For those of you that have retail or wholesale customers to satisfy,
what do you do when you know you should be spending your time
fulfilling an order, and you cannot find the time to do what you need
to do because you are caught up in a new technique or design, and
you feel guilty, but you cannot stop playing till you get it out of
your mind. When that creative urge tears at you and consumes you,
and the mundane will not do, for a minute or a second. When you want
to ride that endorphine high of creativity, and excuses seem
justified?
Richard,
I use that creative “urge” as my reward for “good behavior.” I’ll
allot myself a certain amount of play time as a reward for getting a
major chunk of my must-do orders done. That spurs me to complete the
things piling up on my bench in the most efficient way possible,
while letting me look forward to that experiment or design that’s
trying to burn its way out of my brain. The “aaah” feeling when I do
get to the design is just unparalleled, and I often find that my
brain has continued working in the background on the approach or
design while I’ve been doing the more mundane work… so when I get
to it, I’m actually in a different place than I thought I would be.
I don’t save up all my play time until the mundane stuff is
completely done, either, because that would just create a drudgery.
So I’ll bargain that if I complete all of orders X and Y, which will
take approx. 3 hours, I can then spend 1 hour on my play project.
Then, I’ll spend another 2 hours finishing order Z, followed by 1
more hour on my play project. Sometimes I’ll find that I want to
combine that play time and will adjust accordingly.
Anyway, it works for me.
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
Hand-crafted artisan jewelry
http://www.nolimitations.com
First , Richard, I put the coffee cup DOWN… Now, this is a great
topic
what do you do when you know you should be spending your time fulfilling an order, and you cannot find the time to do what you need to do because you are caught up in a new technique or design"
I try to work these new techniques into my production line or a
commission piece. For instance I have recently invested in yet MORE
Bonny Doone tools and took the time to learn the basics of what
these tools will produce. Now I want to offer via website and
commissions and production line work which these tools will make. I
try not to get so caught up in a new technique that I sabotage my
income because that is self defeating. If I can work the new idea
and techniqe into the three inventory features above described then
I really have something.In fact I won’t let myself buy or fall in
love with a new idea or technique if it won’t fit into the inventory
features. I take my time, it took me 3 months just to have the time
and materials to work with those new tools. Don’t piss off the
existing clients, they are hard to come by and expensive to
cultivate. It may be 6 more months before I can get enough of a base
of this work built up to offer. In the mean time I pray for
commissions which will let me use the tools. and I already have one
for X-Mas, so I better stop Orchiding and get to my bench.
Sam Patania, Tucson
www.patania.com
what do you do when you know you should be spending your time fulfilling an order, and you cannot find the time to do what you need to do because you are caught up in a new technique or design"
I look at my most recent Visa bill … that usually does it for me.
Larry
Dear Orchidians,
This is my first post after my recent joining and I can’t tell you
how exciting it was to find you all! What a tremendous joy to read
such sage advise from so many generous souls! I look forward to a
long relationship with you all.
Richard, this is my biggest dilema, and a real problem for so many
right-brain-dominant persons. I say that one has to give into it,
for a specified period of time (like a few hours or an afternoon)
and then find a new way to approach the repetative tasks, so that
you can stand to keep doing them. I find that, for me, it is so
hard to assemble several copies of one design, that I have to keep
thinking of new ways to approach it to keep from procrastinating.
Sometimes I read a book or journal relating to our field for awhile,
or sketch, fabricate or hit the web galleries just to satisfy that
itch, and offer myself the reward of indulging in a new method right
after I finish my ‘work’. We are all so fortunate to feel so
passionate about our work/art, and to have it as a source of
pleasure, as well.
Best of luck,
Nan in SF
When you want to ride that endorphine high of creativity, and excuses seem justified?
I either set a time limit (like an hour-and-a-half, or two hours) or
set a piece limit (like 2 or 3 pieces), and let myself play – then
back to the “real” work. It’s like a creative outlet valve – I
just “let out a little steam”, and then get back to the “real”,
paying work.
Developmental work definitely has it’s place, (and the muses only
visit when they see fit) so by both allowing myself to “pursue the
muse” yet also limiting my “hunting” time, I get the best quality of
concentration from myself. Then hopefully I’m tired enough to
schlog though the mundane .
–Terri
I go with the flow, try to go back and forth between the 'have to’
jobs and the ‘want to’ jobs, hope I can get both satisfaction from
the play time and enough of the bread and butter done to keep myself
(and family) alive.