I have been thinking a great deal about the words of writer and artist Lynda Lehman. Lynda is a shopkeeper on Zazzle in addition to selling her art on shutterstock. You can find Lynda on Facebook at Lynda Lehman Painting and Photography. You can find Lynda's art here and the beautiful art products you see in this post are Lynda's on Zazzle.
In an interview for Creativity Portal, Lynda speaks of giving your art "enough time for the process to take on a life of its own" and says that, "it's very important to create the time and space for a real process to develop." Lynda goes on to say that "this is opposed to working so intermittently that 'process' doesn't have the opportunity to take hold and grow with its own momentum."
I think her words are absolutely true.
We all know that feeling that I call being 'in the zone'. Others have called it being 'in flow', absorbed, engaged. This is the state when little else seeps into your conscience, when your words or your art of choice subsumes all around you, consumes your eyes, ears and mind, and three hours can feel like three minutes. It is a state of high productivity and intense and joyous concentration. Once you feel it, you long for it.
For months now, I have been trying to figure out why I feel so scattered, unproductive and frankly, half- ... ummm ... -baked, with my art and writing. And reading Lynda's words, I realize that my unsettled, unfulfilled feelings stem from not having process time. Having intermittent time to devote to my arts very much describes my life at this stage.
So what's the good news here? That I can now put my finger on the issue. And can now let up on myself for not doing, being, all that I want creatively. Perhaps this stage of my life, where I must work a full time plus job in an unrelated field as well as be the one person responsible for running a household is simply not a time when I can have process time. Perhaps it is enough for now to know the issue, do the best I can and look forward to a time when I do have process time.
Lynda's words have helped me tremendously and I hope they help you, too. You can find Lynda's words on her blog, Peripheral Vision: inner sights and a listing of her articles for Creativity Portal here.
Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creativity. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
7 Snippets of Wisdom on Creativity
Last week, in my post, Two Questions for 2012, I pondered:
- What is the thought process that would best allow me to integrate that sanely into the necessities of my life?
While I was pondering, I put those questions to a smattering of people with various creative pursuits. After all, seven heads are better than one. Or something.
I absolutely loved the variety of answers! And you will too.
Dave Werner, Chef, Faunbrook Catering
Creativity: Cooking
My art is more artisan. My art is temporary. My art is time sensitive and goes bad if you don't use it quickly enough. Tomorrow, quite literally, my art becomes poop. I cook. A lot! Being in a corporate environment, we are much more constrained by costs than in a restaurant. I am also challenged by having the same audience every day. My creativity comes much less from exploring the new than finding ways to reinvent what I have used a million times. How do I alter the taste, color, texture and appearance? It's about making the finite infinite.
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| Photo by Kara Stewart, Art in Photography |
Nancy Cordaro, My Coneflower Ranch
Creativity: Photography, teaching, soap and candle making
When I was teaching full-time, my kids were little. My creative juices were channeled entirely into my teaching. Luckily, I taught second grade and my principal encouraged us to think outside of the box. Since leaving teaching, I've tried many things to feed that creative desire: playing guitar and violin, writing, and soap and candle making, which has turned into my company. Photography has been the thing that has brought me the most inspiration. Collaboration has been a great motivator for me, especially in teaching. When I begin to lose enthusiasm, it helps me if I get together with my friend to shoot. Getting out of my comfort zone, meaning my regular shooting location, helps too. Last week I went to shoot the Philadelphia Chinese New Year festivities. Wow, what a high! It was completely out of my comfort zone and my subject and style (I'm a country mouse), but it made me feel like a child on Christmas morning.
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| His and Hers by Nancy Cordaro |
Alison DeLuca, Author, The Night Watchman Express and Devil's Kitchen.
Read Alison's awesome blog at Fresh Pot of Tea.
