Convergence as Creative Practice: From Scattered to Focused
Creative minds are at home in abundance. Three new project ideas, five articles to read, two courses that caught your eye, and a dozen tasks that all feel urgent. This expansive thinking is natural and often energizing.
But without intentional discretion, abundance becomes overwhelm.
We generate endless possibilities yet struggle to move forward with any of them. We are drawn to divergence—exploring, brainstorming, discovering—but rarely practice its counterbalance: convergence.
Convergence is how we transform creative abundance into clear, intentional work.
It is not about limiting ideas. It is about choosing which ones deserve our energy right now.
Most of us have never developed convergence as a deliberate practice, which is why abundance so often turns into scattered effort instead of focused progress.
So what does convergence actually look like? Chances are you have already done it without realizing it.
You Already Know This Skill
When Marie Kondo asks “Does this spark joy?” she is teaching convergence. It is the practice of conscious curation. Choosing what truly serves you.
The same principle shows up in creative work.
Photographers may take hundreds of shots but select only a few to share, refining the story so their strongest images shine.
Writers draft pages and keep only the sentences that carry the piece forward.
Designers generate options and then narrow down to the one that fits the brief.
And when you design a portfolio, you do not include everything you have ever made. You choose the pieces that tell a coherent story about your vision.
Seen together, these examples reveal a pattern. Convergence does not shrink your possibilities. It brings them into clarity.
A cluttered home feels overwhelming. An unedited gallery loses impact. An overflowing inbox creates anxiety. Curation makes space for clarity.
And just like any other creative skill, convergence grows stronger when you practice it with intention.
Starting Small: The Resonance and Archive Practice
Imagine you have a list of five books you want to read (in my case it is more like 500).
Every one of them looks interesting. Each one represents a new world to explore, a new skill to learn, an almost infinite number of places it might take you. It's exciting and motivating and promises a future that you cannot wait to explore.
All that possibility, all of that creative abundance, all of those future selves that are promised create a dilemma which then leads to paralysis and overwhelm. That overwhelm then leads to shame and guilt as none of the future selves manifest.
The instinct is to then dive back into possibility. Collect more ideas, find more resources, swim in that warm glow of potential and never worry about the fact that none of it is actually moving forward.
It is a vicious cycle I've seen way too many of my students struggle with.
Breaking out of it requires that you build the skills and practice of convergence.
Let's return to our five books. Before you start reading any of them take a moment to pause and reflect on where those books fit into your current context.
Now clear two spaces on your book shelf and label one "Resonance" and one "Archive".
Based on your reflection physically place each book in one of the two spaces.
Resonance: Books that immediately connect with where you are right now. Maybe one aligns with your current project, and the other sparks energy you want to explore.
Archive: All others go here. They are still relevant books, just not for now. They move into a space that represents your creative network of by-products and future sparks.
The process is fluid. A book can move between Resonance and Archive more than once. You might start one, realize it is not resonating right now, and place it in the Archive without guilt. Later, it may return to Resonance when your focus shifts.
The key is that there is no right or wrong choice. Sorting is not about judgment. It is about creating clarity for the present while protecting possibilities for the future.
This structure and practice works within multiple contexts. A bookmark folder, a notes app, all 47 open tabs on your browser, or that stack of half-finished projects.
Each time you sort, you strengthen the creative muscle that turns scattered potential into focused momentum. Do it consistently enough and not only will you find increased clarity but that archive will become a powerful resource for ideas and future projects.
Building Your Convergence Practice
Convergence is not about reducing your creative possibilities. It is about channeling them with intention.
Just like divergence, it grows stronger with practice.
Your project list might contain ten different ideas. By practicing convergence, you bring two or three into Resonance—the ones that matter most right now—while the others rest safely in your Archive.
Next month, one of those archived projects might move back into Resonance as your direction shifts. The flow is natural. Nothing is lost.
The same applies to courses you want to take, articles you have bookmarked, or daily tasks that compete for your energy.
Convergence is not a one-off solution or a silver bullet for clarity. It is a practice of continuous sorting and resettling, allowing your focus to evolve while keeping your broader creative network intact.
Each time you pause to ask what resonates now, you make room for clear direction without abandoning the richness of your creative abundance. That steady rhythm of choosing and archiving builds confidence, momentum, and trust in your ability to navigate change.
What feels most scattered for you right now—your project list, your learning queue, or your daily tasks?
Pick one and give the Resonance and Archive practice a try this week. Then hit reply and let me know what you noticed. Your reflections often spark the most helpful conversations.
Until next week,
Jeff
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