HOME | DD

Description

Thoughts on trying:
Never try, don't do it.
My partner tells me from time to time: "I want to want to draw", "I wish I was more motivated", "I wish I was more creative".

I ask her, but do you want to be creative, or productive right now?
She would say no, I just want to relax, or read, or play a game, watch a movie.
I tell her, go ahead, do what you actually want.
She'll go and do that for a while, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days, or weeks. Eventually she comes to a point where motivation comes to her, creativity comes, the actual desire to do something comes, and she'll do it.
The end result? She has fun relaxing and recharging, then she has fun being productive.
And what usually happens instead to many creative people I know? You don't actually want to do that job, or hobby, or craft, because you're human, you're inconstant, and sometimes you just don't want to do the thing you think you should want to do. You're just not feeling motivated, or productive at that time, but somehow you're holding on to this idea, this concept, this un-reality in your head that you SHOULD be, you SHOULD want to be. Because it's proper, because successful people do that, because if you're not moving forward then you're falling behind in the race of life.
So you still don't do it, and spend your time scrolling through facebook, or playing games, or something else to distract yourself, not really enjoying it, because on the back of your mind is that voice: "You should be productive right now".
As long as you believe in a "should", and are trying to want something that you don't actually want, you're not accepting reality, you're not here now, you're somewhere else, miles away, in your head. And you can't get anywhere if you're not even here.
So when you find yourself trying, saying "should" to yourself a lot, beating yourself up:
Take a moment and relax, relax the tension in your head, let go of the mental grip around those thoughts.
Smile, keep smiling, tell your mind it's ok.
That's what you really need in that moment, to feel you're ok just the way you are.
Now go and do what you actually want to do, and if those thoughts return, then repeat the above steps.
Allow your mind to feel ok with itself, after a while motivation will come, creativity will come, the genuine desire to do something will come, then you'll do it, it'd be hard to stop you then.
That's how I've been dealing with issues of motivation and "Artblocks" for the last few years. The result? I don't have them anymore.

Description

Thoughts on trying:
Never try, don't do it.
My partner tells me from time to time: "I want to want to draw", "I wish I was more motivated", "I wish I was more creative".

I ask her, but do you want to be creative, or productive right now?
She would say no, I just want to relax, or read, or play a game, watch a movie.
I tell her, go ahead, do what you actually want.
She'll go and do that for a while, sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days, or weeks. Eventually she comes to a point where motivation comes to her, creativity comes, the actual desire to do something comes, and she'll do it.
The end result? She has fun relaxing and recharging, then she has fun being productive.
And what usually happens instead to many creative people I know? You don't actually want to do that job, or hobby, or craft, because you're human, you're inconstant, and sometimes you just don't want to do the thing you think you should want to do. You're just not feeling motivated, or productive at that time, but somehow you're holding on to this idea, this concept, this un-reality in your head that you SHOULD be, you SHOULD want to be. Because it's proper, because successful people do that, because if you're not moving forward then you're falling behind in the race of life.
So you still don't do it, and spend your time scrolling through facebook, or playing games, or something else to distract yourself, not really enjoying it, because on the back of your mind is that voice: "You should be productive right now".
As long as you believe in a "should", and are trying to want something that you don't actually want, you're not accepting reality, you're not here now, you're somewhere else, miles away, in your head. And you can't get anywhere if you're not even here.
So when you find yourself trying, saying "should" to yourself a lot, beating yourself up:
Take a moment and relax, relax the tension in your head, let go of the mental grip around those thoughts.
Smile, keep smiling, tell your mind it's ok.
That's what you really need in that moment, to feel you're ok just the way you are.
Now go and do what you actually want to do, and if those thoughts return, then repeat the above steps.
Allow your mind to feel ok with itself, after a while motivation will come, creativity will come, the genuine desire to do something will come, then you'll do it, it'd be hard to stop you then.
That's how I've been dealing with issues of motivation and "Artblocks" for the last few years. The result? I don't have them anymore.