Impatience. That’s the thing that gets me in trouble most often. Sure, I have a growth mindset. I acknowledge that it takes time and practice to get good at anything. I’m okay with the failure and learning cycle. But for some reason, I struggle to take my time in the middle part—the part where the creative work and learning is happening.
I hear the words, “Slow down, take your time,” in my head all the time. They’re usually in Mom’s voice, or a coach’s. And then I barrel ahead anyway, trying to get the thing I’m making done and out into the world. Of course, when I work fast, I make more mistakes. I miss a step (you're supposed to butter the pan before you pour in the batter) or move too quickly to the next step (you need to let the paint dry before adding another color) or make a wrong assumption about the steps in the first place (you can't undo glue) . Then I have to correct the mistakes or start over, so, in the end, going fast makes me slow. And frustrated.
Here's an example. I use the drawings in my sketchbook to make surface pattern designs. I scan the drawings to convert them to digital images which are then used to create a repeating pattern. I usually have to do a lot of work on those digital images to clean them up—connect lines, erase smudges, add missing details. It would be much easier and much better to just make the drawings in the sketchbook right in the first place. It’s common for pattern designers to start with pencil to get the drawing right, then trace with a fineliner marker before scanning. Not me. I’m just scribbling away as fast as I can so I can get to making the pattern which in the end, means I’m spending more time fixing, preventing me from getting to the good part of designing.
Another one. This year, I designed custom notebooks for my team. They arrived the other day and there’s an obvious color mistake on the cover and the personalized note in the back is barely legible. Had I taken, oh, maybe five minutes, to give the design another looksy or print a proof, the color and the font size would have been an easy fix. Instead, I’ve attached a message to the notebooks apologizing to my team members for my haste and the crappy gift.
Okay, that’s all the confessions and self-bludgeoning for now. Here’s what I’ve learned, what I’m committed to improving, and the creative practices I’d like to share with you.
Stop treating your creative projects like work projects. Art making is for you to enjoy. The work matters as much as the outcome. And it's your work, not someone else's. It's not like a TPS Report. (GenX reference. See the movie, Office Space.) Remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Be present. Stop thinking about the next step. Give full attention to the current step. It's a good place to be.
Let things sit. Sometimes you need to walk away from your work and come back later with fresh eyes or a new perspective. Don't be too quick to finalize.
Be patient with yourself. Set realistic goals and make your goals about doing the work, not achieving success that relies on people and things out of your control (for example, getting an art director to license your art). Success comes slowly because it's hard. The hard things are the ones worth the time and effort.
I'll end with this video, a Ted Talk espousing the benefits of slowing down. It's an oldie (2005) and the speaker continues to write, speak, and teach about the "slow movement" today. It's not specific to creativity but to life in general. (Irony: I watched this at double speed because it's 20 minutes long!) Enjoy.
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