Tag: Life Skills

4 Observations of the Creative Process

The creative process is one that can be piloted with ease by some, but prove to elude others. There are times when the end of a project cannot come fast enough, and the creative process drags on and on.

Here are four observations about the creative process that will allow you to see things in a different light, and hopefully to improve in the way that you start and finish your passion projects.

 

5 Observations of the Creative Process

  1. When you watch something that makes you cry, use it!

    Don’t push the things that elicit strong emotions out of your mind. When confronted with stimuli that causes you to feel a strong emotion, harness that feeling to dive deeper into what is making you react that way. Delving to the core may be the inspiration you have been waiting for to create new work that is unlike anything you have ever done. The raw emotion exists for a reason, and by dealing with it, you may discover unimaginable benefits in your pursuit of your passions.

  2. When you are confused about something, find out more.

    Use that spark of curiosity to find out more information on a subject. You are curious about it for a reason, so why not give your mind the information that it craves? Once you have taken a few moments to gain a  more fulsome understanding of a topic, you will be able to incorporate what you learned into having a positive impact on your work.

    anonymous person with binoculars looking through stacked books
    Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

  3. Revisit your old projects.

    Sometimes new ideas can emerge when you look at old work. You might have a hidden idea somewhere in the fabric of an old project that opens an undiscovered realm of possibilities to you.

  4. Creativity almost never happens in a vacuum.

    Make a positive move by trying new things. New experiences give birth to creativity and new work. Expose your brain to new concepts daily to avoid the dreaded “shrinking of ideas” that can occur around the age of 30. Try something new, and you will have more to share with the world.

 

If you would like to find more inspiration for your passion projects, browse my earlier posts, and don’t forget to subscribe! Thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

Five Ways to Improve Productivity in Your Artistic Practice

Much like creativity, productivity can be an elusive force that many creative people struggle with. Unlike creativity, however, you can improve your productivity though routine and other academic approaches.

Here are

5 Ways to Improve Productivity in your Artistic Practice

Plan

Start your projects early by preparing your workspace and materials in advance. When you have a clean area that is ready to go, you will spend less time procrastinating the beginning or continuation of your work. Planning your work can include: cutting and measuring materials to have “en place” when your project starts; cleaning all surfaces and in your workshop or removing sawdust; buying everything you need at the hardware store in advance to avoid stopping your project to make a “quick run to the store”. We all know that these “quick runs” are never actually quick because the time it takes your brain to get caught up after interrupting your task for a supply run can kill your motivation and ruin your productive streak.

yellow and white ceramic coffee mug on brown wooden surface with black eyeglasses
Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Organize

Organize your project into steps. If you are sewing a garment for instance, you should really organize the process into steps because there will be certain parts of your production that must wait until other areas are finished. You may find yourself needing to undo what you have already completed because you failed to organize the work process properly. Organizing can save you an immense amount of time in the long run, and it will also keep your productivity levels high because you can advance through the process with more ease.

Sketch

One of the tips I learned from experience when completing projects is to use visual diagrams in the form of sketches. