Valley of the Muse

Are you stuck in a pattern where you wake-up and decide that today’s going to be the day that you’re going to paint, but then find yourself getting ready for bed and aren’t sure where the day went? Do you have crafting supplies taking over your living room, but haven’t touched them in months? Do your works-in-progress leave you feeling depressed because they’re languishing and you can’t even remember what the story is about anymore?

Are your creative projects a priority for you?

With work, friends and family demands, it can be difficult to carve out time to make creative projects a priority. But it’s not enough to just say that you want your creativity to be a priority, your day to day life needs to reflect that it’s actually a priority.

Here’s an exercise that I’ve found helpful when I need to tweak my daily activities or if I need to determine what’s eating up my time.

Step 1
Write down what you would like your priorities to be or what you think they are. Include things like your family, pets, household chores, work, volunteering, etc., but don’t forget to include your creative projects.

Step 2
Next to each item from step 1, list 2-4 actions that reinforce these as a priority.
For example, one of the items on my list are my two dogs, Chloe and Basil. Next to them, I list things like feeding them and taking them out for daily walks.

Step 3
Write down your typical daily activities, as they occur. Be honest with yourself, and include things like eating, sleeping, work, tv, video games, reading blogs and newspapers, meeting friends for coffee, going to the bar, etc. This list should reflect not just your best days, but your least productive days as well.

What does this list tell you about what your priorities really are? Are they where you expected them to be? Were you surprised by anything on the lists?

Over the next few weeks I’ll explore different options for aligning your life with your goals, including techniques for carving out more time for your creative projects and looking at procrastination.

You’ve finally decided that you’re going to take your creativity seriously. You set up a new blog, dusted off your watercolours, or maybe you joined a writing community. You’re going to stop playing endless rounds of Slingo Supreme or WOW and instead you’re going to be productive.

Then the next day, you’re just not sure you’re up to it. You stare at the blank screen and nothing happens. Or when you start drawing, none of it looks right. Maybe you have a headache or feel the start of a cold, or a chronic illness has picked today to smack you back down.

There will never be a perfect day to start on a new creative project, but on some days, it can seem more difficult than on others. Creativity won’t always follow the schedule you’ve outlined for yourself, but there are a few more things you can try before giving up.

Keep at it
Do you have trouble sitting still for any length of time? If you’ve been staring at a blank canvas, a few more minutes won’t hurt. Set a timer for 5 minutes and keep at it. If after the timer goes off you still don’t have anything, then pack it in for the day without feeling guilty. Some days really aren’t meant for creativity. Don’t give up though. Tomorrow you can try again. But if you’ve started before the 5 minutes are up, then ignore the clock and keep going! Sometimes all you need to do is to take the pressure off. By saying to yourself that you’ll only try for another 5 minutes and that’s it, you might find that instead of worrying about producing something, you’ll allow yourself to just be. A minor variation on this is to keep setting it for another 15 minutes (or whatever length of time works best for you) as a way to keep the pressure off. Over time, you might find that you’re able to work for longer periods of time.

And if today didn’t work, don’t be discouraged. Set the timer the next day for at least 5 minutes and try again.

Try something different
I find that this method works best for me. Sometimes the right words just aren’t coming to me on a given story or with particular characters, and switching to a different story can help. Other times, switching to a different activity works much better, such as modifying my website, researching future posts, organizing my crafting supplies, etc. After I’ve worked on these activities, I go back to the post or story and most of the time I find I’m able to get into it. Even if it doesn’t work and today didn’t work out exactly how I planned, I know that I can go back to it tomorrow.

Give yourself permission to goof off for a bit
This method definitely isn’t for everyone, but sometimes you just need to blow off some steam, especially if you have numerous commitments. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you’re working a full-time job, have a family member you’re caring for or small children, and generally have a lot of things on the go, you may be too demanding on yourself. If you’d planned on working on your art for 2 hours each night, spend half of your time doing something that is easy and relaxing, even if it’s reading about drawing, and then spend the other half on your project. A timer can help here too, so that you don’t end up spending more than you intended. This one can be a bit risky though if you have a tendency to lose yourself and don’t have great follow through. Just like with any technique, pay attention to what works best for you, and don’t be afraid to try things if you’re not sure. If it doesn’t help, you can always try again the next day.

Get physical
There are some days where I’m incredibly wired, and my thoughts and plans and outlines are just spinning around in my head, but none of it is making it down on paper. At this point, I’ll pull out Dance Dance Revolution Universe 3 and workout for an hour. Or, depending on the weather I’ll take my dogs out for a long walk. I know others who go to the gym, go running, meditate, or hit a yoga class to clear their head. After physical activity, I feel much more grounded, the spinning has stopped, and I can focus on what I want to do instead.

