Your project is too big, overwhelming and complicated for you to move forward-what do you do next?
Example 2:
Your project needs more time than you have available to make any progress towards completion.
Example 3:
Your project is dying from the lack of funds it needs to be realized.
Example 4:
Your idea is so big it is beyond your ability to even figure out the next step in the creative process.
So how do you get out of these dangerous creative scenarios? Don’t panic. Struggling and thrashing just make you sink faster.
Creative Tactic 1:
Stop and re-examine the goal of the project. Break it down into small, achievable steps. If you need to, break those steps down further until you can start taking action.
Creative Tactic 2:
Can you adjust your schedule for a short period of time to get more progress? Can you use some vacation time to finish it up? Can you expand the scope of the project and share the work with other creatives you trust?
Creative Tactic 3:
Seek alternative funding. If you can determine what money is needed, try http://www.kickstarter.com. ” We’re the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world.”
Creative Tactic 4:
Research and study the different facets of your project. Depending on the nature of the project, seek additional education through classes. Find a mentor. Mentors can come in many forms-books, websites, podcasts, blogs, seminars, magazines, tv shows–you never know what will lead you to your breakthrough.
Ask for help. Creative friends you trust or online communities with forums can be safe places for you to ask questions and get advice to get your project back on track.
It’s better than what it was, but still have lots to figure out, go through, clean up, repair and purge.
So here’s what I want.
A clean space I can work in with lots of storage (materials, reference, finished projects, media), good light, inspirational pops of color and items I love, music, plants, room for the cats to perch (besides on my projects), places to sit and think and contemplate and dream.
A space I can step into and go to work, where everything has a home and is easy to clean up.
If it could be used as gallery space for special occasions, all the better.
Here’s some studio spaces I found for inspiration:
studio spaces of O’Keeffe, Glaser, Mondrian, Monet
I would love to be able to have a space within two minutes I could be ready to create in. The reality is thirty minutes or more clearing space to set up for a project and get started.
I feast on the magazines (Where Women Create) and books which have come out showcasing the studio and workspaces of artists. Layers of organization overlaid with the hallmarks of their artwork – I so want this for my own work space.
So one of my goals for this next year is to spend thought, time and energy to make this creative space. It will be a project itself as I work in the different media and think about the best way to hold project materials and other supplies.
Welcome to the first day of summer – and the longest day of the year.
It’s the perfect time to kick-off new projects and get started doing what you want to do.
You can reflect back on what you planned to do at the beginning of the year (before you got derailed with work, family, insert your reason here) OR you can take a deep breath and admit what you really want to do next.
Make a short list of what YOU* want to get going during these longer daylight hours or make a quick vision board to get yourself inspired. The trick with either of these is to use them to get you started – don’t procrastinate. One of the coolest things about these is you can always add and subtract to your list/board.
*We all have obligations. Make a separate list or vision board to take care of these. In a perfect world, one board or list would take care of it all. If you can do them this way, more power to you. If not, it’s okay to have both.
There’s no right or wrong way to do this. The keys are to make sure the list or the board is inspiring for YOU. Quotes, photos, paintings, books – whatever speaks to you.
Here’s my inspiration board:
“If we all did the things we are capable of we would literally astound ourselves.” – Thomas Edison
