The First Mile

As the sun rises, you check off your first two items in preparation for your big race: 1. Appropriate gear: running shoes and a light-weight tank top and short shorts 2. Stretches. Then, you start to mentally prepare for the race ahead. In the 5K race (3.1 miles) which is a typical cross-country course, you begin to think about your tactics for competing in the race. With your art job or assignment you begin to think about the stages it will take to complete your project. What are the tactics of runners that will help you win/finish your art project successfully?

Frame Of Mind.
There are always good ways to run your race and bad ways to run it. You want to consider your options before you put your foot on the start line. I was always a slow runner. I am naturally contemplative. I like to think a lot. I was never the fast one, but I always finished the race running. I won a couple of ribbons in competitions, but mostly I just ran. That was because I could focus on the finish line.



Run In Stretches.
What I recommend is what I learned from those cross country days--consider the race as a whole. You need to keep your legs moving and your mind on the race. You need to consider each mile completed as a separate achievement. Gradually increase your speed as you go. Do not become stagnant in your competition. Eventually push yourself to your top speed at the end.

The Long-Distance Commitment.
What I do not recommend is darting off the start line at 100 yard dash speed. I know runners from my cross country years in high school who completely missed the point of running a race. They completely overlooked the fact that foot races are a long-distance commitment. When the gun goes off they would sprint off the line for the first mile. Often these guys were more fit than me. They were often taller and thinner. In my opinion, better equipped than myself to run these long distances. These "jack rabbits" as we called them may have put a good scare on the competition, initially, but then they burned out quick. What good is that in a long distance race?

Conclusion.
Consider your art project as a long-distance race. Some may in fact be very short term in the scope of your life, but art is a discipline like any other sport. I am recommending that you look at your project in stages or in stretches. Think through and prioritize your process in a plan (a later post). You want to keep your project moving. Consider the pace that you need to keep to be strong in every stretch of the race. There will be times that you can relax your pace, but there will also be times to surge ahead. The best tact that I have learned is to pick short goals and to seek to surpass them quickly. You are in a race, so you can't slow down. Keep this in mind as you figure out how to win your prize for finishing your art project.

Stuck In Time

There is so much that needs to be done. Lord help me to build new disciplines into my life. Help me win the battles against the sins in my life...

This was my journal entry from Friday. This is a hard prayer to pray. Often I look to earthly systems to solve my time management problems. Often times they fail to address the problem accurately. Being candid about this is hard. Even harder on the internet where everyone can see it.

You Are Not Alone.
I know I am not alone in trying to find time for everything. Its just not possible. I have many dreams and goals. Many you won't hear about for a long time. It's just not time. But really I want my friends, family, co-workers, and fellow artists all over the world to take solace in this: Priorities are hard to figure out. Because we just don't work, eat, drink, and die there is no straight path on this route.






Consider These Ways To Manage Your Time.
This list is what I have figured out so far. Hopefully these lessons will help you evaluate your situation.

1. Journal daily if possible as a record of accomplishments and failures.
2. Don't put off today what needs to be done today.
3. Ask for help as often as possible.
4. Don't overburden yourself with creative goals that are well beyond your reach at this time. Write them down, draw them, and come back if God allows.
5. You won't always know your limits, but you can tell at the end of the day if you overdid it or not. Try not to go back on that road if possible.
6. Stick to your plan. Refuse to let others distract you if you have a goal in mind. Take criticism of your plan with a grain of salt.
7. Try time management tools, but don't sell out to just one. They all have their benefits and setbacks.
8. Pray and ask God for help.

Conclusion.
You are a unique individual. Let your life form organically. No one can really understand all that you are trying to accomplish. Keep getting back on the time management horse as often as you fall off. In the end you will find time working to your benefit instead of against you.

Rest: The Secret Ingredient For Success

It's easy to keep going like you are the Energizer Bunny. Or at least pretend like you are one. Pretend is the key the word.

Defining The Creative Vacuum.

We (artists) can live in a vacuum of just our creativity. We can dive in and go anywhere at any time. To the rest of the world we look as if we are just staring at a wall or walking down the street. But our hearts and minds are engaged in the full creative process. However, we have limits that we must acknowledge.