Creativity: Writing
I always loved to write. It seemed like a type of magic to me, that I could imagine something and make it appear on paper. My first attempts were the usual results of a beginning writer. I started and abandoned several novels, and wrote very dreary poetry. One reason I didn't complete any of my first books was that I hated my own handwriting. The PC was a revelation to me. With it, I finished a screenplay, a biographical interview with my mother, and more short stories. I wrote a complete fantasy novel that was just as immature as my other efforts. However, this first manuscript showed me that I could sit down and write a complete book. I loved creating the world for my characters, I adored doing the research, and I was fascinated by how the tale unfolded. I was hooked. I continued to teach, but after a day of classes I would come home, throw dinner in the crockpot and write for as long as I could keep my eyes open. Over the next few years I finished a series of books about a group of kids and a magical island princess. That series became my Crown Phoenix books. The act of creation is a journey. It is a treasure hunt without a map, and who knows what lies beneath that big X?
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| Alison DeLuca's Devil's Kitchen |
Creativity: Music
My creativity mostly involves writing and recording music. Trying to mesh my creativity with the other responsibilities of life does not sit easily or comfortably much of the time. I did spend years earning a living writing and recording music, so I know how that goes, too. Making your hobby your work, or vice-versa, is not always a fulfilling (or sensible) thing to do. I often break from music completely for weeks or months at a time - don't pick up an instrument, don't listen to music for pleasure or even in the background. Sometimes it just fills me with unease. Of course, this plays complete hell with any practice regimen or attempts at fluid competence on an instrument. That said, when I come back to playing, it is almost as if with a fresh pair of ears and hands. Things feel different, and new sounds, harmonies and melodies come out. Sometimes music is just a fun thing to do, a nice way to pass some time, exercise some gray cells. At other times, it is a necessary procedure, almost like an exorcism. My most satisfying musical moments are usually the result of collaboration with others, and this is what I am currently pursuing.
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| Photo by Kara Stewart, Art in Photography |
Sally Iliff West
Creativity: Sewing, Quilting
Sally says, "Of course I would like to spend more time in my sewing room than I actually do. The 'higher priority' list gets in the way of the 'want to do ' list, so that limits my sewing/creating time. But I do occasionally commit myself to an afternoon of sewing and thoroughly enjoy it!" Sally also brings out the best in herself creatively by searching for inspiration among her colleagues' sewing/quilting projects with the Schuykill County Quilters Guild and by being observant to things around her. Her latest fascination is with Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and geometric stained glass window designs. While she would like to create a wall hanging based on his geometric window designs, she says, "That has to remain on the back burner for the time being. I have too many other irons in the fire." Sally was asked to teach a workshop this spring to interested guild members. While looking forward to it, she thought, "I won't have time to do that!" But then she weighed the not too intensive prep time and thought, "I'll have fun doing it, and the guild members really want to learn this particular technique."
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| Stack and Whack quilt by Sally Iliff West |
Creativity: Photography
Note: As a professional photographer, Jay is making a distinction between his work for professional reasons and his personal work.
I want my personal work to be meaningful and cohesive, but I end up over thinking it. I let perfect be the enemy of good. I have the creative tools but attach so much importance to perfection that I stand still with indecision. To combat this, I have resolved to select and finish some small and intentionally imperfect projects. Making them small, 10 photos, 3 photos, 1 day or a week, makes them finish-able. Some things don’t need to be finished but you need to finish something! Making them intentionally imperfect keeps me from becoming creatively motionless by trying to make it perfect. Again, this will help make them finish-able. It has the side benefit of allowing/forcing me to try creatively new things that may fail but may lead down an undiscovered path. My next “big” personal project may not come out of these small projects or new paths, but it will keep me ready to grab it when it does present itself. It will also keep me from beating myself up for being creatively frozen!
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| Old Salem Coffee Pot by Jay Sinclair |
Randi Byrd
Creativity: Cooking
I have a rule for myself to relax and consciously appreciate the food that fuels my body and brain. No matter how stressful and packed a day may be, I have to eat sometime! If I'm going to the grocery store anyway, then why not buy ingredients that I'll really play with and enjoy? Yes, I have to pinch pennies like everyone else, but considering that I don't waste my money on clothes, shoes, or much of anything else, why not treat myself to a taste of bliss at least once a day? If all else is chaotic in my life, there should always be one thing built in to look forward to with a sigh. I like to think about food as a vacation in my mouth! Hey, if I'm go, go, go and working all the time, vacation must be built in somehow! Tender chicken simmering in coconut broth infused with aromatic kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and chilies are my Thailand destination and the spoon my ferry. However, my most favorite vacations are always shared with friends.
