Are You Too Busy to Create Art? – 4 Ways to Help You Get Back to Your Artist Roots
Caption: Thanks to my dear friend Brianne for sharing this nugget of wisdom
There are two types of people in this business: Artists, and those who make believe they are creating art but are too caught up in the hustle of it all to let the divine force of creativity leak in.
Ouch. It’s true though, isn’t it? I don’t mean to say hard work isn’t what’s needed in the world of Entertainment. It is. Ten fold. What I am saying is that, the longer we work in this industry (especially if we feel we have not achieved “success”), the more we get wrapped up in the hustle, in being “busy” with too many things to do and places to be, that we sometimes neglect the reason we came here in the first place: to create art.
I partially blame it on a city that spits out far more rejection than it does validation, regardless of talent. How can the vulnerability needed to create survive when our spirits are neglected so often? With so many facets to cover: publicity, social media, tech, training (the list is too huge to include it all), we are spread too thin to focus on what really matters. We find ourselves wounded, with little time and energy to do what we love, so we turn to mindless things like making sure every email in our inbox is read and responded to. That makes us feel as if we’ve accomplished something that day.
Over the last few years, I found myself in the busy body camp, I can tell you one thing for certain. It’s a death trap for the spirit. How do we know if this trap has taken hold? Ask yourself: are you on an incredible body high after a long day of work? Do you come home with more energy than you left with and you can’t stop talking about how amazing your day was? Or are you exhausted, frustrated, too tired to think straight, angry and a maybe little depressed or feel guilty that the work you did wasn’t what you wanted to do today. Here’s the thing: Following your heart will never lead to any of that crap. You should be on a high. If you’re not, it’s time to make changes.
To stay creative, we must allow ourselves time to simply be. Enough time to clear the clutter from our brains, and let inspiration take hold. That’s where creativity lies.
Here are 4 things that get me back into my artist self:
1. Don’t Let the World in Until You’re Ready
TIME! Where did it go? There is never enough of it! We need more time! This is why most of us sleep next to our phones. Email, texts, social media sites—they are the last thing we see before sleeping, and the first thing we see when we wake up. We have this concept in our heads that we must be productive 24/7 because everyone is waiting on us. Ok, but how productive can you truly be in a state of constant chaos? When does your brain get a break to recharge?
The best advice I’ve ever taken came from former career coach Kristine Oller, who had one rule: Every day she’d make time for herself before she “let the world in.” It was Kristine’s time to do whatever she wished—whether it be write, read or pour her soul info making a delicious breakfast—before she even considered opening email or dealing with someone else’s needs. Truth is, we all need alone time to be at peace with our inner selves, to recharge and regroup, so we can be in the right mindset to tackle our insanely busy schedules. Even if it’s just 5 minutes to close your eyes and breathe, it’s you time.
When I give myself alone time, I feel my mind is calm and at peace. I’m even more productive because I can think straight and my decisions are made by instinct, not forced, overworked thought. I am able to make a clear distinction between pointless busy work and tasks I need to do to move forward, and the day feels lighter. I have the power to say no to requests that don’t feed my soul (thank you instincts), and I don’t feel guilty one bit about it. Best of all, I find myself being more creative.
2. Remember the Good Times
I remember being quite the hippie art student, filled with creativity, covered in paint, wearing homemade clothes that looked more like costumes than fashion. I’d stay up all night listening to music, painting, drawing, dancing (yes, by myself). My hair was ratted and up in some effortless, fun ‘do; I loved nature and was forever traveling to new places to explore unknown landscapes, cultures and people. I was enjoying life and, in turn, creating incredibly satisfying art.
So many inspiring elements were present back then, yet when I look at my life today, I’m void of almost all of them. I spend more time sitting at my computer than I do enjoying life around me. Very recently (like, literally this morning), I made a decision to pull those elements back into my life. I’ll sit outside on my patio for an hour (or however long I want) before I begin my workday, to enjoy my nature-filled back yard. I bought a tribal drum on a recent trip to Hawaii, and I plan to play it each night. I’ll get back into dancing and put more heart into cooking my meals—two things that put me in a very pleasant meditational state. I’ll put tech away more often and enjoy the company of friends—in person (gasp!). I’ve gone as far as to plan a month-long trip to Hawaii this fall, where I’ll stay in a tiny cabin on the cliff and write.
In short, I’ll do things I know will put me in the same mindset as times past because, though life and responsibilities have changed, the things that charge my soul have not. I’ve simply forgotten to leave room for them in my busy, busy life. Everyone has their own vices, and I encourage you to re-discover and allow them back into your world. Make time for the things that feed your soul. These elements give you the power to create art.
3. It’s OK to Experiment.
One thing I am proud of is my ability to try, experience an utter failure, and have the courage to get up, wipe off the dirt, and try something else. I constantly experiment with new skills, projects, and ways of thinking to discover what is and isn’t a right fit for my life. When things don’t work, does it really mean I’ve failed? Oh hell no. It just means I have not found that one thing out there that is my true, unique, artistic calling. (Yes, I am still looking.)
I see too many people in this business think they already know everything and, in turn, try to force and control life’s experiences. They think they are meant to be an actor, even if they are miserable and are meant to produce instead. If there is one thing that will block you from creating art—the art that speaks to you—it’s ego. It’s not easy admitting we don’t know everything, and it’s brutal not knowing what your purpose on this planet is, and whether or not we’ll achieve success when we find it.
And guess what? That search may take your entire life, and you may never be rich and famous, but that’s OK. Art stems from experience, not success. If we keep searching for that path and doing what we love, someone, somewhere will surely be inspired.
I love this quote by Charlaine Harris[1], the author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, who responds to someone asking about her late-in-life success. After posting this on Facebook, someone commented, “her books suck.” Another quote from the same article, “I really can’t take reader reactions into account. I just can’t do that and be true to myself as a writer.” Here here!
4. Do the Work
If you haven’t read Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art
That’s right, our own minds create so many distractions and unnecessary hurdles, from procrastination to a lack of confidence to the need to forever self heal. Pressfield walks us through the ways in which we resist actually doing the work. The art. The creations we fight so hard to find the time to do. As an Aries, getting stuck in my head is all too familiar. I’m sure many of you can relate. You know, when you actually have the freedom to sit and create, and you end up spending 5 hours on Facebook instead. Or you just stare at a blank page, wanting every word to be brilliant. In fact, I put this article off for nearly a week past my deadline because I was afraid my words wouldn’t be as inspirational as I hoped. Then I forced my butt in a chair (and did items 1-3 above), and vowed to sit here until it was done (and look, I am almost there!)
Pressfield’s book encourages us to sit and “suffer” in those moments because it allows us to move past the resistance and into the depths of creativity. We can—and will—eventually train ourselves to get into this mode more often simply by forcing ourselves to do the work in front of us. After all, isn’t that what we want to do? Create?
Lifting our spirits is not the responsibility of this city, of your agent, producer, or even life coach, though many people will provide incredible wisdom to you along the way. (A great reason you should be subscribing to this website!) It’s our responsibility to take care of our own soul, so that we create art and reflect that beam of inspiration back into the world. Trust me, once you are on that high and your energy is beaming, everyone will see that shining light and come running to it.
[1] Article written by Tara Fowler in Entertainment Weekly’s May 10, 2013 Edition #1258.