Creative Rest Habits.

Artists need rest. Our bodies being the weak vessels that they are lack the infinitude of an eternal body. Our limits often show. And I believe that rest is the key to it all.

There was a professor in college who did a splendid presentation on rest for a chapel service one time. This idea has resonated with me for over 10 years. The truth is, I have not learned all of the secrets to this magnificent tool for maintaining my humanity. I believe it is a discipline that all artists have to learn and become pro's at. There are some key insights that I have learned on my own, from other artists, and in church that I would like to share, but I am still working on.

Coherent Rest Habits.

Six insights to take seriously when when considering coherent rest habits, because six is the number assigned to man and Jesus said in Mark 2:27- “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

1. Plan a daily Sabbath time.  End your creative work at a specific time every day. Turn off your computer. Clean off your art desk. Put your art supplies away. Leave your creative space for the day, if at all possible.

2. Make a point to contact friends, hang out, and spend time with family. Work is not life, it just helps propel it forward. Take time to exercise and plan.

3. Limit your nightly activities.  On the opposing end of making time for friends and family and social activities is the reality that you are limited in yourself. Do not over-promise. Guard your rest when at all possible. Because you need a daily Sabbath time you should separate it out for your own sake. Only you know what you can handle!

4. Don't sedate your creativity just because you are not in your designated art making time. It is generally better to get the idea on paper or on the computer than to let it follow you into other decision-making times.

5. Be wise about when you decide to stay up late. Unfortunately, you cannot avoid it 100% of the time, but when it is necessary, make the proper adjustments. Have a plan. If you have to lose sleep at night plan a time the next day to rest before being creative again. You will be much more productive.

6. Plan at least one Sabbath day a week. That one day dedicated to rest and worship of Jesus will put you so much farther ahead during the week. You will be astounded! You can make decisions and stick to them. Your work will be better and the time spent working will be of higher quality. It is truly a mystery why this works so well. But the truth is God created us in His image and He set the standard to rest on the last day of the week. Who is wiser than that?



Conclusion.

Protect your rest times and get good at it. All other great decisions will emanate from this choice. Don't let other people dictate what is good for you concerning what you know you can physically handle. You will get where you believe you are called much faster by limiting your activity and honoring the resting period God has put in place for all mankind.

What Do Cartoonists Eat?

Many times I bring you the facts of creating and the process of thinking about creating, but today I thought I would change it up and bring you facts about the sustenance of a creative. If you can say that 10 times fast I'll give you a prize!

Usually whats eating a cartoonist is eating him because he hasn't eaten or slept (another blog post). Creative blocks are created by stress, hunger, and lack of sleep. Contrary to popular belief, cartoonists are not robots. But sometimes we think we are. So I understand the misconception.

When cartoonists are not eaten by anxiety and are apt to create a lot, what do they eat? No there isn't magic dust in our Cheerios or lightning in our mashed potatoes. We often eat what others eat. I drew this diagram the other day to demonstrate my point. I'll expound a little below, because I know that quick sketches are sometimes hard to read. Enjoy!

This isn't a daily routine for me, but the process of deciding what to eat usually is. I get off my part-time job after midday most days and I am usually revved up to create. After a couple of years without much money and figuring that eating out added up in the wallet and in the waist, I started going back to what I knew worked as a child. I had to find a fast healthy way to get the nutritional value I needed to create for about 4 hours (usually in the afternoon).

Recently I reverted to cold-cut sandwiches and soup. One, they are tasty if you know how to prepare them. Two, they are fast or require little preparation (a benefit for anyone on a time crunch). Three, little clean-up, little mess.

My sandwich is usually composed of wheat bread toast, cold cut turkey/ham, lettuce, onion, Thousand Island dressing, pickles, and sometimes other herbs or random things on hand. Flavor makes all the difference. No flavor, I won't eat it. When I have time I add extra veggies as a side, french fries, or rolls (something quick and hot). I drink water most of the time, but the Bolthouse smoothies are great when they're on sale. I eat a dessert item if I have it or have made it recently.

What time saving tips do you have concerning meals in the midst of a busy creative schedule?