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| Randi Byrd's July 4th salad with spinach, feta, pear, strawberries, pecans and mint |
See? I knew you'd love it! Seven different perspectives on how to bring out the best in yourself creatively, and the thought processes that would best allow you to integrate that creativity sanely into your life.
Several people mentioned collaboration with others as something that brings out their creative best. Some mentioned perseverance and being open to failure, starting small, stepping outside of your comfort zone, finding new ways to think of familiar things, timing, and being intentional in your creativity. And creativity as a journey, and a mapless treasure hunt.
I find it very helpful to hear from others' thoughts on how they bring out the best in themselves creatively, and what thought processes best allow them to integrate their creativity sanely into their lives. We may not come up with any magic bullet answers, but it helps to know that others struggle with the same things, and to hear ways that they remain stunningly creative through it all.
And I'll leave you with three of my favorite quotes (I have a lot) on creativity:
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct . . . the creative mind plays with the object it loves." -- Carl Jung
"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him, a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency, he is not really alive unless he is creating." -- Pearl S. Buck.
"An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need but that he - for some reason - thinks that it would be a good idea to give them." -- Andy Warhol
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Two Questions for 2012
Woo Hooo!!! Can you hear my cheers of joy around the world? I have just finished my project (that I thought would take one month but took four) of retagging, recategorizing and rewriting descriptions for all my products on Zazzle!
Why, you ask, would I do such a thing? Mostly because I didn't know what I was doing as far as the best ways to tag, describe and categorize products last April when I opened Art in Photography with Zazzle. And too, Zazzle has changed some of their set up and requirements.
What is Zazzle, you ask? Faithful blog followers, you know. But for those of you new to my (just now resurrected) blog, Zazzle is a print on demand company where you can buy tons of different products with whatever art on it you want, customize it, or sell your own art on products there, which is what many artists do.
But back to the point. I found out over the last four long months, during which time all else like promoting, friendship and showers fell by the wayside, that the words art, photography, photograph, gift, gifts, clothing, and all product names (necklace, etc.) are stripped out of the tags, so no point using them. I retagged so that my tags were in order of priority, with the first ten being the vital ones for Zazzle. I rewrote and revamped my product descriptions so that the all important search engines would have more words to choose from and people could find my art. I recategorized as best I could in hopes that that would help people find my art. And I remade products that I wasn't satisfied with. I did this for all 1,349 products. Which isn't many. I think most people on Zazzle have more products. But the point is - I'm done!
I can now focus on creating again. On promoting again. I can read the newspapers and magazines that are stacked up on my coffee table from October. I might actually get dressed on the weekends and step away from the laptop. I can read the books that talented author friends have written. Or I could even pick up that black thing with a big round lens-looking cylinder on it and point it at something. What is this "kahm-rah" of which you speak? I know nothing of this "kahm-rah".
I can now focus on creating again. Except for one thing. I am tapped out. Spent. I have an innate desire to create, which I think is simply human. We all create. Whether our creativity is writing, photography, soap-making, jewelry-making, music, cooking, sewing, gardening, quilting, architecture, pottery, beading or painting - we all have an innate creativity.
When that desire is thwarted (I'm talking chronically here), usually by time constraints, how do we respond so that we continue to bring out the best in ourselves creatively? When my ability to be creative in my teaching (my full time job) is taken over by paperwork and red tape for weeks at a time, I know I get out of sorts, irritable and cross. I can't do what I want to do, what I need to do (and most importantly bring the best of what the students need from me) because of the restraints being placed on my time and my teaching.
Now that my retagging, recategorizing, and rewriting Zazzle project is finished for the time being, how do I look out to this new year, knowing the chronic time restraints that will be placed on my writing and photography, and integrate those restraints with the ability to fulfill my creative needs? I say needs, because I do believe creativity is a need in humans. How do I bring out the best in myself creatively? And then how do I integrate that sanely into the necessities of my life, which rightfully include a (more than) full time paying job, getting the groceries, vacuuming every month or so, walking the dog, doing the taxes and hopefully showering. Talking and spending time with my children and friends would be an added plus there.
These are the questions I'll be pondering in upcoming blog posts: How do I bring out the best in myself creatively? What is the thought process that would best allow me to integrate that sanely into the necessities of my life?
