Staying Productive

Journal Entry: Friday, November 1, 2002

My collage table waiting for me to come work.

Here is an edited version of an early entry in my journal from 2002.

A Few Notes on Staying Productive

If you designate a certain time to working in the studio and stick with it then your mind will accustom itself to unleash during that time period.

Very early morning time when the activity of the day hasn’t gotten started or later in the evening when the day’s work is over are often the best times to work in short sessions. Using those times when there is unlikely to be any disturbance, during that time when everyone in your time zone sleeps.

The olfactory sense is very powerful for signaling your subconscious mind that it is time to open up. This helps to unleash creativity. Establish some regular rituals like lighting a stick of incense or a scented candle and only use that smell during that time in the studio. This will also work with a cup of fragrant herbal tea. Take a few deep breathes and clear your mind and be present in the present.

We have to find that place of refuge within ourselves where the world around us and sense of time disappear, that is the place we seek, the well from which we drink and refresh our lives. Even an hour or two a day - if it is everyday - will be enough to advance and stay connected to your inner creativity. 

Have things partially started waiting on the work table, easel or desk so that you don't have to ‘kick start’ yourself. Leave the process humming in idle so that you hands just start working. Joan Miro had a working process of 'dirtying up' some canvases at the end of the day so that when he came back the next morning he wasn't facing the void of a white blank canvas. There was something random, some beginning on the canvas to possibly spark his imagination.

Another thing that can be done is to introduce a style of working that let's you work spontaneously and without thought that will yield a finished work of some sort in a single short session. Think of it as a warm up exercise without any particular expectation. Even in the middle of a hectic lifestyle one can capture a few moments here and there throughout the day. This helps to maintain a sense of continuity.

While it is true that we must adjust ourselves to other people and to circumstances, keep in mind that others must adjust themselves to us as well and that circumstances can be manipulated to one's advantage once they are taken into account.

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