It’s much harder to have clarity during.
It’s easier to have clarity after. After the show closes, after the rehearsal, after the composition is premiered, after the class is finished.
Clarity after comes from three things: space to reflect, other experiences to compare it to, and intentional investigation.
Time, experience, and intention. That’s what’s needed. And it’s always easiest when a thing is done, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible when you’re creating, when you’re developing, when you’re rehearsing and planning and building. It’s just harder because:
You have less time to reflect when you’re in the middle of making.
You are less sure what experiences to compare it to when it’s up close.
You don’t always carry the intention to look close when the creation is happening. Editing can get in the way of creating.
But the best things are made when you use time, experience, and especially intention to shape the journey as it is happening. That’s when clarity can be most useful in shaping the creation.