Have you ever started a painting or project, full of excitement, only to abandon it halfway through? Does the thought of returning to it fill you with a sense of dread?
You're not alone. I'm currently in the messy middle myself, which is what happens when the initial euphoria of starting a new project wears off, and all you can see ahead of you is a slog to get the work done. Instead of the thrill of possibility, you begin to see all the errors you've made, and wonder if you should just start over.
This is undeniably one of the hardest parts about creative work. Starting something new releases a dose of dopamine, which is like a sugar rush for your brain. But once you're in the thick of the process, the dopamine vanishes, and so does your motivation. You no longer feel the same sense of reward when you sit down to work, so it's easier to get distracted by other tasks that offer more short term gratification (think scrolling, or even household chores).
Over the years, I've had to develop a few strategies to help me power through the messy middle, which I'm currently employing as I work through my new Color Mixing with Acrylic course. I've been filming every day for 3.5 weeks, and I still have another 5-6 weeks of filming and editing to go before launching in mid to late March.
But because this isn't my first foray into a long project, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to ensure that my daily metrics are met. Let's go through them.
My Strategies for Finishing Creative Projects, Even When I Don't Want To
- Tell myself that I'm only going to work for 20 minutes. That's it. You can even set a timer and tell yourself you'll stop after those 20 minute are up. But here's the funny thing: usually once you start, the 20 minutes pass quickly, and you just keep working. But it's easier to convince your reluctant brain to sit and paint for 20 minutes instead of 2 hours, even though you'll likely do 2 hours anyway.
- Make it fun. You have to plan for this one a little. Make yourself a playlist of music that you find inspiring. Choose a podcast ahead of time that you're looking forward to listening to. Light a candle, brew a cup of tea, make yourself a little snack. Teach your brain to associate a painting session with self-care, and something to look forward to. Reduce the number of decisions you have to make by planning for this the day before, so you don't sit down and go “I don't know what to listen to” and spend half an hour trying to choose music.
- Reduce friction. Set up your workspace the day before, so that you can just walk in and get straight to work. I even like to fill up a water jar and leave it on my desk the night before, as well as having the paint colours and brushes I'll need already pulled out. Spending 15 minutes the day before to prep everything is an investment of your time, and worth doing.
- Focus on your time spent, instead of the output. Sometimes I'll set daily goals like, “finish four flower petals," and I'll allow myself two hours to do it. But sometimes, my time estimate is wrong, and instead of finishing four flower petals, I only finish three. If my focus was on output instead of time, I could beat myself up for failing to meet my goal. But at the end of the day, I painted for two hours, and did the best that I could within that time period, and that's a win. Showing up - day after day, hour after hour - will result in a finished work. Guaranteed. But you have to keep showing up.
- Picture how good it will feel when you finish. I'm talking in full, glorious detail. Imagine hanging the painting on the wall, or gifting it to a loved one, or selling it to a client. Focus on the feeling, because emotions are a more powerful driver than logic. Savour that feeling, and picture it whenever you feel like you're tired and slogging. That anticipation will fire up the chemicals in your brain again and help you pick up the brush.
Where I'm At With the Color Mixing Course
I'm more excited about this course than I've ever been about anything, because I am confident that it will solve all of your color mixing woes.
What you may not know about me is that I was a teacher before I became an artist, with Bachelor and Master of Education degrees under my belt. So when I approached this course, I knew I needed to focus on the teaching, and create a sequential program that broke complex color theory into building blocks that you could immediately apply to your work.
The result: the course is currently projected to be in the ballpark of 16-20 hours long, with 30 pages worth of real-time exercises and notes that you will be completing to create your very own color workbook. Each exercise will be accompanied by an introductory lesson that walks you through the component of color theory that you'll be practicing.
I've created 18 pages so far, and the book is quite simply beautiful. Even though it's a learning tool, it's a gorgeous resource that you'll be proud to show your friends and family.
I've opened the waitlist here, which will guarantee you early access and a discount code. Just like with my other course, Painting Flowers in Acrylic, I'm offering a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee. If you aren't blown away by what I've put together, I'll refund you your money, no questions asked.
There are close to 500 artists currently on the waitlist, and I'd love if you would join. Enrollment isn't capped, the more the merrier. Access is permanent and lifelong, so you can complete at your own pace and take years to do so if you'd like.
I am so glad that you address this issue. This is something that I go through yearly and the canvases start to pile up on me .I start off with such vigor and the minute I start to face too many challenges, the fun goes away, and I lose interest. To your points, I did find that I did similar where I just worked 20 minutes at a time for the day, it really help me get through a project and made it less dreadful. I also tried to set it up in the morning while I was having breakfast and when I felt creative,
I could drop and do a few paint strokes Also, the other issue was to try to avoid focusing on one area, so I just had to move on to another part of the painting and that seemed to help me push through.
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