Personal branding with Bernard Kelvin CLIVE: Sketch to masterpiece: Why drafting, prototyping, and preparation matter in your work

Where are your sketches? Great things don’t come cheap!

Today, I’d like to take you back to a few personal stories that have shaped my perspective on the world of creativity, business, and execution. These stories carry a simple but powerful lesson: before you put out the product or service you’ve been dreaming of, you must go through a process of concept prototyping and preparation.

This goes beyond art. It’s about building anything worth building, a business, a book, a brand, or even a career.

Back to KNUST – My First Lessons in Preparation

During my time at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), I studied Rural Art, which included coursework in sculpture, woodwork, and clay modeling. The rule in every creative project was clear: before you touch the clay, the wood, or the stone, you first needed to develop your idea on paper.

This meant going through conceptual sketches and idea development stages before creating the final piece. The lecturers didn’t just want to see your finished product — they wanted to know the thinking that led to it.

But here’s what happened.

A few of us, with minimal experience in sculpting or carving, would bypass the planning stage entirely. We’d grab a lump of clay and start molding whatever came to mind. Or pick up a piece of wood and start carving immediately. The only “plan” we had was in our heads.

When presentation time came, the lecturer would ask, “Where are your concept sketches? Where is your idea development stage?”

We would scramble. Some students would finish their sculpture first, then go back and hurriedly sketch something just to “prove” they had gone through the process. But in truth, the final work came first, and the so-called sketches were drawn after the fact.

It was a shortcut — and while it might have saved time in the moment, it robbed us of something bigger: the ability to think through, refine, and improve our ideas before execution.

The Danger of Skipping the Drafting Stage

That experience stayed with me, and over the years I’ve seen the same mistake play out in other fields.

In art, skipping the sketch stage means you might miss the chance to test, tweak, or even completely rethink your approach before committing valuable resources.

In writing, skipping the drafting stage leads to books or articles that could have been far better if the author had taken the time to explore different angles, remove weak sections, and strengthen the message.

I’ve written many books, and I’ve helped others write theirs. I’ve met people who are amazing speakers, powerful preachers, eloquent orators — but when it comes to writing, their work feels flat. Why? Speaking often flows in the moment, while writing forces you to slow down, process, and refine your thoughts.

A draft allows you to:

1. See the gaps in your logic.
2. Add new analogies and examples.
3. Remove what doesn’t serve your main point.
4. Strengthen the structure and flow of your message.

In short, the drafting stage turns raw talent into polished work.

The Blueprint Principle

Think of your first draft, sketch, or prototype as your blueprint.

In architecture, nobody builds a house without a blueprint. You don’t buy the bricks and cement, then start laying them down in random shapes until it “feels right.” You plan the rooms, the dimensions, and the placement of doors and windows. You test different layouts on paper before the first brick is laid.

The same is true for product development, brand building, and even personal projects. When you take the time to map out your concept:

1. You open space for more creative ideas to emerge.
2. You spot flaws before they become costly mistakes.
3. You create a structure that keeps you focused when the real work begins.

The Power of Seeing it on Paper

Here’s something I’ve noticed: once you get an idea out of your head and onto paper (or a digital board), the possibilities multiply.

With a physical sketch, a draft manuscript, or a mockup in front of you, you can suddenly see opportunities you didn’t see before.

When I was working on a wood sculpture back in school, I remember sketching a figure on a block of wood. Looking at the sketch, I realized I could carve additional, smaller details into the design that weren’t in my original idea. That extra step gave the final piece more depth and meaning.

In the same way, when I draft a book, sometimes the best sections come from ideas I didn’t even have in mind at the start. They emerged because the process itself sparked new connections.

Prototyping gives you room to iterate. You can add, subtract, rearrange, or even create something entirely new from the same raw materials.

Giving Your Work Time to Breathe

One of the best ways to strengthen your ideas is to step away from them for a while.

When you write a draft, create a sketch, or build a prototype, don’t always rush to finish. Put it down for a day, a week, or even longer. Then come back to it with fresh eyes.

You’ll be surprised how much clearer you see things after some distance. That brilliant section you loved yesterday might suddenly feel unnecessary. Or you may notice gaps that need filling.

In art, stepping back lets you see the balance and proportion of your work more clearly. In writing, it gives you a new perspective on your arguments and flow. In business, it helps you see whether your product truly solves the problem you intended.

Adaptability – The Third Stage of Creativity

Even with the best planning, what you have on paper might not translate exactly to the real world.

When you start working with actual materials — whether wood, clay, metal, or digital tools — you may realize that adjustments are needed.

Sometimes it’s because the materials behave differently than expected. Other times, new possibilities appear that you couldn’t have imagined during the planning stage.

For example:

1. A planned sculpture might need a different type of wood for durability.
2. A book chapter might work better as a blog series first.
3. A business product might need a feature you hadn’t considered, but becomes obvious during early testing.

This is why the best creators are also adaptable innovators. They hold their vision loosely enough to let it evolve.

Instead of saying, “But this isn’t what I planned,” they ask, “What can I make with what I have now?”

Why This Matters for Every Field

Whether you’re an artist, a writer, a business owner, or a brand builder, the lesson is the same:

Start with a concept – get your ideas out of your head and into a form you can see and shape.

Prototype or draft – create a low-risk version to test and refine.

Adapt and innovate – let the real-world process shape and improve your vision.

Skipping these stages might feel faster, but it often leads to wasted resources, weak results, and missed opportunities.

Putting This Into Practice

Here’s a practical way to apply these principles:

For Creative Projects

1. Always start with multiple sketches or idea outlines before settling on a final direction.
2. Test different approaches and combinations.

For Writing

3. Begin with a rough outline, then expand into a full draft.
4. Be ruthless about cutting what doesn’t strengthen your message.

For Business or Product Development

5. Build a minimum viable product (MVP) before launching.
6. Use customer feedback to refine before scaling.

For Personal Growth

7. Treat life goals like projects: plan, test, adapt.
8. Don’t fear revising your approach when new information emerges.

In all, your masterpiece, whether it’s a product, a book, a brand, or an artwork, doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of intention, iteration, and adaptation.

The idea in your head is only the seed. The sketch, the draft, the prototype, that’s where you nurture it. And the willingness to adapt? That’s where it blossoms into something even greater than you imagined.

So, as you work on your next big thing, don’t skip the concept stage. Don’t rush past the draft. Give yourself the gift of preparation, and you’ll give your audience the gift of excellence.

The best is yours.

Remember, I’m your brand and publishing consultant.

The post Personal branding with Bernard Kelvin CLIVE: Sketch to masterpiece: Why drafting, prototyping, and preparation matter in your work appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

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