In the end, it’s one day. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Don’t listen to the voices that tell you you’ll never amount to anything. I guarantee that you’ve accomplished plenty of things in your life, and with practice, your creative projects will be completed too.

*Post title is from “Mama Said” by the Shirelles (link goes to youtube).

Establishing Yourself as an Expert

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 first

In the corporate world and in academia, your work experience and expertise depends on other people.

For example, I’m a pretty decent project manager. I’m detail-oriented and goal-oriented, and I’m good at keeping my team on track to get the project done. The big money is in IT project management, but there’s no way that I’ll ever get a job as an IT PM. Why? Because my experience is in the training industry and in operations. It doesn’t matter that I have a diploma in computer programming. It doesn’t matter that I’m tech savvy or that I can speak to coders and translate to the business. It doesn’t even matter that I’ve worked on projects involving software, such as building a wiki for a large department. To a recruiter and to a hiring manager I’m too much of a risk because I’ve never worked in IT.

For an artist, a portfolio is equivalent to job experience and a resume, and you don’t need to rely on others to build it up.

What it does require is your time and your attention. You can add school projects to your portfolio. You can imagine that you’re decorating a room for a client, even if it’s just for you, and treat it like a professional job. You can commit to writing a short story a month and submit it to various e-zines. When you’re first starting out, no one is expecting you to have landed a million-dollar commission or that you’ve already had a hard-cover series printed. But by having a body of work to back up your effort, you’re able to show what you’re capable of, which will help you land paid work.

The benefit of working for yourself in a creative industry is that you won’t be held back from working on projects that interest you because of politics, seniority, etc. You and you alone are responsible for putting together your portfolio. I’ve already posted about the “bucket principle” and referenced it a number of times, partly because I’m trying to internalize it myself, but mostly because the people who are successful are the ones who’ve worked on their portfolios over time rather than the night before meeting with their first prospective client. By building up your creative platform over time, you (i) develop strong habits of productivity, (ii) are able to get a good feel for your strengths and weaknesses, and (iii) are able to put forward examples of your best work. All three of these things will help carry you forward towards a sustainable creative career and personal success.

Stay tuned for Part 5 in this series, where I’ll examine networking.

While waiting for the bus yesterday, a guy in a minivan honked at me. I always wonder what the men who do this are trying to accomplish. Is it just the attention? Is it a remote hope that I’ll decide to hop in their car despite the fact that they’re travelling 50 km/hr in a school zone?

It always strikes me as a waste that people engage in attention-seeking behaviour that doesn’t lead to anything other than a moment of instant gratification. I understand the desire – it’s something I’ve always struggled with, but I know that if I want to be successful, then I need to learn new behaviours and see the benefit in waiting.

Here’s a personal example of what I mean. When I first started writing again (after a 5-year hiatus in my early twenties), I quickly filled 3 notebooks with story ideas. It felt good getting them all out of my head. It felt productive. But none of those are real stories because I didn’t have the patience or follow-through to complete any of them. My muse was always taking me in a new direction and it was fun imagining all the possibilities.

Since those early days, my goals have changed. It’s no longer about seeing where a story will end up, but instead my goal is to be published. There are a million reasons why I may never achieve my goals including the quality of my writing, luck, timing, etc. I’m ok with the fact that I may never see my name on the cover of a printed novel if there are legitimate reasons. But if it’s because I lacked focus? Or because I was distracted by a new video game?

This brings me back to the man who honked at me today. Sure, it may not take more than a second to press on the car horn. There may not even be a decision involved and the man may have just acted on impulse. But if I lead my life based on instant gratification, I won’t achieve my goals, and I’m no longer ok with that. Are you?

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EDIT: I came across a blog post today about Elizabeth Gilbert’s incredibly inspiring speech (which I originally posted here).  The post describes how much work she put into appearing so relaxed and casual – well worth it! Read the entry “Sprezzatura” by Derek Sivers here.

Read Building a Creative Platform – Part 1 and Part 2

Building an online presence

This past weekend I went to Fan Expo. My favourite part of this con is walking through Artists’ Alley and being surrounded by creativity and talent.

I’m in the process of creating a “geeky and creative” post, profiling the different people I met, but as I’ve been visiting everyone’s websites and etsy stores, I was struck by how different everyone’s online presence is, ranging from nonexistent to professional.

