Procrastination

OMG...I have a vending gig that I need to get ready for (in 2 weeks) and I haven't created a new item in weeks! This means that I will be running myself ragged until then in order to be prepared. It's procrastination at it's best!

I've been doing much better in some areas when it comes to procrastination and worse in others. I have been able to get simple things done right away...send an email, make a phone call or write something in my planner. It's the larger things that I like to wait until the last minute to do...pay a bill, call for estimates or start a creative project. One would think because the later list is most important, that would be the thing that I would jump on first. Uh...not so much!

It goes back to that nasty little four letter word that I talked about yesterday...fear (and probably a bit of insecurity also). There is a nifty acronym that is going around for fear that looks like this:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

Now I love a good ole' acronym. I really do! However, I think I have heard this one too many times and it doesn't serve to be as effective as it once did. So what do fear and procrastination have to do with one another?

I have read that procrastination has a lot to do with the fear of the outcome. If true, this would make complete sense! This is why it is easy for me to do the menial tasks that don't take much effort. This is why even thinking of the harder tasks would cause angst and be harder to start.  

So, what is the remedy? Perhaps figuring out a way to break things down in small bite-size pieces. Maybe finding an accountability partner or finding ways to re-organize your schedule. 

What I have found works best for me (when I work it) is to figure out how much time and money I have wasted vegging. Yup...vegging! I could name several examples, but perhaps this is the best! A time where the TV is mostly watching you. Your eyes are focused on the images in action, but your brain isn't. While watching you are too busy thinking about the time that you are wasting watching the TV instead of enjoying the program. It's a nasty, vicious and ugly cycle. Guilt and lost time the end product. 

After assessing the lost time and feeling the guilt that comes along with losing that time is when it becomes much easier to focus on the other remedies mentioned. I suppose it is all about finding ways to incorporate tactics and staying committed to using those tactics on a daily basis. If the tactics that are being used are showing themselves to be ineffective at that particular moment, then perhaps it is time to rotate the tactic. Try something new and go back to the old tactic when the new starts not to work any longer. 

This is the strategy I'll work on. Of course, I'll keep you posted as to how it goes and how many awesome things that are accomplished sans procrastination 😉!

Corner of Gratitude:

Revelations (I know...it's the same as epiphanies, but this may be on the gratitude list for a while. It's a good one)!

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Usually we are illuminating things instead of looking at the light itself. But I like this quality of the light being the revelation."

~ James Turrell

Your Thoughts:
Are you a procrastinator?

Until next time...

Stacking Responsibilities/Opportunities

I had a meeting last night. The facilitator of the meeting and owner of the company asked those present to make a decision about being committed to the brand. 

In the past (and truthfully even now) decision making hasn't been my strong suit. I'm the type that gets in my head about decisions, thinking of a million and one ways a particular situation could go. It sometimes gets so bad that I end up "freezing" and decisions are made for me. 

Amidst conversation after the meeting I had an aha moment! 

I am a stacker when it comes to my responsibilities. Meaning, when new responsibilities and opportunities come instead of evaluating what I already have on my plate and determining if I can take on something new, I continue to add without regards to the old responsibilities. There is no shedding period, and ultimately no chance for newness. 

I got to thinking about why I stack so much leaving little room for the time or energy for the provisions that God has given me for my life's vision. And the answer that I came up with was simple...fear!

If I continue to stack on responsibilities and opportunities that aren't directly tied to my goals and dreams as an artist it will leave little to no room for me to have to actually create. As I type and read what I am typing, it seems so crazy! An artist that is afraid to do her own craft? It all goes back to my first post when I talked about the creative process. If I just have an awesome idea that never manifests into reality, I don't have to face the fear of not liking what I produce or not liking myself for producing art that I don't like.  

It can be quite complicated, as you can see. However, it is the truth. Am I the only creative mind that thinks this way? Perhaps, and perhaps not, but this is what this blog is about. An artists journey!

So it's really not about the decision that I need to make as a result of last night's meeting. Although, that will still need to be made. It is about making sure that I am not shorting myself or my destiny at the hands of someone else. That may sound really selfish, but it's more about making sure that my bucket is full to be able to dispense goodness to others. No one can give out of an empty decanter!

Corner of Gratitude:

Epiphanies

Pearls of Wisdom:
"A artist's duty is rather to stay open-minded and in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic Epiphany."

~ Nick Cave

Your Thoughts:
Are you a stacker of responsibilities also? If so, how do you cope?

Until next time...

Another Manic Monday

It's just another manic Monday over here on my end!

I am a full-time employee (lots more on that subject at a later time) for a non-profit organization. I have an administrative position where I play an integral part in getting the paperwork processed to get employees paid. And since our billing cycle ends on Wednesday, Monday's and Tuesday's prove to be our busiest days. 

By the time I get home and get settled (dinner, workout, work for a part-time job, and maintaining an eBay store) I am really exhausted and find it hard to fit in creative time. I so often think to myself that taking a few minutes out of my busy day to sketch or paint isn't that difficult. And I would be right! Physically taking a few minutes to go through the motions of doing my craft is not that difficult. However, the mental hoops that I have to go through tend to be treacherous!

It's a miracle that I am taking a few moments each day to make you privy to my creative journey. It really is! My hope again is that I would be able to use this platform to be of some motivation for me to get in gear and start to produce awesome creations.

