Andy Free's Blog - Posts Tagged "creativity"
Secrets of Steady Production in the Creative Arts 2
Since July 15, 2011, on a part time basis I have published 6 music albums and two books, with a third book on the way in 2018, including all the graphic arts and music videos needed for promotion.
Post # 1 of this series (see https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...) explains the "seven deadly sins" I had to overcome to achieve that steady production and it seemed to resonate with a lot of people based on the view count.
This post adds some new insights and learnings along the way since then.
The Importance of Ergonomics
Under the heading of "I wish I had know that before I..." was a flare-up in an old weight training injury last year, caused by poor ergonomics and lack of sleep. Most of us work day jobs and do a lot of sitting. Many creative arts (including my own categories of music, writing, and graphic arts) also involve sitting. Be careful to vary your position frequently - stand, sit, lie down if you can. I try to change positions every 30 minutes max, and take short cardio breaks when I can too. Oddly enough, my remarkable ability to focus hurt me badly in this area until I realized it was actually a problem (the most dangerous weaknesses are the flip sides of overused strengths). Another tip: Find a good chiropractor, they are worth their weight in gold!
The Importance of Sleep
Study after study shows most adults are sleep-deprived. This can kill you if you are a commuter, and it will also hinder you in creativity and art production, resulting in less insights, less energy, greater susceptibility to illnesses and injuries, and many other deleterious effects. Fatigue itself will cause you to overlook how sleep deprived you are, further compounding the problem. Scale back your production plan, get more sleep, and you may actually find (as I did recently) that your rate of production may go UP not DOWN. Time spent grinding away at something is not productivity, it is drudgery.
Be Willing to Change Course Quickly
Hindsight eventually taught me that I have a tendency to get stuck with a certain view of or approach to a song. Album 6 (called "Freestyle") taught me to change course quickly to get significantly better productivity. When the muse stops speaking, ask her why. She may say "I don't like the current path - find a better way!" When you do, she will reward you with a better finished product much sooner.
Don't Let New Ideas Distract You Too Much
Find a way to note them down (I use voice memos or notes on my phone) and move on with the current project UNLESS the creative urge is so strong you decide you really need to try the new idea while the iron is hot. But the problem with the "strike while the iron is hot" idea is that it is often an illusion, a temporary enthusiasm based on love of a new idea that gets a lot of its allure from the fact it distracts you from the harder middle and ending work of an existing project. Learn your own tricks and foibles to stay on the most productive path.
Why Production Matters
The world is full of creative, talented people yawping about all the reasons they can't do what they dream. How sad! How boring! I would tell them this: Just start. Get something done. If it is reasonably good, get it out in the world. Keep going. Be relentless but be smart - don't spend your strength unwisely, the way I did last year.
And to all of you out there, wherever you find yourself in the journey - best wishes in your creative endeavors!
Links
http://www.youtube.com/user/AndyBeFree
http://www.andybfree.com/home.html
Freestyle album (preview full tracks free): https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/andybfree5
Avalon: Companions
Avalon: Kings and Queens
Avalon: Ravenna (book 3) coming soon in 2018.
Post # 1 of this series (see https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...) explains the "seven deadly sins" I had to overcome to achieve that steady production and it seemed to resonate with a lot of people based on the view count.
This post adds some new insights and learnings along the way since then.
The Importance of Ergonomics
Under the heading of "I wish I had know that before I..." was a flare-up in an old weight training injury last year, caused by poor ergonomics and lack of sleep. Most of us work day jobs and do a lot of sitting. Many creative arts (including my own categories of music, writing, and graphic arts) also involve sitting. Be careful to vary your position frequently - stand, sit, lie down if you can. I try to change positions every 30 minutes max, and take short cardio breaks when I can too. Oddly enough, my remarkable ability to focus hurt me badly in this area until I realized it was actually a problem (the most dangerous weaknesses are the flip sides of overused strengths). Another tip: Find a good chiropractor, they are worth their weight in gold!
The Importance of Sleep
Study after study shows most adults are sleep-deprived. This can kill you if you are a commuter, and it will also hinder you in creativity and art production, resulting in less insights, less energy, greater susceptibility to illnesses and injuries, and many other deleterious effects. Fatigue itself will cause you to overlook how sleep deprived you are, further compounding the problem. Scale back your production plan, get more sleep, and you may actually find (as I did recently) that your rate of production may go UP not DOWN. Time spent grinding away at something is not productivity, it is drudgery.
Be Willing to Change Course Quickly
Hindsight eventually taught me that I have a tendency to get stuck with a certain view of or approach to a song. Album 6 (called "Freestyle") taught me to change course quickly to get significantly better productivity. When the muse stops speaking, ask her why. She may say "I don't like the current path - find a better way!" When you do, she will reward you with a better finished product much sooner.
Don't Let New Ideas Distract You Too Much
Find a way to note them down (I use voice memos or notes on my phone) and move on with the current project UNLESS the creative urge is so strong you decide you really need to try the new idea while the iron is hot. But the problem with the "strike while the iron is hot" idea is that it is often an illusion, a temporary enthusiasm based on love of a new idea that gets a lot of its allure from the fact it distracts you from the harder middle and ending work of an existing project. Learn your own tricks and foibles to stay on the most productive path.
Why Production Matters
The world is full of creative, talented people yawping about all the reasons they can't do what they dream. How sad! How boring! I would tell them this: Just start. Get something done. If it is reasonably good, get it out in the world. Keep going. Be relentless but be smart - don't spend your strength unwisely, the way I did last year.
And to all of you out there, wherever you find yourself in the journey - best wishes in your creative endeavors!
Links
http://www.youtube.com/user/AndyBeFree
http://www.andybfree.com/home.html
Freestyle album (preview full tracks free): https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/andybfree5
Avalon: Companions
Avalon: Kings and Queens
Avalon: Ravenna (book 3) coming soon in 2018.