And I did reward myself last night for finishing my retagging project by making some awesomely fun products (hey, maybe that's a clue to those questions . .. )
Why, you ask, would I do such a thing? Mostly because I didn't know what I was doing as far as the best ways to tag, describe and categorize products last April when I opened Art in Photography with Zazzle. And too, Zazzle has changed some of their set up and requirements.
What is Zazzle, you ask? Faithful blog followers, you know. But for those of you new to my (just now resurrected) blog, Zazzle is a print on demand company where you can buy tons of different products with whatever art on it you want, customize it, or sell your own art on products there, which is what many artists do.
But back to the point. I found out over the last four long months, during which time all else like promoting, friendship and showers fell by the wayside, that the words art, photography, photograph, gift, gifts, clothing, and all product names (necklace, etc.) are stripped out of the tags, so no point using them. I retagged so that my tags were in order of priority, with the first ten being the vital ones for Zazzle. I rewrote and revamped my product descriptions so that the all important search engines would have more words to choose from and people could find my art. I recategorized as best I could in hopes that that would help people find my art. And I remade products that I wasn't satisfied with. I did this for all 1,349 products. Which isn't many. I think most people on Zazzle have more products. But the point is - I'm done!
I can now focus on creating again. On promoting again. I can read the newspapers and magazines that are stacked up on my coffee table from October. I might actually get dressed on the weekends and step away from the laptop. I can read the books that talented author friends have written. Or I could even pick up that black thing with a big round lens-looking cylinder on it and point it at something. What is this "kahm-rah" of which you speak? I know nothing of this "kahm-rah".
I can now focus on creating again. Except for one thing. I am tapped out. Spent. I have an innate desire to create, which I think is simply human. We all create. Whether our creativity is writing, photography, soap-making, jewelry-making, music, cooking, sewing, gardening, quilting, architecture, pottery, beading or painting - we all have an innate creativity.
When that desire is thwarted (I'm talking chronically here), usually by time constraints, how do we respond so that we continue to bring out the best in ourselves creatively? When my ability to be creative in my teaching (my full time job) is taken over by paperwork and red tape for weeks at a time, I know I get out of sorts, irritable and cross. I can't do what I want to do, what I need to do (and most importantly bring the best of what the students need from me) because of the restraints being placed on my time and my teaching.
Now that my retagging, recategorizing, and rewriting Zazzle project is finished for the time being, how do I look out to this new year, knowing the chronic time restraints that will be placed on my writing and photography, and integrate those restraints with the ability to fulfill my creative needs? I say needs, because I do believe creativity is a need in humans. How do I bring out the best in myself creatively? And then how do I integrate that sanely into the necessities of my life, which rightfully include a (more than) full time paying job, getting the groceries, vacuuming every month or so, walking the dog, doing the taxes and hopefully showering. Talking and spending time with my children and friends would be an added plus there.
These are the questions I'll be pondering in upcoming blog posts: How do I bring out the best in myself creatively? What is the thought process that would best allow me to integrate that sanely into the necessities of my life?
And I did reward myself last night for finishing my retagging project by making some awesomely fun products (hey, maybe that's a clue to those questions . .. )
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Write That Photo Contest!
It's contest time! Like to write? Want a free 8x10 ready to frame print of your choice from Kara Stewart, Art in Photography? Win the contest and that print is yours!
A few weeks ago, in my blog post A Beautiful Convergence, I featured images that make your creative genie imagine their back story - images that don't just tell a story, but those that spur the viewer on to create a story for them. Janet McQueen's image of extraordinary pumpkins at the door of an ordinary house was one of those featured.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story for Janet's mysterious image. What has transpired in this scene? How did those pumpkins get there? Why are they there? Why are they so huge? Who lives in the house? What is about to happen?
If you are a photographer, this will be a great exercise to help you see the possibilities in an image and develop that mysterious quality that is so difficult to capture. If you are already an author, this will be a great creativity refresher. If you are not already an author, but love to write and are intrigued by Janet's image, this will be a super jump-start to tapping in to your inner author! As J. Darroll Hall, owner and founder of Fantasy Island Book Publishing says, "Every person has at least one good book in them."
