Completely agree! And if you’re also assuming that what you do has to be perfect, then it also adds an excuse not to start.
I’ve tried painting or drawing every day for the last few weeks. Doesn’t always work but I’m so glad the 75% of the time when I do and when it does! Alice
Thanks Alice and I think a lot of people underestimate how much these little bursts of creativity add up over time. Like most creative artists, I would love to have more time to focus solely on my creative projects but that’s not always possible, so we just have to do what we can with what we have :)
OMG. I think you are in my brain. Another poster added that we believe whatever we create must be “perfect”. Yep, add that to my list of excuses. Thank you for posting this!
Thanks Joan and you’re right, I think it’s way too easy to fall in the all-or-nothing trap. In the past, I tended to waste these little chunks of time that popped up throughout the day. I simply dismissed them as not being long enough, so instead of sitting down to write for 10-15 minutes, I would often end up fiddling with my phone, digging up a snack, or just surfing the web mindlessly. What I eventually discovered, however, was that those so-called “perfect” opportunities to create rarely came along, so I spent most of my time waiting instead of writing.
So difficult to find time or energy to be creative with two small children to care for. I find the battle to resist being creative more exhausting than actually drawing or painting! Wanting to create but can’t is also very difficult to cope with but looking at it in terms of 10 mins a day is doable.
Exhaustion does tend to make creativity (or pretty much anything in life) rather difficult. I know the last thing most of us want to do after spending every waking hour chasing after the kids is sit down and try to be creative. More than anything we just want to sleep…. or at least collapse on the couch with some TV.
I don’t know about you, but if every day that I don’t sit down and at least make a token effort to write something, I feel like crap. Not so much because I have all this energy and I feel like creating, but because I know that every day that I don’t do it, I’m going to feel guilty, and useless, and eventually resentful and be rather unpleasant to be around (more so than usual).
So in order to keep the guilt and resentment from building up, I really try to at least find 10 minutes a day even just to free write about random crap that no one else is ever going to see or care about. Just by doing this, I feel like at least I made an effort. If something creatively fantastic was going to come out of my brain that day, at least I gave it an opportunity to be recorded…. hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still hopeful ;)
I have so much time behind brush, I am able to make the painting I want, in one to two hours.
I also make metal sculpture. and drawings.
I work on a consistent basis and do the other life stuff that needs to be done.
No excuses from me.
I really like you’re energy and enthusiasm Bob and I have a feeling that with that type of commitment to your art, you will be very successful!
You are so right.
I am one of those who (theoretically) has all the time to create. But after 45 minutes standing at the easel I am drooping, creativity flees and I am plodding.
I would say that for painters the 10 minute rule depends on their preferred medium. Some types of paint take 10 minutes to clean brushes and tidy up!
When I had small children and had to be able to drop everything at a moment’s notice I painted in pastel. The only time that failed was on the day my son heard a joke and burst out laughing with his mouth full of cheese sandwich and sprayed the painting. I had to start that one again but the second version was so much better.
I think you’re right Jen, as ironic as it might sound, sometimes having all the time in the world to create can be just as discouraging as only having 20 minutes a day. Partly because you expect so much more out of yourself, and partly because a lot of us are actually more productive when we are pushed by a deadline. Don’t get me wrong, we all hate having deadlines, but at the same time, there seems to be something inside of us that craves that structure and sense of urgency.
This is so true. I do focus my full workday on my art, but break the time up into chunks so I’m not working on the same project for more than two hours at a time (1.5 hours, if the going is extra tough). I believe that the most important thing is creating the habit of putting in your time making each day, and keeping yourself maximally “fed” in between those intense periods of focus.
There is definitely something to be said for changing your focus every so often to get a new perspective on things. In fact, I actually wrote an article about this not too long ago on the value of changing your physical location in order to refresh your creative imagination. The director Woody Allen has said that he uses this technique all the time:
“I’ve found over the years that any momentary change stimulates a fresh burst of mental energy. So if I’m in this room and then I go into the other room, it helps me. If I go outside to the street, it’s a huge help… It breaks up everything and relaxes me.” ~Woody Allen
But you’re absolutely right when you said that the most important thing here is that you create the habit of putting in your time each day.
After you completed a presentable art peace, i find it hard to focus again and start a new project.
Very good article.
Starting over is never easy, especially after spending so much time and energy on your previous project. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a bit sad and emotionally drained after finishing a longer work. I’m never sure if that is because I hesitate to let the finished project go, or the fact that now I have to start over and face the terrifying blank page again.
[…] –this article on just starting, even if only for ten minutes, resonated with me. Himself works long hours, we homeschool, we have three kids, and at some point during the day eating and cleaning must also be done, not to mention the myriad of social activities I signed them up for so I don’t feel guilty about the socializing thing, so frequently I only have small snippets of time. It’s encouraging to be reminded that those small snippets matter. […]
This is all very true and I wish I could get myself to just sit down for 10min and create whatever I can during those precious 10min. BUT, waking up everyday at 6.30am, working full time, commuting.. I get home and all I want to do is have some food, switch my brain off and relax. Then I get to the weekend and I do manage to get myself to sit down and write for at least an hour, but then the weekend is the only time I have to grab a drink with friends and socialise. So I often find myself having to chose between neglecting my social life – with all the nasty feelings that come with that – and work on something creative.
Anyway, I’m not saying it is not possible but it is not that easy either. Those few hours after work when you’re not working and you’re not sleeping don’t have the same quality as the ones when you’re brain is fresh and your body isn’t tired.
Mariana
You’re absolutely right Mariana it is anything but easy. For me at least, I find those token 10 minute frantic creative sessions to be symbolic more than anything else. More than anything, I hate that feeling when one day of not writing, then three days, then a week, and before I know it—it’s been six months since I’ve done anything productive. If I manage to somehow squeeze in those 10-20 minutes of writing in between everything else going on in my life, I feel as if I at least made the effort. I know it’s not much, but sometimes you just have to take what you can get and understand that things won’t always be like this….hopefully ;)
Just saw this quote and it reminded me of our conversation. Of course Ms. Cameron says it far better than I could…
“The doing of a small something when a large something is too much for us is perhaps especially an act of faith. Faith means going forward by whatever means we can.” ~Julia Cameron
I now love you! The feeling of ” i haven’t finish anything.” This article really help me especially now that i am busy with my thesis and i find it hard to do other works. Really inspiring!
I’m with you Aileen. Even though I’ve gotten a little better over the years, I still got a big ol’ pile of crap-I’m-going-to-finish-someday sitting here mocking me….
Well, dadgum. Very little inspires or spurs or encourages me, but this certainly did it. You’ve got a really excellent point here. This is the first article I’ve read here, being referred here by Freedom Arts and Education Center, but I think I’ll check out some more stuff! Thanks again for the excellent article.
The 10 minutes a day idea can work well for writing or doing a quick marketing chore, but I work with mixed media art and it takes about fifteen minutes to get everything up and going and then another fifteen to clean up at the end. I schedule most of my studio time on the weekends, which means forgoing the usual social time or outdoor activities.
I think you’re right Donna that it often takes a longer period of time to get into the flow of the creative process. For me at least, the 10 minutes is primarily a way to get my butt in the chair and do something. Ideally, if things are going well and I have the opportunity, I’ll keep going–but I try to give myself permission to stop after ten minutes if necessary. I’ve found that even this small amount of time helps me keep the momentum going on a project.