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One of the things I think is so difficult about being a successful creator is that it actually involves learning a lot of unrelated skillsets. Some will come naturally and others will have to constantly cultivated.
A particularly challenging lesson is that of partial productivity—learning how to effectively work on a project that cannot be completed in one sitting, but rather has to be done in stages.
Many artists and writers will hurry their way through a project, trying to find a way to finish it in one setting, or even abandon a project after one or two sessions, because they’ve never learned how to sustain their energy and focus over multiple sessions.
But sophisticated art requires time and make no mistake, learning how to use time is a skill, not an innate gift. It has to be practiced just the same as color theory, chapter structure, etc.
Here’s how I practice: I set a timer for 20-30 minutes and work on either a book or a drawing as if I have all the time in the world. I do not hurry. I do a good job. When the timer’s up, I see how far I’ve gotten. I ask myself where I could feel myself start to rush.
I ask myself what information I need, creatively, in order to have an equally productive next session. I ask myself during which parts I got bored and tempted to check my phone or get up during those 30 minutes. I apply all these data points to my next work session.
I do not let myself finish. I make myself come back to it, whether or not I feel like it, with the timer set again. Creativity is sometimes about learning art technique, and sometimes it’s about learning what you personally require to push past that inertia of not-starting-work.
(cat face, 20 minutes, done with those cursed Caran D'Ache pencils I'm trying to use up BECAUSE I BOUGHT THEM BUT HATE THEM)
Two more 20 minutes sessions today between chapters.
