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Many writers and artists state that the first way to get things done is to have your butt in the chair. I think Steven Pressfield said it in The War of Art, and I took it very seriously.

In other words just be there, ready to work. I agree 100%.

I've had endless discussions with friends about this too--and we have come to the conclusion that you'll fail at everything you do not begin.

Of course.

But my question is: Do I get in the chair and STAY there?

After months of doing just that I find the answer is definitely MAYBE.

Actually it depends on the day.

There are days where I feel if I am interrupted I would cry, or at least be very upset at the disruption of the flow I am riding. Then there are other days where I feel if I don't get up and go somewhere I will get nowhere.

This is said after I did the butt in the chair thing exclusively for months. I fought every urge to go out for coffee, or meet a friend for lunch. I would not be able to jump up now if I were at an office, I would argue with myself. And I wouldn't. But that could be one of the reasons I do not work in an office, and was never meant to.

Don't get me wrong, I still get my hours in, but they might not be 9 to 5--in fact they may end at 2am, and that is fine with me. I do not allow myself to get distracted to the point where my work takes a back seat--I get my coffee, interact a bit, and get back to it. (Sometimes I get distracted by household stuff--pets, kids, bills, cooking, etc. Here is a shopping list page I created for myself to stay efficient, but I thought you might like it too. CLICK HERE to print :)

I think for some, sitting at the computer or canvas and working through a glitch works, for others the solution might be Starbucks or an episode of The Walking Dead. 

So to make a long blog post short, just because a famous writer or artist does their thing a certain way certainly does not mean you have to do the same.

Find your approach, and do it like a boss.

xo

Ah! Don't forget the art giveaway--click HERE to enter.

You Never Know

A wise person once told me just do it, you never know what will come of it.

I heard those words as a young person, and they stuck.

Yes, we should make the most out of every situation and try and look to the bright side, but I'm talking about looking at more than just one side of the thing you are doing.

For instance, yesterday I went to a conference/meeting of illustrators in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, I did not want to go. I was tired, a bit under the weather, behind in every chore, and just a little crabby. But I paid for it, and I went.

The conference was actually great, but there was another side to it that was also great.

The event was located in the middle of a farm that was surrounded by cornfields. Reminded me a bit of New Hampshire. It was overcast, and a storm was brewing in the distance. Some of the dilapidated buildings on the premises looked ominous. It was the perfect setting for a horror story, and the perfect setting for taking pictures.

Although bucolic and lovely in spots, the other areas could have been straight out of Night of the Living Dead, so I snapped away.

I did not have a camera, so I used my iPhone.

Look for the funny within the serious, the hidden within the obvious, the emotional withing the stoic, or the love within the hate.

To me there are many sides to every moment.

Look for them--they are many times better than the obvious.

xo