Creative Exercise

Image from Antique Images

    Today I have an exercise for anyone else who is having trouble with their art or having trouble focusing on their art.  Life can be very hectic and there are so many things that can distract us and steal away out time and attention.  If you are having trouble take some time out to do some introspection.


    Block out at least an hour for yourself.  Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.  Close your door and put up a Do Not Disturb sign or let anyone who lives with you know that you are busy.  Turn off your phone and close all your social medias.  Anything that will distract you should be shut down and put away.

    Pick the writing method you are most comfortable with.  Whether that be in a note book or on the computer, which ever is best for you.

    Start writing down all the things that are distracting you.  Write down all the things that are holding you back.  Whether these are things going on in your life or problems with your art.  Just write them down as quickly as you can.  Do not dwell on grammar or sentence structure.  This is not something that is for other people to read and it is not meant to be pretty.  Keep writing until you can't think of anything else.  And even then try to go a little longer just to see if anything surfaces.

    Now, set down your list and rest for a few minutes.  If you know how to, meditate and let your mind become clear again.

    After you have rested pick up your list and start slowly going through each item on it.  Examine each distraction and obstacle individually.  Where is it coming from?  When did it start?  What can you do to resolve it?  Is it temporary?  Allow yourself to think in length about each one before moving on to the next.

    After you have gone through each item on the list, go back and examine them all as a whole.  Are there any themes?  Or are several of them related?  Do any of your obstacles stem from a similar root?  Sometimes we may be bombarded by so many little things that we fail to see they all stem from a larger problem.  To be cliche, sometimes we can not see the forest for the trees.  And other times we simply have too many big projects on our plate at once.

    Take this time to really think about what you can do to improve your situation.  Do not simply wait for things to get better.  They never really do all on their own.

 "If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives." ― Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator (source: Good Reads) 

    Was there anything you discovered or decided that you feel like sharing?  Let me know.