Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Motivate Me!

Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything: I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. 
Sometimes when I'm stuck in the middle of a challenging art job, or trying to get motivated to start a new job I can come up with a dozen reasons why I SHOULDN'T take some kind of action and I feel stuck in the "I just don't want to do that" zone.  I can become annoyed with work and careers in general, wonder why I am doing what I'm doing, if it will lead to anything, and on and on.      


When I am stuck in one of those negative mindsets here are some things I do to get back to work:
1.  Make A List of small, easy steps to take and cross them off when done, ie:
- Get out supplies and set up table
- Do rough sketches for 1 hour (sometimes I even set a timer, which helps mentally)
- Scrub in basic colors on canvas
- Take a 20 minute break
2.  Listen To Music or TV while working - this tricks me into thinking that I'm not really doing "work"
3.  Step Away: take a 30 minute walk or nap - sometimes changing it up physically with rest or exercise can change your mindset.
4.  Go To The Art Store:  Buying new supplies, even if it's just a couple new brushes can inspire.
5.  Go To The Bookstore or Library - Viewing other people's art in books and magazines helps motivate me.


What do you do to get motivated?

2 comments:

Liz Revit said...

I like to doodle when I need some motivation and inspiration. Interesting things and ideas seem to appear out of nowhere when I'm doodling.

I also enlist the help of a group of close friends who also run their own businesses. We try to motivate each other in reaching our goals.

Elisabeth said...

Liz - good ideas. I think I am going to try doodling today!

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