It’s quite simple this one. It’s only two things you have to manage and that is all.

The so-called complexity or other factors what have you is like this.

The difference is the pace of each thing you want to do. Let alone it’s intensity and level of work that is put in.

For Example,

a series of small sketches for practice and visual catalogue to get a hang of a thing you had in mind. Compared to chipping away at a large project you work on for a few days. Such as comics or Canvas.

Barbell Effect goes along the lines that, Micro Actions with Macro Effects. It’s almost like the compound effect too but not exactly. It’s the Two extremes that Buildup the whole but, the middle are is well, mute.

Think Grinding vs Batching.

• Work on a small or medium thing daily
• Working on a bunch of small things at once to make a process easier

Or Active vs Passive Work.

• Active work is akin to work that needs to be done within a day or week so it’s usually urgent and gets immediate results
• Passive work is well chipping away at something much larger, think week or month’s scale here so the results aren’t immediate nor noticeable until a few weeks months later.

The variations and dichotomy of what kind of work can be achieved with this approach is well seemingly endless….

Apply in a few other ways to.

• Day Job to Side Hustle
• Original Works to Fanarts
• Dabble on a few mediums on the cheap to Grinding on your Forte
• Brushing up on a few practice pieces to prep for a larger scale one
• Work on a few client’s small tasks while building up your own large thing
• the list of duos goes on here…

So, the takeaway is this. You do a series of small manageable works while developing a larger project.

*concept was a take away I got from Nassim Nicholas Taleb Author of Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder

it discussed how to do multiple things to full effect.

So, as prolific or working artists, we all want to save time right?

Well, there is one thing we can do to ease off the burden of work.

It’s called batching. And we do this in our daily life too.

Laundry to Cooking, it’s way of doing a bunch of things in one go and make the rest of the day or week easier.

Like, for artist they can do it like this.

Creating a Series of work to be scanned and processed once a week. Or answering client’s calls once a day or few days only. As you see the effect of well, doing the whole process for small mundane tasks are well, a waste of time really. It’s the concept of rounding up those small mundane seemingly unimportant granted tasks that makes thing more effective and efficient.

For example. If one have a bunch of rough sketches, they simply scan them all in one go and have it all done.

Maybe there is a production of comics going on. Do the steps on all pages phase by phase.

Pencils for day 1-3, Inking for Day 4-7, and colors for Day 8-10. And that is how batching can make process and production of things better.

Batching is all about the ease of either.

Production

Process

Management

or Planning

either way, if an artist batches their work in series or processing a bunch of small works for scanning. It’s the most effective and efficient way to free up time.

Like, let’s be honest, we all have better things to do right??

As Tim Ferris puts it.

 

So, this has been a recurring issue within the art circle. Sustaining creativity.

The main problem with creativity is this. It’s not consistent and that is the reason why many in the profession of doing creative work tend to struggle with, especially with the conceptual department.

But there is a simple strategy that can be used to alleviate the issues that is to be discussed with it.

Use FRESH.

It’s abbreviated as

• Focus
• Relationships
• Energy 
• Stimuli  
• Hours

they are the building blocks to help you sustain your not creative juices but rather flow.

(creative juice is a lie by the way, it’s mostly about observing and looking at ways things around you can be made different, and build something not new but fresh or not really developed before to solve problems.)

Focus

There are usually big 3 things you want to work out on. It’s the case of using the 3 major things that bother you, always at the back of your mind. And tend to be the biggest challenges with the situation.

Use them as filter to seek out, and get insights in regards to these big 3 issues….

like common artists problem that could be part of the Big 3.

• New Direction their art can go in.
• Wondering if they should continue to invest in their current projects
• Finding new clients that might like your portfolios.
• The list can go on and is often dependent on the artist’s situation in mind, let alone if they are aware of what’s actually bothering them…

Relationships

So, this is were who you know really helps…

like, think of your peers, clients, friends, etc. They might give you insights from their perspective if you ask them one of the Big 3.

• So, seek out people who are on the higher level, mentors, and ask them. So that way you get a faster lead and result on what needs to be done.
• Perhaps, ask your art peer on how to find a client who will look at your portfolio…
• Or the customer on your online store, ask them what new series would they like to see…

Remember, Questions are your Pickaxes…

Energy

This is more on health but, the rundown is simple.

• Eat
• Sleep
• Exercise

They will be the groundwork for you body and brain to work at an optimal level.

It’s underrated, and if your body doesn’t work at the optimal level, it won’t deliver as well. Remember, creative work is energy draining especially if you intend to do this almost daily. You’ll thank me later for this one. There are more resources in the back but keep to the 3 big basics.

Because, you simply can’t beat the basics.

Stimuli

So, people think that inspiration is all random and luck based. Let’s challenge that.

Be aware of what you’re taking in mentally.

Use the media, search engines, and books. Looking to seek what the new trends of art in 2020s will be like? Or How to make your portfolio noticed? Search and read them up. Write down the Big three and use them as a checklist when looking out there.

Let me repeat that. Be conscious of what you take in, so it will reflect what you will take out. Use the Focus section to filter out what you want to look for. Use your brain. You want to solve the problem on time and with ease here. So, stop being so distracted and get those 3 things done.

Hours

If you managed to use the calendar properly and with intent. You may well get somewhere.

But, to emphasize. Make time to work on the Big 3 throughout the week. Use them as your priority or the biggest grind per day. 2-3 of these should take your daily slot. And to add to the daily grind.

