Set A Date To Self-Motivate
Looking for a way to break through a creative block?
If you want to motivate yourself to finish a project, share something- ANYTHING that you create with a someone-ANYONE.
Creating is a lonely endeavor.
In order to write, you need to be quiet and listen to those voices in your head.
To write, you need a pen and paper or a keyboard.
To paint, you need a canvas or paper.
To sew, you need fabric and thread.
To garden, you need a seed and soil.
To shape wood, you need a chisel and a saw.
To bake, you need flour, butter, egg, and sugar.
To perform, you need a stage.
But you’re reading this list, and you’re questioning the requirements.
‘I can write a scene in my head,’ you argue.
Yup! You’re absolutely correct.
You can construct a scene in your mind with all the details of the physical space. You can envision the time of day and the atmosphere inside and outside.
You can design a scene that horrifies or soothes.
In your story, you are god!
But to bring that scene to life, you need to share those details, and for a writer, the best way to accomplish that task is to write the words with pen and paper or a keyboard.
What if you printed the scene with the dialogue between the protagonist and her sidekick? You know, the one that always makes you smile.
Print it, place it behind a complimentary matte in a decorated frame and gift it to a friend.
Maybe sketch a little flower? Or a leaf? Or a mushroom?
You can paint a scene with your mind’s eye before opening a paint tube. You see the details of the landscape. You plan out the minute markings on the elderly man’s left hand. The one with the plain, gold wedding band he’s worn for fifty-three years. How can you portray that detail? A framed wedding invitation with the date next to a calendar with the year.
Your mind plans the scene, but it’s nothing until the forms evolve and the setting unfolds.
The artist — without canvas — revels in anticipation of the possibilities. Still, your vision unfolds when you form the lines and shapes and fill in the colors.
Piles of calico, patterned silk, warm wool, flannel, and polar fleece call to you. But your ideas flitter and skitter as each possible outfit comes and goes in your imagination.
One scissor cut brings you closer to the realization of your fabrication. Only then can you wear the coat, the skirt, the dress. Only then can others appreciate your skill and talents.
Burpee’s catalog teases you from the counter. You flip through the colorful pages. You squint at the garden plot, now blanketed with thick snow. You close your eyes and imagine the musty fragrance of spring soil as your rake pushes and pulls the dead roots of last year’s veggies and flowers. Maybe this year, you’ll host a tea party in that flat area near the flower bed.
When you decide to gift an art-thing to a trusted audience of one, your mind shifts from its internal critic to an external coach.
Instead of tearing you down with harsh and negative criticism, the coach, with the whistle and the clipboard, breaks down your practice sessions so that you’re more productive.
“The game is next Friday,” they say. “Today, we’re doing wind sprints and stretching. Tomorrow, strength training and drills.”
You know the drills for your own art form.
When you decide to gift your creations to a trusted friend, you must break down the task into doable chunks.
- Set a date. Decide on a location.
- Suddenly, your focus sharpens.
Giving away a small token of your creativity does not seek criticism or value judging. The purpose is to finish something. One thing.
Once the first thing is done, others will follow.
Sharing your work elevates your perception of the art that you are doing.
And Do-ing Your ARt! makes you happy.
The more you do, the happier you are.
The more you do, the more professional you feel.
Bringing your art-thing to life creates a mental shift.
It will take practice. Athletes practice. Musicians practice. Artists/makers/creatives practice, too.
For more inspiration in creating and art-making, visit www.doyourart.org
