In a documentary, I remember hearing Alice Neel, the painter, saying, "the hardest thing about painting is starting and stopping." That may be paraphrasing her exact words, but the essence is there. Getting into the right mindset, letting go of the hundreds of little worries and distractions that flit through the brain requires effort.
Procrastination reins. Rituals can help edge the self towards the right mindset. It's about preparing oneself to receive the possibilities and get into the flow. Once you're in it, 15 minutes can seem like an hour, and hours can vanish like pencil marks rubbed out by an eraser.
Some tricks that have become rules for me in the studio to help me keep on track are:
1.Setting specific time frames for work.
This includes time to organize my materials, visual reference and workstation, the music that I'll be listening to, breaks to step away from the studio, doing the work, and closing up the studio at the end. This gives me "permission" to turn off my phone's ringer and not feel guilty about checking work messages and calls while I'm working.
2.Not having anything in my studio that makes me think of my obligations outside my studio work.
This includes lists of "things to do" unrelated to my art practice. I also avoid making calls for the business side of my freelancing. Discussions related to appointments, deadlines, budgets seem to activate a different part of my consciousness and make it harder for me to dive into painting or drawing.
Ideally, for this reason, I leave my phone in my house (My studio is my garage). However, if I think I'll need my phone for reference while I'm working , I keep my phone hidden from view. It's a simple thing, but if I don't see the phone, I don't have the impulse to fidget with it.
Aside from removing distractions, I make the space around me the most inspiring and easy to be in that it can be. I often edit the things that I have hanging up around me. I take it down if I don't find it intriguing or beautiful.
3.Take breaks
Breaks are structured times to step away from the easel, stretch, drink water, coffee, have a snack, look at my phone, engage in social media. It may seem rigid at first, but blocking in time actually in segments keeps the mind and body functioning optimally. The other benefit is surfing the internet becomes a "treat" to look forward to on a break, rather than an activity that saps your time and attention.
As a general rule of thumb, I find that 45 to 60 minutes of focused activity followed by a 5 to 10-minute break works best.
4.Divide projects into manageable portions
Take a moment to break down the different aspects of what you'd like to achieve in your time in the studio. There are probably bits that are more challenging than others. There are two different ways I look at this, depending on my frame of mind that day.
Sometimes I get the most difficult out of the way first, free to enjoy the fun parts. Then, if I'm not ready to take on the more arduous tasks, I complete smaller, more agreeable bits that make me feel like I've accomplished something, and then I'm ready to take on the trickier parts.
My time making art in the studio is much more than being productive. It's about satisfying the urge to go deeper and further with my artwork and see where it will take me and what I will learn.
Blocking time may seem rigid at first, but it has flexibility and is quite liberating. Creating in a framework gets me where I want to be.
