Creative Time

Artists throughout history have had to do their best work with the limited resources they have on hand. And one of those precious resources is time.

Doing too much, bad or no planning, ambiguous goals, constantly putting out fires, being a perfectionist, procrastinating, forgetting to say no, being disorganized, and having a serious lack of knowledge about your tools continue to be primary ways we all waste time and thwart our creative pursuits.

Don’t cram your schedule too tightly. A loaded calendar destroys creativity. Rather, balance between your commitments and open, flexible time to nurture your work in fruitful ways.

“Three o’clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.” - Jean-Paul Sartre

Today’s software makes it oh-so-easy to tweak your art infinitesimally in the pursuit of perfection. Instead of going for the perfect piece, allot time for your projects and do your best work within those constraints.

Procrastination is both fear and laziness. Many people put off tasks for fear they won’t turn out as expected. News flash: they rarely turn out exactly as expected. To some that’s a journey worth taking; to others it’s a nightmare to avoid. Identify your fear and then work to overcome it.

Always looking for new ideas can stall progress, too. Don’t be an idea factory. Be a factory that makes things, instead. Author Scott Belsky calls it a 'bias for action' and cites these formulas:

• 100 x 0 = 0 – Having a great idea, but taking no action on it results in nothing

• 50 x 2 = 100 – Having a workable idea, and taking action on it creates something tangible.