Do you ever find yourself procrastinating from doing the thing you love most?
Let’s say you’ve been really busy recently with a big project for work and now it’s finally finished. All the time you were working on the project you were longing for free time to sit at in your studio space and just be creative. You kept thinking, “If only I had time to make the stuff I want to make I’d be so happy right now,” but you couldn’t because you had to buckle down and finish it up.
And now it’s done and that creative free time you’ve been yearning for has arrived! You’ve cleared off the desk in your studio (the top of it anyway!) and sharpened your pencils. So why are you checking Facebook again and calling your sister again and painting your nails. Why all of a sudden are you procrastinating from doing what you love?
People with creative passions, whether they be writing or painting or sewing toys, can feel a sense of panic right before they begin something new. The craft drawer is bursting with supplies, the paint brushes are sitting in their jar…now how to begin?
This happens to me, too. My precious free time finally rolls around and I suddenly feel frozen and stiff and start engaging in avoidance behavior, even though I love my creative work.
I know from experience that once I’ve jumped in and made some marks on the page, cut some paper, dropped some fabric scraps on the floor, things take off. Once my hands are busy, my thoughts start swirling with new ideas and I’m in my element again. It’s getting there that can be tricky.
I’ve developed five strategies to get past this procrastination point. All of these strategies are based on the same piece of advice: don’t start at the beginning.
Here are my top five ways to get past procrastination and get started creating:
Make a variation on one of your themes. Go back through your sketchbook until you find something you’ve worked on in the past that was successful. Begin your new project by creating a variation on that piece. Could you turn one of your paintings into a series? Or make a second set of those popular baby lovies?
Improve upon something that already exists. Look at the trendy merchandise available from the mainstream big brands or look back to the classics, like the hobby horse, and think about how particular items could be made into new projects. Take what you see and figure out how you could create something better, more innovative, more modern if you did it yourself.
Act on your customers’ suggestions. Do people email you from time to time asking if you make something in particular? Do customers always seem to ask the same questions? Maybe now is the time to try to meet that demand. Could you create what they are asking for or use their ideas as a jumping off point?
Expand on something you’ve already got. Add to one of your existing items or expand your line around that item? If you make dolls, could you add a variety of doll clothes to sell with them? Or doll quilts to pair with them?
Take something that is and make something that never can be. One of the most magical things about art is the element of surprise. You look at something for moment, and then find yourself looking again when you realize the ingenuity of the designer to come up with such a clever idea. Try to capture that “wow” moment in your own work by beginning with something familiar and making it into something unheard of, like a plush rubber duck.
All of these starting points share the same underlying element: you are beginning with something you already have. Knowing that you don’t have start from scratch and having the best cannabis products can ease your fear of beginnings.
Don’t worry! You aren’t starting something new, you’re just picking up in the middle. And that feels so much easier.
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Would one or more of these strategies work for you? What strategy do you use to kickstart your creativity? Please share.
These are great, but my Etsy store is mostly empty and has very few sales. A lot of these work best with the knowledge you’ve already gained. As a new seller, I don’t have that knowledge yet. Only slews of things that don’t seem to have worked.
Yes I very much agree that not starting from scratch is a great way to ease the panic, which is a new yet very pleasing concept for me. Often it is hard to take all those great, big ideas in your head and translate them to a piece of art or a craft when you have nothing to really start from. Totally reinventing the wheel can unfortunately lead to a lot of frustration. It can be an overwhelming task to start totally from scratch. But then remember all those painters from all those different schools throughout the centuries, and how they all borrowed from each other and worked off of each others inspirations. Recently I found a painting I truly love, and having that painting as a starting point has eased my panic such that I have a great starting point. I was able to dissect what the artist did, and then try it on my own – knowing that the result will most likely work after seeing how hers worked. But even more, the project has unleased my own creative ideas so as to change the piece to something of my own, and that is really where being a artist takes off. Making it yours because you have your own special take on it.
I take some time to look through my sketch book. I have moments of crazy inspiration where I sketch something and it comes out just as I imagined it, but I don’t have time to work it into fabric. Then I get re-excited (is that a word?) about the potential. The down side to that is that there are so many items that I want to work on – I sometimes get frustrated at not knowing which to do first.
Hey, on a different subject: do you have any suggestions on what to look for in muslin? I’m using really thin stuff right now, which is great for the gazillion prototypes I’m working on, but not for finished products.
And one more question: when your time is limited, how do you keep from getting frustrated at the seemingly endless cycle of draft/prototype/revision/prototype? If I was more experienced at pattern-making I’d bet it might come easier, but sometimes it’s hard to keep making things that “aren’t quite right”.
Interesting perspective, Seanna. Thank you so much for sharing the point of view of a new Etsy seller. I'll put some thought into post topics that might be useful for new sellers, too.
I like this idea of working off of someone else's idea. Obviously you are doing your own thing, but we are all inspired by what we've already seen and that can be a great starting point. (Plus, you my sister so I'm going to tend to agree with you!)
Hi Caren,
I totally hear you on getting re-excited (that's a word now) about ideas you find in your sketchbook and on the feeling of uncertainty as to which one to tackle first. I use bedsheets for prototypes, but I'm actually not a big fan of muslin and quilting cottons for softies. I prefer softer materials like fleece and fur. There are beautiful quilting cottons on the market, though, and lots to choose from.
I am thinking about writing a post on the exact subject you are struggling with: how to keep going even when it seems like you'll never get it right. It can be so difficult and frustrating, and sometimes it just isn't possible to work out all the problems right away. But that is the definition of experience. That is how it is comes! The more you do, the more the muscle is flexed and the better you get. Reading other people's patterns helps tremendously, too.
I agree. I know I’ll get better (and more efficient) over time. I like the bed sheet idea, since they’re easy to come by at the thrift store. I’m not only figuring out how to make my own patterns, but also how to pick the most efficient patterns (i.e. – can I make it and sell it and still make a profit?). There is definitely something to be said about staying “uncomplicated” in design (at least in the beginning)!
I’m super jazzed to study your book, too! And I like that you share these great blog posts. They really help me think ahead in all things business and craftiness!
So glad to hear that, Caren. Sometimes the simplest designs are the cutest, too. I love your new bat!
I am dreadful when it comes to procrastination, and just cannot figure out why because I’d rather be crafting or painting than doing anything else. It’s not even at the beginning of a project but also in the middle – I think it may be a case of too many irons in the fire at once and feeling I should get all the mundane jobs out of the way before I can allow myself the pleasure of some art work. Wish I could stop it!
When it comes to procrastination plus creative block, I find it helps to start myself off on a really boring project such as a still life painting or knitting a scarf, then I soon find out what it is I would rather be doing and get on with it gladly!
I can totally understand the feeling that art is a luxury and perhaps we should only engage in it after we have finished all the necessary things in life. The reality, of course, is that we will never finish all the chores and we should jump into art making anyway. Sometimes starting on something, anything, can help us to see what we really want to make. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Caroline!
thanks for the tips. i am definitely in a space where i’m having trouble getting started on any projects, but i think it also has to do with moving in the next week. hoping once i am able to settle in to my new place that will help a lot!
Hi K- Best of luck with your move. I find when my life is stressed, or just out of rhythm, it is so difficult to be creative. I need peace and normalcy to be able to get into a creative zone. I love your work so much and I'm wishing you all the best!