It was during this early part of his career as a sculptor that his current method, or approach to his creative process, was developed. Fitzgerald's creative process starts with the metal itself, with no fixed or preconceived ends in mind. It begins with his selective acquisition of elements (i.e. a truckload of steel). These materials, the byproducts of heavy metal fabrication, are the primary building blocks of his aesthetic. It is not just the metal byproducts, but also their so-called flaws, the ill-formed or "not quite to specification" elements, that are, to some degree, preformed. The term "direct" can be applied to Fitzgerald's method of creative process. This means that he primarily sketches, draws, or creates using the metal objects themselves. This is a three dimensional "drawing" done through manipulation, cutting, shaping, rolling, shearing, breaking, forging, constructing and composing. Through this direct process and composition, Fitzgerald¹s visual vocabulary develops. His style, or that common connection between his sculptures, is not so much their visual connection, but their relation to his direct method of creative process. This process allows for his individual sculptures to have a uniqueness of their own. One of the advantages of working with byproducts of industry is that the raw materials are from custom designs for structures or machines, which allows for some unique, one-of-a-kind elements. This further allows for the smaller sculptures to be one-of-a-kind pieces. After working with some of the general byproducts, shapes, forms, and lines, he found himself duplicating some of these aspects to further explore their aesthetic ends. Fitzgerald has spoken of this "direct" or tentative method of creation as "an improvisational dance with steel."