Guidelines are:
And browse Kara Stewart, Art in Photography to pick out the print you want for when you win! Just hover over 'Galleries' at the top for a bucketload of photo galleries!
Happy creativity!
A few weeks ago, in my blog post A Beautiful Convergence, I featured images that make your creative genie imagine their back story - images that don't just tell a story, but those that spur the viewer on to create a story for them. Janet McQueen's image of extraordinary pumpkins at the door of an ordinary house was one of those featured.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story for Janet's mysterious image. What has transpired in this scene? How did those pumpkins get there? Why are they there? Why are they so huge? Who lives in the house? What is about to happen?
If you are a photographer, this will be a great exercise to help you see the possibilities in an image and develop that mysterious quality that is so difficult to capture. If you are already an author, this will be a great creativity refresher. If you are not already an author, but love to write and are intrigued by Janet's image, this will be a super jump-start to tapping in to your inner author! As J. Darroll Hall, owner and founder of Fantasy Island Book Publishing says, "Every person has at least one good book in them."
Guidelines are:
- 1-2 pages (2 pages maximum, less than a page is fine), typed, 12 point font, 1" margins all around
- G Rated only, please
- Could be an entire short story, could be a part of a story . . . whatever you feel makes the best story surrounding that image
- Send entries here now through midnight, September 30, 2011
- Winner will be announced no later than October 16, 2011
And browse Kara Stewart, Art in Photography to pick out the print you want for when you win! Just hover over 'Galleries' at the top for a bucketload of photo galleries!
Happy creativity!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
A Beautiful Convergence
The genre of images that make you wonder about their back story is one of the beautiful convergences of writing and photography. These images make your eye linger, make your mind wonder, and make your creative genie start imagining, writing, their back story. If you are a photographer, many times you strive to create these images since that bit of mystery and interest is the defining element of great images in this genre. If you are a writer, you can't help but linger on these images, feast your eyes, wonder and create a story for them. The images tell a story, but more importantly, they let you tell a story.
These are but a few of the many wonderful images that have this magical quality. Feast your eyes and your creativity.
These are but a few of the many wonderful images that have this magical quality. Feast your eyes and your creativity.
photo by Ed Spadoni
photo by John Loguk
photo by John Loguk
photo by Janet McQueen
photo by Duane Bender
photo by nightpixels
photo by sherstone
photo by Liquid Air
photo by Phil Pankov
photo by sherstone
photo by Kara Stewart
photo by Kara Stewart
Sunday, August 21, 2011
If You Want Something Done, Ask A Busy Person To Do It
I admit to being well over 40 when I first heard that phrase. I was in a meeting and so caught up in pondering the gross unfairness of the phrase that at first I didn’t realize I was the one being asked to take care of something – again. I can’t remember what it was I was being asked to do, and that wasn’t nearly as momentous to me as chewing on that audacious phrase.
I remember thinking, “So it is actually a known phrase that you should ask someone who has a hundred things to do to take on one more thing instead of asking someone who has 20 things to do?” Ridiculous. Sniff. Unfair. Sniff, sniff. How about let’s spread the love (as long as we are into phrases)? How about let’s give everyone the same amount (basic kindergarten rule)?
But last week, as I returned to work after an unplanned hiatus, I got more done (with my art and in household yucky chores) in the half hour after a very long day at work than I did in most days of my month-long enforced vacation. That’s not to say I was nibbling bon-bons and watching soap operas during my month off, oh no! I had the never-ending, continual Mega List of things to accomplish with my art, and I did accomplish a huge amount each day.
But I knew if it came down to it, I could get up and walk away from my laptop if I wanted to. The only thing forcing me to keep working was . . . me. No boss, nobody looking over my shoulder. And certainly nobody forcing me to do laundry, vacuum or pick up the mess in the living room! Yes, I got lots done. And not nearly as much as I did after working a really long day for someone else, from which there is a boss and no walking away!
As contradictory and illogical as it sounds, I got more done when I had more to do and was being held accountable by someone else. Not sure which part of that (more to do vs. being held accountable by someone other than myself) figures in to the equation more. Either way, I was forced to manage my time very stringently, stick to a difficult and inflexible schedule, and work very quickly.
As unfair as it sounds, if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.