If you’re just starting out, it isn’t necessary to have a flash website that is professionally made, but there are a few things you can easily do.

1. Build a web presence

Others have written about this before, but it’s really easy to create a free blog on any number of journaling sites (wordpress, blogger, livejournal, dreamwidth), even if you’re not very tech savvy. Get in the habit of posting your work on a regular basis (even if it’s just monthly to start), and slowly increase the frequency to at least weekly.

If you’re handing out business cards of your work at a con, you need a website. I saw so many different artists and artisans, and I honestly can’t remember who is who. I need a visual reminder of your work, otherwise I won’t know why I took your card at the time and why I would want to follow up. If all you’ve provided is an email address, I’m going to recycle your card. This may seem unduly harsh, but I’m not likely to email you just to ask “what was it you were doing again?”.

2. Mention the con you just attended.

You don’t need to do a fancy write-up. All you need to do is mention somewhere on your site or etsy store that you’re in Toronto for Fan Expo for the weekend. I’ve noticed that the artists who took the time to update their readers, are the ones that generally have more content up on their sites. Even if you’re just starting out, it’s nice to give people context for what you’re doing. Artists were running out of business cards on the first day of a two-day con, which means that at least some of the people attending will visit your website. Tell us what you’re up to or that you’ll have new merchandise up after premiering it at the con. I’m pretty sure at least one person had a lot more items at their booth than show up at their etsy store, and I wasn’t that impressed with their current online selection. By giving an update (even just one line) you’ve given me a reason to check back.

I can already hear the protests of “but the product itself should be enough of a reason to go back”. Well, yes and no.
If you’ve spent any time on free online fiction websites, you’ll find that most of the writers who post stories will have a multi-chaptered work in progress. 80-90% of those never get finished, so I’ve become wary of those who don’t give me a reason to check back. Every artist has good intentions, but not everyone can follow-through with what they’ve started. If your website doesn’t seem like it’s updated frequently, then I’m going to assume that it isn’t. I’d rather spend my time on someone who provides steady content than on someone who has great ideas but they never make down on paper or online.

I actually find it a bit heartbreaking when I’m working with a client who has so many fantastic ideas, but there’s never any evidence of it, other than the conversation we’re having. I feel privileged that I can listen to a story unfold, but it’s a shame that others can’t share in this experience as well. At Fan Expo, there was so much talent, and with Valley of the Muse I’d love to showcase everyone that I talked to and give examples of how awesome they are. But if they don’t have an online presence, then I can’t do that, because I have nothing to link to, and I doubt anyone would listen to me if I said “trust me they’re fantastic!” without saying why.

If you’re starting out, you need to take that first step before you and your work can be discovered and that means don’t just work on your portfolio in the dark corners of your room until you’re ready to unveil your epic. Build relationships with people who are going to be excited for you and supportive of all your endeavors, even the earliest ones.

When I first started reading about increasing writing productivity, I remember seeing a suggestion about creating a bit of a ritual to get into a writing frame of mind. The author shared theirs – making a cup of tea. It seemed like a very simple thing to do, but I’ve never been good at sticking to a routine.

I felt I was destined to be an uneven writer, at least in terms of output. If you remember the bucket principle from a few days ago, I tend to either drip away or on rare occasions have unrestrained inspiration but whenever that happens I get overwhelmed and stop writing for a period of time. My goal has always been to turn up the tap, so to speak, and maintain a steady daily wordcount, but my schedule varies so that creating a writing routine isn’t feasible and I’ve felt discouraged.

The thing is, I’ve been wrong this whole time. The point of the writing ritual isn’t to create a routine; it’s to bring you into the present so that you can focus on writing. It’s possible that I’ve spent my whole life misunderstanding what a routine is, but I’ve always pictured calendars and time sheets that illustrate a particular path of your day that looks the same as the next. It meant that if I was in the mood for chocolate tea, well, too bad, because the routine clearly states peppermint.

I’m the kind of person that lives in my dreams and in my mind, and I’m not naturally a grounded person, but I started to notice that when I introduced a certain kind activity during my week it’s become easier to sit down and get things done. I’ve struggled with procrastination and with getting distracted my whole life, but over the past few months, I’ve suddenly been able to focus enough to accomplish the things I’ve only ever dreamt about.

For me, it’s come down to activities that help me maintain a level of presence, of mindfulness, and it helps remind me and my brain that I’m capable of being in the moment. It’s not so much about sticking to a schedule or waiting for something in my head to click and make it ok to begin, but about simply being able to sit down and write.