List It
When I saw this Non Sequitur cartoon by Wiley Miller I laughed out loud. The cartoonist captured perfectly my day to day struggle of managing my two selves: the creative (likes to play and paint) and the serious half that has to “git ‘er done.”
I have been a self-employed artist most of my adult life. It is the best job in the world. I get to paint, teach (talk about painting), meet nice people, and travel to new places to paint. Obviously it is the painting that thrills me. Starting and finishing a work is always exciting; framing, filling out forms, and managing a website - not so much.
Since I lack minions to do the mundane daily work that keeps a business humming, I write lists. The list keeps me on track for all the practical stuff that needs doing and gives my creative self playtime. I cross off what I accomplish each day then rewrite a new list at night with what has to be done the next day.
One trick I employ is the “eating a live frog” approach of priorities. Mark Twain once said that the first thing to do each morning is eat a live frog. Then you can go through the day knowing that is probably the worst thing that will happen to you. So each morning I do at least one dreaded task, cross it off and reward myself with painting/playtime.
I even employ list making as part of my painting process. If I get really stuck on a painting I walk away for awhile. When I return I make a list of what needs to be done. If I make the list with a fresh eye I can usually identify what the trouble is and what steps I can take to continue. If I jump back into a painting without the list there is a good chance I will wind up frustrated again.
I like list apps and find many of them helpful. I currently use Todolist and for a long time used Swipes but really - a piece of paper and pencil is all you need. I try to be realistic about what I can accomplish in a day by breaking large tasks into smaller ones over a period of time. Rather than listing “Write book,” I can list “Write 500 words on the bias of primary colors.” If everything is not crossed off at the end of the day I add it to the next day or reconsider its importance. A list is a management tool and helps keep me balanced in my creative and business pursuits.
