Let’s face it. I’m procrastinating now. There is far less emotional commitment involved in writing my blog than actually getting out the art materials and risking failure. So, I’ll make it short!
In previous posts I’ve talked about David Kadavy’s book The Heart to Start: Stop Procrastinating and Start Creating. A few more thoughts about that today.
We tend to get caught up in the requirement that things need to be done in a certain order which, in the real world, is sometimes true. In the creative world, though, perhaps we can be less rigid. On occasion, the ‘first step’ can be daunting, or not very engaging, and this can stop us doing anything at all. Kadavy calls this the Linear Work Distortion – the feeling that we have to start at the start and follow through in a particular progression.
How much more liberating to grab the bit that seems the most exciting and build momentum so that the other sections/tasks become easier. But, I thought to myself, an undercoat (as the name suggests) DOES need to be applied to a canvas before you paint your picture ….. but what would happen if it wasn’t? What new means of expression could be unveiled by a reversal? Disaster? Exciting results? Sounds like a good risk to take!
If you’re allowed to pick up a book and flick through to see what’s in the middle before you commit, if you’re allowed to dive in and write the guts of a poem first, if a painting can be broken down into a random selection of fun bits, how much more likely would we be to get going??!!
Speaking of which, I had better do just that, but let me find the thrill in it and begin there!
Until later,
Kirsten
Everyday Thoughts of an Artist 