own vision, skills and outlook, enabling the project to be significantly refined and enriched.
If I had worked on this collection alone, it would certainly have been very different. Arnaud's involvement, with his graphic and technical expertise, brought another dimension to the project. Our exchanges enabled us to refine the visuals, resolve the technical constraints, and end up with a much more coherent and accomplished collection than if either of us had worked in isolation.
This complementarity is essential in any creative process. Accepting the ideas and criticisms of others enables us to go beyond our own limits and achieve a much richer, more balanced result. Creativity is not only nourished by individual inspiration, but also by dialogue, exchange and confrontation of ideas.
An ever-evolving creative process
This adventure around our collection of astrological mugs illustrates several essential principles of the creative process:
- Inspiration is a starting point, but you have to remain open to adjustments;
- Teamwork enriches creation and enables skills to cross-fertilize;
- Facing technical constraints is part of the game: learn to adapt;
- Ideas sometimes need time to mature, and breaks are beneficial;
- Intuitions are precious: learn to listen to them;
- Research and experimentation help refine a project until harmony is achieved;
- Patience and perseverance are the keys to successful creation.
Looking back on this creative adventure, we realize that each project is a journey in itself. This journey teaches us the importance of intuition, the need to transform obstacles into opportunities, the value of time in the maturing of ideas, and the richness of collaborative work.
Creating is not just about having an idea and realizing it immediately (although that can happen). It's a living, moving process, sometimes unpredictable, but always enriching. And that's what makes each creation unique and meaningful.
At Mandalashop, we'll continue to follow this philosophy, always leaving room for inspiration, reflection and co-creation to offer vibrant products that resonate with each and every one of you. 😊
And you, have you ever experienced a creative process where a pause, an obstacle or a sudden intuition completely transformed your project? Share your experience in comments, we'd love to chat with you! ✨😊
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