Corner of Gratitude:

Moving past this manic Monday

Pearls of Wisdom:
"When I wake up on a Monday morning and realize I don't have to go to an office and work from whatever creative space I need to, I have won!"

~ Me

Your Thoughts:
Are your Monday's manic, and why?

Until next time...

Pushing Through To The Next Phase

What does the next phase look like?

I'm not quite sure. I know...you were expecting this long drawn out explanation of what is to come. You thought that I was going to tell you that I have it all planned and mapped out from here on out. That I have a goal for the year and the next 5 and perhaps even the next 10 years. 

The reality is, I am a dreamer. A wild and vivid dreamer at that! The eternal optimist about all sorts of things, especially when it comes to my craft. Except dreaming alone has never got me or anyone anywhere. It is the catalyst for the grand idea but is not the sole cause for the idea being brought to fruition. 

The real truth is, the grandness of my dreams sometimes scares me and prevents me from doing anything at all. So baby steps it is for me! I do have a grand goal in mind and I am working on vision boards that support that grand goal. However, weekly mini goals have proven to be the best solution for me to chip away at the bigger goal. 

That's it...taking baby steps to achieve the grand goal!!!

Corner of Gratitude:

Being able to release fear of the grander things

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents them."

~ Jack Canfield

Your Thoughts:
What is your process for achieving your grand goals?

Until next time...

Being Intentional

This is my third time or so starting this process...blogging. I have stopped and started for various reasons, but when it boils down to it, fear was always at the helm of my creative journeys ship. 

I started blogging about 10 years ago. "One Artsy Gals Voyage" is my second blog account, my first being "The Artist In Me". "The Artist In Me" proved to be super cathartic. It was a time where life circumstances made it possible for me (more like forced me) to spend time working on my art. Although financially I was at one of the lowest points in my life, I was extremely content and super joyful about being able to spend time creating on my own terms. It left time and space for me to sit with how I really felt about myself as an artist. Was this really what I was created to do? Was this the thing that really made me tick? If I had the ability to create without being compensated financially, would that still be my choice? They were tough questions to ask myself and I worked them out with that blog. It also made it possible to sell my creations...mostly my jewelry.

"One Artsy Gals Voyage" started as a result of me wanting to try something a little different than the "Artist In Me" blog. Here I wanted to really share my ups and downs, good and bad, and successes and failures as an artist. I wanted it to be a candid snapshot of the thought and creative process of an artist. 

It was here that I started to chronicle my very first art show. And as life would have it, here I am to start that process all over again!

I don't have the space or the date or the time of the event as of yet, but consistent blogging again is part of the preparation for it. I am working on what the subject matter will be for my work and how I can incorporate my love for various forms of art and infuse them together. 

For now, I will be blogging on a daily basis. It will be like my online artistic journal. This go round I am being intentional. You will notice that there will not be a picture or video for each post this time. In the past, it was the stress of having the perfect image to go along with the post that hindered me from publishing that post at all, which led to lots of thoughts/feelings not being shared.

Corner of Gratitude:

The opportunity to start again no matter if it is your one hundredth time.

Pearls of Wisdom:
"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

~ Steve Jobs

Your Thoughts:
Are you allowing the heaviness of being successful overshadow your creative freedom?

Until next time...

The Creative Process

Two weeks ago in an effort to push my motivation (and creativity) into overdrive, I ran across a great piece about the creative process. I am not exactly sure of the origin of the writing, but it went like this.

The Creative Process In 6 Steps:

1. This is amazing

2. This is tricky

3. This is s#*t

4. I am s#8t

5. This might be ok

6. This is awesome

I am almost sure it was meant to be funny and a bit cheeky, but for once it explained exactly (and I do mean EXACTLY) how I feel about the creative process.

Most of the time it starts off with an amazing idea...one that is pretty epic without execution. Then execution of that amazing idea gets underway and things get a little fuzzy. They eventually turn out to be pretty amazing as the process states.

If honesty is on the table, sometimes step 4 proves to be first. It is that very thought that I know not to be true that sometimes holds me back from putting a brush to a canvas, pen to paper or coming up with beautiful jewelry pieces. It can be stifling, to say the least. 

I have one thought that proves to be my saving grace...I am not alone! There are several variations of this 6 step creative process out there, which leaves me to believe that there are plenty of other artists and creatives alike that feel this way. So I have been inducted into the club. I don't mind being in the club...it's good company!

Corner of Gratitude:

Being in good company

Pearls of Wisdom:
"I think there's no creative process that goes without injuries and scratches and punches. You get beat up somehow, and that's part of the commitment. You have to be open to that."

~Edgar Ramirez

Your Thoughts:
Are you open to getting "beat up" for creative process?

Until next time...

Another Happy Customer

In past posts I have mentioned both Etsy and Society6 as outlets where I sell my creations. And although I sell my creations on these platforms, it is rare that I get to see them with their new owners.

Well last week was a bit different. A co-worker and friend purchased one of my items from Society6 and brought it to the office. As you can see by the photos, it is a laptop cover. I have several items that are available on that platform and this was the first time I was able to see one in person. It was exactly like I expected it to be, and the quality was great.  She was pleased and so was I.

Here is to many (dare I say millions) more elated customers!

Corner of Gratitude:
Support from others

Pearls of Wisdom:
"Surround yourself with people who support you. Find champions."

~Sarah Gavron

Your Thoughts:
Who do you consider to be your support system?

Until next time...