3 Changes I’ve Made This Month

I’m sharing a few changes I’ve committed to over the last few weeks this week. I’ve played with these habits and attitudes for a while, but I'm feeling them working this month.

1. Going slow.

I have been very impatient in the past and rushed work, to its detriment. So I am consciously trying to work slower, plan properly, and let ideas unfold more naturally and I’ve been creating better artwork because of this.

I am accepting and trusting the process that I’ve been developing over the last few years, whilst enjoying the journey and progress.

2. Planning better.

The main problem I had before was writing to-do lists each day, not achieving half the things on the list and beating myself up for failing.

Recently I’ve changed the system. I still have a list of things to work on each day, but I dedicate 1 or 2 hours for each task, with less pressure to finish. It’s similar to a technique called time blocking (perhaps less strict) and each day I check in and adjust the next day’s plans so projects keep moving forward.

3. Writing more.

There’s a surprising amount of writing that needs to happen as a painter, maybe not what you thought as I mostly produce pictures. Text for websites, proposals, competitions, artist statements, social media and newsletters. I always struggled with these.

A couple of habits I’ve been practising to help this have been writing regularly, and without any goal. Firstly I’ve been inspired by Julia Campbell’s morning pages - write 3 pages, first thing, whatever comes to mind. Secondly, I’ve been carving out an hour or two each week to write more structured pages, but not for a purpose. So not intend to write for a newsletter, blog or about a particular piece, but just sit down to write and figure out what to use it for later. This has helped take the pressure off when I do sit down to write a specific piece of content, as I’m well-practised or sometimes have something ready to work with.