Thursday 8 May 2014

First You Notice, Then You Work On Changing It

I've noticed a lot of things about me, especially lately.

But there's two that are pinging for my attention right now.

1.  When it comes to making art, I tend to rush.

I'm not really sure about the why's of this... if it's that I want to see what I can come up with / make.  Or if it's that I don't feel like I have the time or patience needed to do a good enough job to make me feel proud?  Or if it's just habit?  Or a combination of everything?  But I know Jason's mentioned it about photography... how people need to slow down and I know I rush through taking a photo for sure.  I also notice it with my drawings, that I just want to be done already.  And I often don't much like what I did when I rushed to be done. 


2. I distract myself a lot.

When I think about why I have a feeling of "not having enough time" I notice that I spend a lot of time doing nothing.  And by "nothing" I mean noodling around on the web and watching tv shows.  I know that sometimes I need a mental break and that's fine, but it's more like when I turn off the computer and try to do something else my brain has a little spaz and short circuits and I'm back at the distracting.  It doesn't feel nice.  It feels like I'm stuck in my own rut.  I remember saying that I was pleasantly surprised that I never felt bored at Burning Man.  I never felt a need to distract myself.  There was just so much going on.  This may be unique to Burning Man, or may be something that I need to figure out how to replicate in my day to day life.




Maybe if I spent more time making art, slowed down and took my time, I wouldn't distract myself so much with tv and interwebs.  I just don't quite know how to "fix" it all and I don't know how to stop doing the zoning out that my computer allows me to feel.

I'm thinking about it though, and that's a good thing.

3 comments:

Jason Langlois said...

The two are possibly related? You're rushing through the art, because even as your creating, your brain is already working on the next thing? Some of it might also be tied up in not enjoying the process as much as the results? Does this all tie back to your early thoughts about living in the moment, not looking too far ahead - maybe you're looking for the end product, and losing sight of enjoying the process?

Myself, I find I rarely finish a lot of projects because the end result isn't as important to me as the experience of doing. With photography, I have a tendency to really enjoy the process of taking the pictures, and of doodling around with the editing, but actually choosing and posting the results isn't something I do in a timely fashion. The final picture isn't as interesting to me as the process of taking it.

The upside is I'm never bored - I always have something I can do. Paint, photos to edit, video games to play, books to read, recipes to try, etc. etc. The downside is I have a lot of unfinished junk around my place.

It does sound like a lot of the stuff you're working out lately involves finding a way to engage with the NOW, rather than trying to control some unknown future, and all ties together a lot. I suspect this is a good thing.

Happydog said...

I hadn't thought of the fact I do rush through my art projects--gah it's even hard for me to say I do art. For me it has to do with hating the idea of doing drafts. If I can't do it right the first go round I lose interest and start rushing. It also means I have an out if I'm not happy with the finished project.
Two books are actually helping me with these concepts both by Austin Kleon, Steal alike An Artist and especially Show Your Work. Highly recommend.

Victoria said...

Jason, I love your comment and all I can think to say to it right now is... absolutely! Yes. :)

Fair enough HD, and I'll check out those books, thanks!