MAP YOUR CREATIVE CHAOS

Written By Josh Schroeder

Map Your Creative Chaos: Songwriting Flow from a 200+ Sync Pro

MAPPING THE UNKNOWN.

Welcome back to the endless ocean of creativity. As you swim freely, do you ever wonder, 'Where am I headed?

It's ok to swim blindly and just feel the freedom and joy as you travel the creative waters. But what exactly happens next? How do you find your way around this endless ocean of creativity?! The vastness of creativity can be thrilling—but also daunting. Staring into its infinite possibilities can leave you feeling lost, like drifting too far from shore. Perhaps, you're feeling overwhelmed with this notion of the infinite?!

I can understand that. It's that feeling of not knowing what to do or how to start.

And so, I have another visualization for you:

Before we start, why would I want to walk you through these visualizations?

Visualizations are crucial for unlocking creativity because they transform your abstract ideas into tangible, mental images, that make something complex into something easier to grasp and explore. By engaging your ability to imagine and simulate, visualizations allow creators to:

  1. Clarify Ideas: They help refine vague thoughts into concrete visions, which can guide creative projects more effectively.

  2. Inspire Innovation: Visualizing possibilities opens the door to novel connections and perspectives that might otherwise go unnoticed.

  3. Build Confidence: Seeing an imagined outcome can inspire belief in its feasibility, motivating action toward its realization.

  4. Enhance Problem-Solving: Visualizing scenarios allows creators to foresee potential challenges and explore solutions in a low-risk mental space.

  5. Engage Emotions: Vivid mental images often evoke emotions, which fuel passion and deepen the connection to the creative process.

In essence, visualization serves as a bridge between imagination and creation, empowering individuals to dream boldly and bring their visions to life.

So, let's get back into a visualization to get you thinking about how to map the creative waters. This is a continuing of the previous visualization, “Go For A Swim.” If you haven't seen that, definitely have a look before you dive into this next exercise.

#2 VISUALIZATION: MAPPING THE UNKNOWN

You begin to swim further into deeper waters. You feel your body acclimate to the temperature and each stroke gets easier as you swim freely. As you swim, the water feels alive, brimming with possibility. The rhythm of your strokes matches the pulse of your creative energy.

You discover that you have endless energy to expound here in the ocean of creativity. You swim with ease and it becomes as natural and unconscious an action as breathing.

As you breath, you glide through the water, and suddenly, you look back to realize the shore from where you came is very far away. You can still see it but you're beginning to wonder, have I gone too far? What if I swim too far or get lost?!

But this is your ocean, and these are your waters, your shipwrecks, your sea life… you get to map it.

You begin to see the patterns of the waves, the grid in the reef, and the placement of the vegetation. You notice the caverns and the caves, the sandy sea beds of the substrate, and the coarse rocky canyons of the landscape. Your vision becomes more clear the more you notice and the more you allow yourself to experience the moment.

Suddenly you realize that you're holding something familiar. Something you've had in your hands ever since you began to swim. You have a compass and you have a map. You start to chart the waters, filling out the map as you go and your sight becomes more clear, each point that you put your focus on becoming more familiar.

You are mapping the unknown.
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Staring into the infinite, unlimited well of your creative self can be as stunting as staring into the eyes of your limiting belief(s). The vastness is overwhelming to the point that it can give you a stumbling, stuttering, sense of vertigo. This feeling will inevitably stop you from pursuing a new creative endeavor.

But this feeling doesn’t have to define your journey.

To navigate this vast ocean, you need tools: a compass to find your direction and a map to chart your path. These tools won’t impose rules—they’ll empower you with clarity and control.

The Compass:

A compass is a navigation instrument that indicates direction relative to the Earth's magnetic poles. It's mechanism is used to help you navigate by providing a reference point, typically magnetic north, which can then be used to orient yourself in relation to your desired path or destination.

A compass is more than a navigation instrument; it’s a lifeline in the vast unknown. By pointing to magnetic north, it provides a fixed reference point that allows you to orient yourself. It doesn’t tell you exactly where to go—it simply gives you the means to move with purpose.

In the realm of creativity, your compass is your vision. What do you want to create? What is your ultimate goal? A clear vision acts as your north star, guiding you through the uncharted waters of inspiration and helping you stay focused even when the waves of doubt or distraction threaten to pull you off course.

Establishing a vision requires a framework. Frameworks are not rigid rules; they’re tools that provide structure without stifling freedom. They help distill the vastness of possibility into a clear direction, allowing you to take intentional steps toward your creative goals. Think of them as the outline of your journey—a way to navigate with confidence, even when the destination feels far off or unclear.

When you adopt or create a framework, you give yourself permission to move forward with ease. The compass, after all, doesn’t force you to walk a straight line—it simply shows you where your true north lies, leaving the path you take entirely up to you.

The Map

A map is a visual tool that breaks down an area into its key components, illustrating the spatial relationships between locations. Like breaking a goal into actionable steps, a map guides you by providing a clear path to your destination.

If the compass is your creative vision, the map is your plan—a tangible guide that helps you chart a path toward realizing your goals. A map doesn’t have to be complicated. It can take the form of a calendar, a to-do list, a storyboard, or a simple series of actionable steps written in succession. Its primary purpose is to turn the vast, often overwhelming possibilities of creativity into something structured and achievable.

The map provides more than direction—it gives you agency. Agency, in the context of "doing something," is the power to act intentionally, to make choices that influence outcomes, and to move forward with purpose. It’s the antidote to stagnation, transforming uncertainty into momentum. A map embodies this agency by breaking down big dreams into manageable actions, empowering you to take the next step with clarity and confidence.

Think of it this way: your compass tells you where you want to go, but it’s the map that tells you how to get there. What’s the first step you need to take? What follows next? By laying out the journey in front of you, the map transforms an abstract idea into a tangible plan, bridging the gap between dreaming and doing.

Together, the compass and the map are your ultimate tools for navigating the creative process. The compass ensures you’re always aligned with your true vision, while the map keeps you grounded and moving forward. In tandem, they transform the infinite ocean of possibilities into a clear, actionable path.

The Adventure

Frameworks and maps are invaluable tools, but these alone won’t chart the course or set you in motion. The true essence of creativity lies in how you use them—the spirit, curiosity, and courage you bring to the journey. It’s not enough to simply follow the map; it’s about embracing the adventure that unfolds as you take each step, learning and adapting along the way.

Creativity is fluid, not fixed. The path you start on may twist, turn, or lead to unexpected places. And that’s the beauty of it. It’s okay to change directions, to set aside an old map in favor of a new one, or to redefine your compass when your vision evolves. These tools are not rigid constraints—they’re companions in exploration, helping you navigate the ever-changing waters of your imagination.

So today, take a moment to pause and reflect. Visualize your compass and map. Where is your creativity leading you? What does your next step look like? Begin charting your waters with intention, knowing that every stroke you take, every mark you make, brings you closer to discovering new possibilities.

I’ve created a video where I dive into this a little deeper. This is a Part 2 from last week’s video “Go For A Swim,” and includes a visualization for opening you up for more creativity:

Where is your compass pointing today? Where is your map currently leading you? The adventure awaits—step into it boldly, one stroke, one step at a time.

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Stay inspired everyone!
Josh Schroeder
Founder, Thousand Echoes


Josh Schroeder
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GO FOR A SWIM.