Monday, March 24, 2014

OPINION: Plans vs action

Are you a list maker like me!?!!

Do you look forward to nothing more than sitting with a cuppa, a clean piece of paper, and a lovely pen to write out your days plans!?!!   (careful Vicki, your OCD is starting to show!!)



Do you find yourself working on your planning alot more than the actual WORK you've planned!?!!

I don't know about you, but without a goal set.................I'm a bit of a meanderer.
I might sit on Pinterest or Instagram for a half hour or so - then maybe pick up a paintbrush or sketch pad and while away another bit of time....

MEANWHILE the dishes aren't being done - the clothes are still very dirty and YOU KNOW time is running out because your son has training tomorrow and those clothes AIN'T GONNA WASH THEMSELVES!!

BUT EVEN WITH A PLAN it still doensn't always go....................to plan!!!

 

Is that we never actually grow up, and therefore get sick of doing the same thing every day?   I know as a creative person this affects me greatly.

SO WHAT DO WE DO!?!!

I don't have a super cure, but I do have a super incentive plan!!

You migth not get everything done, but you'll still be spending half the time doing what you love, and half the time getting productive and ticking off a heap of things on your list!!

FIRST...........THE PLAN


You must write out a list of jobs/tasks you need to do for the day - write out as much as you can think of, but remember that your hours in this day are finite, and other forces may be at play, which means you probably won't get through it all today.  But get it out of your head and write it out anyway.

Second, write out all those little creative projects you'd like to get done too.  If it's one big project, try to break it down to about the same length as that list of tasks.  if you don't have as many tasks, maybe write down "research pinterest for inspiration" as a task!!!  don't judge me!!!

NOW......simply work on alternate lists throughout the day.  Do one chore, then reward yourself with some art fun.......it's a great incentive for you to get through the trudgery, and it's a wonderful way to be productive AND have fun at the same time!!

TIPS - I'm a bit of a time keeper - it's the army brat in me screaming out for order!!!  If you have a big task that is broken down into smaller ones, maybe even set a timer for that task.  Have a canvas you want to spend a bit of time on!?!!  put on the timer for 15 minutes.  You'll get a bit done now, and then you'll take a break from it during your next task, and you can come back with fresh eyes and see what you missed!!!


NB - if you don't get everything done............don't beat yourself up.  LIFE IS ABOUT SPENDING EVERYDAY DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE, NOT BEING SAD ABOUT ALL THE WORK YOU HAVE TO DO.  Enjoy it while you still can, you can always do more of the same tomorrow.

I think the main reason I wrote this is because we are constantly in touch with time wasters.  Our phones, tablets, tv's etc - they suck away our time and make it hard to get motivated.  so much inspiration and yet so little time to do it, because we are constantly searching for inspiration!!

One of my creative friends also has a great blog post about this - she gets SO MUCH DONE so be sure to take her advice on board too, especially if you're planning on using this on a daily basis, and not just on your days off like me!!!


I say enough is enough - once you've planned out what you're going to do - BLOODY DO IT!!  No more getting stuck on the screen, you've got goals and rewards all at the same time!!!

If you want to find me, I'll be the one sitting at the kitchen bench - cuppa in hand, notebook & pen by my side, planning out my week - between sessions on pinterest & instagram!!!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

CREATIVE: 29 faces - a month summation of less than 29 faces!!!

surely it hasn't been over 2 weeks since I posted last!?!!  That can't be right!?!!

I closed the gallery recently, and we have spent the last fortnight clearing, cleaning & finalising all the nasty little details of a small business closure - lots of loose ends to tie up, lots of misc bits that need finishing, and lots of rubbish to throw out!!  It's very similar to moving home - something that I did too much as a kid and will try to avoid for the next 20+ years!!!

So I didn't get much time to spend daily on my faces - but I am making it a PRIORITY now that I'm free of the space..............and I'll be focusing more on the body form as well as faces to get some progress with my art.

These faces are by no means my favourites - but I know that every one you do is a step closer to getting where you want to be - it's all about practice, practice, practice!  (still need desperately to work on hair!)

Hope you haven't had any hurdles too big to jump over these last few weeks - I know others are fighting bigger battles than me, so it's nice to be able to enjoy the free time and be grateful!!!\