Reflecting on Watson: an Examination of the Creative Process

Abstract -This is the story of my journey of discovery and understanding, an examination of the creative process of a working creative artist in the creation of a screenplay, Watson. In the process I am at once the creator and the observer of that creation. Telling stories is part of our human existence. The ability or compulsion to tell stories may be one of the most important aspects of being human. This project consists of the creative work, in this case a screenplay as a pilot for a television series, as well as, the daily journal of my thoughts, fears, self-enlightenment during the writing, which is reflected in the reflection of all that I went through and learned while creating Watson the screenplay. Watson was written as a reimagining of Sherlock Holmes, where the myth and mystery are reinvented; not remade. In Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not a physician who writes for Strand Magazine in the late 19th Century, but rather Artie Doyle who is a political hatchet man for Margaret Thatcher, who in return for masterminding all the dirty tricks that enabled Thatcher to stay in power is put forward by Thatcher for a knighthood, thus Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The project reflects upon my interest in creativity. Genius is exceptional and while the study of genius is important in understanding the creative process, it is too singular to be useful in examining and understanding the more prosaic creative processes at work in artists who reflect upon their working process. The study of the creative process reflects my fascination with those who, in the pursuit of their desire for creative fulfillment, are able to make a living creating their art. The self-study puts me into the class of creative artists who study themselves while make a work. Through my exploration, examination and rumination I have developed an understanding of how the coming into existence of Watson may be a model that could be applied to other working creative artists.