And if you are that busy person, and your list of things to do has literally a hundred things on it, which means that you are hugely stressed out and not enjoying life very much, take a break. Turn it off. Everything on the list can wait and none of them are as important as your happiness. Not to mention that it is almost impossible to be creative when you are stressed out.
My happiness break that did my heart good last week was going with the kids and dogs up to the lake for a Last of Summer Hurrah:
My happiness break that did my heart good last week was going with the kids and dogs up to the lake for a Last of Summer Hurrah:
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| Cabin Quilt Greeting Card |
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| Cabin Quilt Initials Bag |
Stay busy, but not so busy that you can't create.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
It's Okay to Play
My gem for the day (and believe me, I don't always have one) is: It's okay to play. Rhymes and everything.
Yesterday I put in a full day at work (I'm a teacher and back at it), came home and went into a mad flurry of cleaning the main living area after being met at the door with what surely must have been debris from the hurricane of life. How is it that we get more done, faster, after a full day of work? Hmm. Sensing future blog post there.
Flurry of cleaning over with, dinner over with, there still loomed my ever-present list (I have a spiral notebook of them) of things I *have* to do to keep moving forward with my creative desires. There are some things on that list that are pretty monumental (to me) and time consuming (to me).
Here's a sample:
Yesterday I put in a full day at work (I'm a teacher and back at it), came home and went into a mad flurry of cleaning the main living area after being met at the door with what surely must have been debris from the hurricane of life. How is it that we get more done, faster, after a full day of work? Hmm. Sensing future blog post there.
Flurry of cleaning over with, dinner over with, there still loomed my ever-present list (I have a spiral notebook of them) of things I *have* to do to keep moving forward with my creative desires. There are some things on that list that are pretty monumental (to me) and time consuming (to me).
Here's a sample:
- Figure out how to create blog pages
- Join Google+
- Do the about.me thing
- Figure out why my Networked Blogs thingamabob isn't working and fix it
- Create Rat Terrier dog breed mug, upload and design 4 images with it
- Can I make polo shirts?
And so on. What was not on that list is something I have been dying to do since last Friday evening. Last Friday, some friends and I saw an amazing performance by Paperhand Puppet Intervention. I have no idea why it is called 'puppet intervention'. Well, ok, if I want to think deeply, yes, I can figure that out. But the smart aleck in me, and the first thing that sprang to mind was an image of Pinocchio's friends and family sitting around in a circle. In walks Pinocchio, and sits down, puzzled at their presence.
Gepetto starts, tears sliding down his face. "Pinocchio, son. You must stop this puppet nonsense! You are hurting all of us and you know you are killing yourself with it!"
Gepetto starts, tears sliding down his face. "Pinocchio, son. You must stop this puppet nonsense! You are hurting all of us and you know you are killing yourself with it!"
Jiminy Cricket pipes up, wiping his tiny nose, "We love you, Pinocchio! We just want you to be happy without all this puppet stuff!"
Puppet Intervention.
But back to the fabulous Paperhand Puppet Intervention show last Friday. It was an awesome display of creativity and you should expect to see a blog post and photos at some point. The point is, I have been dying to upload, view and maybe work on some of those photos.
Why haven't I? Well, because I have that honking huge Mega List of things I *have* to do with my photography and writing. And fun stuff isn't on it! I can't take time out to do fun stuff like that with that big old list to start working on ('start' is a misnomer - my list is continual, perpetual)!
And so after a full day of work and then hurricane of life clean up, I decided that everything on my list was too big to tackle at that late hour and I may as well just go up to bed.
But hold on! What if . . .
. . . what if I just peeked at those photos? What if I just played a minute or two with them? You know, since I'm not going to do anything on the list anyway......?
I did. And yes, I messed with them for several hours and so technically I could have done something on my Mega List. But I loved it! Those hours flew by! I had fun! I played! And that did more for my motivation to continue in my creative fields than crossing anything off the Mega List would have done. It's okay to play.
Here is the image I produced from my 2 hour play session, taken at the Paperhand show:
Caveat for self: set a time limit when you need to, focus on Mega List when you have to.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
How Do You Balance Your Creative Time?
