The Final Prep Stage...PROCRASTINATION!

I know this is hard to believe however I include procrastination in the prep stage of doing a painting! Why on earth should I feel this way? Simple! Like composting where things need a time to "perk", when doing something creative, quite often, much of the work is done long before you ever get into the producing act of doing it!

Ask any great singer, writer, painter, or artist of any sort (certainly more than I just named!!!) and you will find they all know that what may APPEAR as that deadly word PROCRASTINATION, that there is actually a very vital and active part of the creative process happening.

When an artist is put in a position where they MUST produce for whatever reason such as money, deadline, commitment, and such, a good artist in my book can meet the challenge. She or he can muster up what it takes using discipline and years of experience to get the job done, however it won't necessarily be inspired, however it will be done!

I did commissions all my life. I enjoyed attempting to hear what was being said to me to meet the person's vision of what they wanted. Indeed, in a few cases, I would have been wiser to give them painting lessons and let them do it themselves! One thing I did notice, is the more freedom I was given once I had the general idea of what he or she wanted, the better the commission was. Again, it came down to working it out on my terms. For an artist, even in how they choose to live, that freedom, I believe, always makes things work out better.

So now my painting area is set up and I have the painting mapped out as a photo-shopped image to give me the details I need. Of course, it doesn't give me ALL the details! I need to keep it loose so I can input my own interpretations in the moment into the piece. I am a painter in this process, not a photographer (although I something think I should have been!).

Now I shall wait, or what some may call Procrastinate! There is more to doing a painting or a work of art than bricks and mortar stacked together! (mind you, I think there are some truly inspired brick layers out there!!!)

There are a few things that have to be aligned before I shall start...the first of which is NOT being in the mood! A person can start doing something and GET into the mood! No, what I am talking about is ENERGY!

By ENERGY I am not talking about some psycho-spiritual babble! I am talking about being rested and charged up enough to do it especially in the beginning! When I am painting, I get more ravenous and hungry than if I were out running a marathon or doing something physically demanding. Creating is a very energy burning activity and I don't think any real artist would argue with this!!!!

For me, I have to know I am up for the start! I need to know I had a good night sleep and I am well rested! I need to have eaten well for a while and I haven't had any sugar that has put me in a brain fog! I need to be sharp and on the ball which only comes for me, when I am recharged properly!

It MAY seem like procrastination to some, or that I am not disciplined and cannot start because I need to have the "spirit move me" or be "in the mood" however it is a great deal simpler than that! I just have to be physically prepared.

Concentration and focus require energy! Being in the now requires energy and carrying through also requires it. This doesn't happen for me on a few hours sleep and since I don't always sleep great (had a good night's sleep awakening refreshed the other morning, and I think it was the first time in YEARS!!!!).

So, if you are finding it difficult to get up to the starting blocks on something you really want to do, cut yourself some slack and keep it out of the judgement arena! You are just not quite ready yet but you will get there in the end!

Let the juices keep perking, keep thinking about those strokes and colours and arrangements you are going to use. In the end, all this prep work will make things go so much better and smoother and yes, even faster in the end!!!