How to master ‘the how’
Creative work that’s created in stress is never as good as work that’s created in ease. We’re not as likely to champion the ‘stress work’, the way we promote the piece with the feel-good-creation-story. So, for creative people who need to self promote to survive (all of us), mastering ‘the how’ is an important lesson to learn. But how?
When you’re on the verge of an anxiety attack thinking about an important project with a looming deadline, advice like ‘just relax into it’ is pretty futile. Not very practical. How does one relax as if everything is sweet when it ain’t? When you’re triggered and heightened? Don’t say 'focus on breathing’. Conscious breath is a great start but it’s not a reality altering cure.
If you’re trying to tackle too many things at once and getting overwhelmed in the process, it’s been said to do one thing at a time, small steps, laser focus. Monotasking sounds very logical but I find that when I’m truly off balance I need to do two things at a time. I need to work and listen to music. I need to work and dance. I need to work and eat. I need to work and talk on the phone. I need to work with Married at First Sight on in the background.
I need a distraction, something that feels low presh, to trick me into approaching the work with the same relaxed energy. Then the thing happens that always happens, I’ll accidentally get immersed in the work and without thinking I’ll turn down the music, I’ll put down the snacks, so I can give the work my full attention. Flow state baby.
Even while I’m writing this I’m doing something else, I’m flicking through some film photos I’ve recently had developed. At first I was disappointed by how blurry they seemed. Then I realised I was expecting the same crisp focus of the HD camera phone. The grainy 'film look’ is the whole reason I used film in the first place - duh! I’m quickly falling in love with the nostalgic look of the photos, and wondered why on earth we need such perfection in our digital photos anyway?
Soft focus is magical, whimsical, it lets our brain imagine the details which is fun. It’s the same with getting stuff done. Laser focus on one task sounds great but it uses more energy and creates more pressure than a soft focus approach. With soft focus we don’t ignore the task at hand, and we don’t obsess about it either, we just start from a safe distance, easing in slowly.
It’s flirting with the work if you will. Rather than making a b-line for the project, coming immediately into it’s personal space with intense unblinking eye contact - be coy, be playful, give it some attention and make it want more. This sounds ridiculous but our brains are weird dopamine craving, challenge loving machines. Play its game and it will play back. It’s a fun one.
Hang loose.
Buzzy