We’ve all read articles on how to squeeze enough hours into the day to do both what you have to do (regular, full time job that pays the bills), dreaded but necessary house stuff (tenth load of laundry, move son’s shoes for the umpteenth time, reacquaint yourself with the concept of grocery shopping, mow the lawn), and what you want to do (be a full time writer, photographer, painter, musician or guinea pig walker, for that matter).
No two ways about it, these articles make us rethink our schedules and level of motivation. They say things like “Schedule 10 minutes a day to take a photograph” and “Wake up an hour early to write. We need these articles. They speak the truth and they are helpful. You do have to examine your motivation and priorities and carve out the time.
But what I want are cold hard facts on managing your time after you have decided that puppetry/writing/abstract photography/guinea pig walking really is a priority in your life and you have made precious time for it.
How do you manage that time in order to both create and to market/promote? Do you create 4 days a week and promote 3 days per week? Do you wake up an hour early to promote and then create in the evenings (not going to work for me since I can’t think after 6 p.m.)? Do you bounce back and forth between the two, settling on a rough formula of about 70% creating, 30% promoting? Write for an hour in the mornings when you wake up (clock set at 5 a.m.) and promote in the evenings? Create on Saturdays, promote on Sundays?
Or do you just do whatever seems the most important at the moment?
I have to admit to spending the last month doing the latter. And it has not been pretty. I function best when I can gear my mind up to what I am going to do and have a schedule for it (a flexible one, but one that also pins my nose to the creative grindstone). Focus. Organization.
You were looking for answers here, weren’t you? I don’t have the answers. But I do have the questions to start you thinking about how to balance the precious time that you have carved out of your life for your creativity of choice so that that time is the most productive it can be. And so you don’t become what I have been in the last month: a whirling dervish expending a lot of energy but not accomplishing nearly as much as I need to accomplish.
However, that being said, my dervishness today included the creation of:
Now you know that is one cute dog and worth a little derv.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
But I Just Want to Take Photographs!
Or write books. Or walk dogs. Or whatever is your particular passion. I know. Whine, whine, whine. We've all heard it a gajillion times before and we've all read others saying it and rolled our eyes. C'mon, don't pretend you haven't.
But this time it's me! Do I want to figure out how to create a blog? Do I want to figure out how to write a Squidoo lens? Do I want to fight Facebook to get a photography page going on there? No! No! No! A million times no! (like, really emphatically)
I just want to take photographs (she said meekly). Apparently if you are not independently wealthy or have mysterious automatic entry to endless buyers of your art or writing, you can't just take photographs/write/walk the dog and expect people to throw their millions at you. It's just a fact today. Apparently you have to go through this painful social networking process. And believe me, it is painful. Sooo painful. I actually cried with Facebook Frustration yesterday (stop laughing, it's a bona fide affliction that I made up this very minute). I feel your pain.
But I'm here, living and breathing and over my Facebook Frustration, to tell you that if you are not one of those techno-whizzes who can whip up a Squidoo lens, a twitter account, a blog and a business Facebook page in a couple of hours, there is still hope. You can (after much gnashing of teeth and swearing at google) figure it out. Persevere. If I can do it, you can do it. It may not be perfect, but it's a start.
And here is what Samson has to say about that:
Yeah. Just throw the ball and get over it.
But this time it's me! Do I want to figure out how to create a blog? Do I want to figure out how to write a Squidoo lens? Do I want to fight Facebook to get a photography page going on there? No! No! No! A million times no! (like, really emphatically)
I just want to take photographs (she said meekly). Apparently if you are not independently wealthy or have mysterious automatic entry to endless buyers of your art or writing, you can't just take photographs/write/walk the dog and expect people to throw their millions at you. It's just a fact today. Apparently you have to go through this painful social networking process. And believe me, it is painful. Sooo painful. I actually cried with Facebook Frustration yesterday (stop laughing, it's a bona fide affliction that I made up this very minute). I feel your pain.
But I'm here, living and breathing and over my Facebook Frustration, to tell you that if you are not one of those techno-whizzes who can whip up a Squidoo lens, a twitter account, a blog and a business Facebook page in a couple of hours, there is still hope. You can (after much gnashing of teeth and swearing at google) figure it out. Persevere. If I can do it, you can do it. It may not be perfect, but it's a start.
And here is what Samson has to say about that:
Yeah. Just throw the ball and get over it.
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