You only need to do 2-3 big things really. The rest is like trivial and has little actual effect on the big 3.

have time to do all the above.

• From checking the Big 3 on Monday.
• Asking People in your circle about Finding new Clients for portfolio showing on Tuesday
• Take your basic essentials to get your mind and body moving to reset Wednesday
• Use the search Engines with intent to seek more leads and results one of the Big 3. Thursday
•  and the week is focused on finding ways to tackle the Big 3.

The Final take is this.

If you managed to leverage this weekly mindset to figure out what needs to be done.

Your creative work will be better managed and your life will get that 3x results.

I give the courtesy of this tactic and strategy to the one and only Todd Henry (author of The Accidental Creative) and the Productivity Game for the video links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdx3haOx0Ng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hWRva_sPeE

So, Most artists tend to be these kinds of people who are all like, wishy- washy and easily

distracted. As a result their work’s quality and ability to turn out in decent numbers tend to diminish because of well, their stereotypes they tend to have nowadays.

DeepWork isn’t really a true cure but can be integrated in a way that allows them to at least get the actually important stuff done.

Working and Hardcore Hobbyist tend to have this trait already, after a certain level they get to, they have this knack to just grind down on the piece or project for hours on end, and ends up pulling off a fast too along the way.

But there are a few factors at play that makes this DeepWork actually possible.

First. Let’s start with the fundamentals.

• Less Distractions
• Music/Track-list
• A suitable working area.
• A set time and phase.

These things tend to be really critical to get the heavy stuff done and if the artist can leverage these starting points off right, it’s much easier to pull off the deep work state.

Some things are obvious.

Just turn off the phone, not just social media, but the phone. people. Like, it will save you hours if you turn it off and stack that by like the rest of the year. The data shows it.

Your Music or Track-list. Make it either minimal and have it ready to go for hours on ends.

Podcasts works too if one knows that it’s not too engaging. So, avoid that infamous Joe Rogans, because it will take you off course and next thing you know, you’ll want to listen to his crazy guests instead of drawing or painting.

A nice cool area. This case is more personal but a slightly cool quiet working area is best for me.

That is just my peak operating temperature actually.

A Good spot. Could be in the private room or studio, or if one is really rich. A Villa or Cottage somewhere Bob Ross must have painted with a bunch of Happy trees.

So, after Setting up the foundations and starting. Assuming you actually did all those things and not check you phone for the tenth time this day.

You’ll enter a state that is trying to do more stuff. Instead do this. Concentrate. Be disciplined and make it through the 20-30 min mark called the concentration threshold. It’s like a barrier of where one is too distracted and doing stuff, and the other is well just them and the work in front of them.

Some tips to sustain the deep work may include, using 5-10 min breaks to have water or stretch. Avoid food. If so, make it light.

Use this strategy of using micro breaks and the deep work to get sections of the project or piece done in no time.

In this day and age, Deep work may well be a skillset on it’s own. So practice.

Like, this skill may well take weeks to get good enough to use often and learn to integrate parts of it in you life.

In my case. I tend to start in the morning and finish my projects or mini grinds by the lunch-o-clock mark. Perhaps 2-3 hrs isn’t enough but for my project’s case. Coupled that with 7 days. 14-21 hr on it would be more than enough from my understanding. If it was for large scale paintings with oils or acrylics maybe double or quad that.

Deep Work only works if one knows their effective range. So, use it not like a tool or technique but part of you life.

So, the final takeaway?

• Have a Good Starting Point and State
• Break the concentration threshold
• Enter Deep work and use micro breaks to sustain it.

Eventually you will get good and get much done.

for the video essays here are a few.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTaJhjQHcf8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX_2a_jsGYw

*Deep Work was coined by the term Cal Newport, and the Author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Well, this is a recurring issue with almost all artists unless they really are deep into their career/projects.

They tend to all well…Dabble. And that is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Like projects, careers, pieces, and anything that needs a level of completion all needs this rule  and to make it better too.

It’s Called the 5/25.

Pick out the top 25 things you want to make, or advance on. And make it a thing that you can see in the foreseeable future.

Perhaps it’s the completion of you first artists website, or the creation of your next big series….

But, you have like, several other things in mind that you want to try out.

Well. First things first, write or type them out. 25 things you really want to do. Next number those things from 1-25.

the Next step is somewhat harder but, use the rule of the highest priority and wants to shift them out, if not the ease of completion.

Have like the top 5 things you have in mind.

They tend to be series that you are really stoked for, or the dreaded artist website, or even applying for a Grant, either way. Those top 5 are something you should have written on a note and taped unto your bedroom wall.

The rest of the 20 other things. You simply want to avoid at all costs, like, the plague keep those other distractions at bay.

That is the basics of it. Pick the top 5 things you want to work on, and Ditch the other 20. And grind down on the top 5 until completion.

This rule can be applied in other ways too. Like, the scale, or time. Think, getting the first 5 things down for the week? The tasks needs to be smaller and more manageable to offset it. It can be

1. completion of a small-one off
2. tend to a Workshop
3. Chip away at a large work for 4-8 hr for the week
4. Studying a technique
5. or Posting the Complete work from last week

So, the final take away if this. List out 25 things you really want to achieve or complete.

Pick out the top 5, and Ditch the rest. You will get stuff done more efficiently and effectively this way, and get more clarity on what matters.

I give the courtesy of this tactic and strat to the one and only Warren Buffet (Billionaire Investor and author of The Snow Ball)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhtYs22bLI