by Tricia on January 12, 2010
Welcome to 2010! I had a blog post written about goals, plans, resolutions. But. It felt a little like blah, blah, blah.
I usually love talking about goals, plans, schemes… Just not now. Maybe it’s the “What are Your 2010 Goals” overload.
I do have business goals for my art. But every year as I think of what I really want to get done in the new year, making my art as good as I can make it is at the top of the list. What can I do to make my art SING?
I thought I’d share my favorite Robert Genn newsletter (from September 17, 2004):
One to another
Dear Artist,
Like a lot of us I get quite a few calls from beginning artists in need of advice. Sometimes it starts off with a technical question that leads to larger, more motivational questions. Yesterday a neighbor lady, Carmen, phoned and wanted “general, overall mentoring” leading to “guidance on what she wanted to do.” She had painted part of a painting that very morning and wondered if she could bring it over. I gave my usual: “Paint a hundred more and then bring them over.”
This letter is dedicated to the Carmens of this world. There’s a singular habit you need to develop. You need to build a regular productive rhythm that explores your own doing. It’s going to be a bit like chain-smoking–you use the last one to light up the next. But unlike a production line where all the products are the same–this conveyor belt will only exist in order to show development, variation, possibilities. Here are a few keys to a possible adventure in “one to another”:
Start up your line every day at the same hour.
Temporarily renounce other joys of your life.
Let no one and no thing interrupt your flow.
Supplement your imagination with books.
Let motifs and ideas grow out of themselves.
Keep asking yourself “what could be?”
Keep fresh–do not linger or anguish.
Be delusional–be full of “moxie” and “mojo.”
Let your processes become your governors.
Become particular about your tools and systems.
Take joy and optimism to your growing mastery.
Be always prepared to change your mind.
Fall in love with the actual doing.
Use your intuition to assess your progress.
Accumulate your winners and toss your losers.
If you do this every day Carmen, you will find out whether you’re cut out for it or not. If you’re not, that’s fine too–you’ll be able to get on with another side of your life. Give it a try. It’s not like it’s a lifetime commitment. And if you do get to a hundred please give me a call and come on over.
Best regards,
Robert
c) Copyright 2004 Robert Genn. Subscribe to the Painters Key newsletter.
On that note, I’ve pulled out a book from the bookshelf that I started and loved, but need to finish and take to heart: The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.
How do you feed your creative habit? How do you find your mojo? Do you have studio routines to find your muse?
Image: Dream by Tricia McKellar
by Tricia on December 21, 2009
Oh happy day! You asked and Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl delivered!
The blogging Diva has written a blogging guide for those of us that wonder what to write, where to find inspiration, how to mix things up, how to get started or recharge our blogs.
52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion is an ebook by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl. Tara is an amazing force within the design blogging community and she shares her tips for blogging your way, focusing on your creative pursuits, keeping your blog fresh and engaging.
There are 52 writing prompts, one for each week in 2010, with multiple ideas for each topic. Tara also includes a planning calendar to capture your ideas and plan your posts.
A lot of us struggle with blogging about our creative businesses. In the Wonder Thinking poll, blogging was the most requested topic for discussion. I know my art blog has hit a dry spell and I’m looking forward to invigorating it in 2010 with the structure Tara has laid out in 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion.
More time creating. More loyal blog readers. More confident blog writing. Less time preparing posts. What’s not to love?
Read more about 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion.
Yes, that’s an affiliate link. If you follow the link and purchase the ebook for the bargain price of $15 (which is a steal at less than 30 cents a week) Tara sends me some money. :) And I would not recommend Tara’s ebook if I did not love it!
by Tricia on December 7, 2009
Even as we’re in the thick of holiday sales and the general slam of holiday life with family commitments, hectic day job schedules, and the partying of the season, I can’t help but think about the New Year.
Planning is one of my favorite things to do. I’m an INTJ. I love the big picture. I love the “what if.” I love milestones and opportunities to reflect on the past and plan for the future.
I can’t help but think about next year and how I want to do some things differently.
Let me tell you about September 2009. I got a call early one evening in mid-September. There was a medical emergency in the family and I needed to get to Florida to stay with my Dad the next day. I had no idea how long I’d be at Dad’s.
The good news is that I telecommute full time for my day job. As long as I have my cell phone and a fast internet connection, I’m good.
But I wasn’t taking my studio with me. I’d have my camera, but I wouldn’t have my flat files, my printer, my papers, my shipping supplies. I put my etsy shop on vacation mode.
I ended up staying in Florida a little over 2 weeks. It was sort-of a forced etsy vacation. And I loved it.
My etsy sales are up and down. Some months are busier that other months. I had been thinking that the slow times were sort-of time off. But minding a slow shop is a very different thing than closing shop and taking a vacation. The vacation was a real break. Some days I didn’t even look for convos. I didn’t worry about staying on top of emails. It was heaven.
My epiphany was that a slow shop is not a vacation. One of my goals for 2010 is to schedule a few vacations from my indie business activities.
I’m going to identify a few weeks to take off and get them in my calendar in January. I find that if I schedule things ahead of time and put them in my calendar, they seem like a done deal and I’m less likely to think of all the reasons I shouldn’t take the time off.
Do you schedule vacations from your business? How far in advance do you schedule your time?
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