Focusing on exploring some of the pain points of being a creative, each article looks at the impacts of life and pressures from my personal point of view with hopefully a few ideas on how to work with or around them.
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Haus-a-Rest Article 2: Distractions.
Anyone else feel like the whole world is moving at a million miles an hour? I know to me it feels as though the past year went by in the blink of an eye. Reflecting on everything I did it feels like a bit of a year of two halves. Yes, I took part on some amazing initiatives, exhibitions and projects but I can’t help but think about all the things I planned to do but just didn’t get round to. Why didn’t I? I wasn’t too busy not to so what stopped me?
Well I think the first obvious answer is overload, mainly from social media but also just from life in general. I am guilty, like most people, of doomscrolling and saving a ridiculous amount of ‘inspo’ that I definitely go back to later and don’t just forget about… I frustrate myself, why do I give into to that temptation to pick up my phone. I think it’s difficult as a creative trying to monetise my work, I almost feel I need to keep up with the trends and post consistently. The reality is I make much better work when I’m not playing into a trend or current style. I know my work is completely different to the work and trends I’m seeing so why do I feel the pressure to change it or adapt it to fit that? I always have good intentions and so many fun ideas but annoyingly it’s much easier when I’m tired to pick up my phone rather than a pencil.
The flip side to social overload, for me, is task/ idea overload. To do lists a mile long and one hundred million ideas then pair this with a whole load of burnout and chronic fatigue and I freeze. I know that I should set lower expectations for myself and STOP piling the pressure on but that’s very much easier said than done. I get to the point where I have so much I want and intend to do that I do none of it working instead on the day to day jobs that need to be done when in fact making the time to sit and be creative without the pressure of a huge list of chores and non-creative work would be so much more fulfilling. I think that’s why I love a deadline it forces me to sit down and take the time to be creative but it’s a very thin line to tread between giving me a kick up the backside to get it done and consuming me to the point of burnout. I am however yet to find a way to combat this.
And though these both provide huge distractions in their own right I think the biggest distraction of them all is overthinking. Overthinking the concept, overthinking my style, overthinking my ability to actually execute the idea. I think this is something every creative struggles with - I’m yet to meet a creative without self-doubt! (addendum to this if you are someone without self-doubt, please let me know how).
Ok so how am I going to tackle this in the new year? One trend I will be trying to take on is to create as much as I consume, I have seen a lot of creatives taking part in this and it finally feels like a trend I can get behind. Another way I will be running from distractions is taking myself out of the house and working in cafes and libraries making dedicated time and space for myself to work on the projects I want to without getting up to ‘just put one load of washing in’. More trips in general I think would be beneficial too, going on drawing excursions maybe a few big trips and a load of little trips making use of all the lovely places around me! But let’s face it there’s always going to be distractions and even with the best intentions I will succumb to them – a least a few times…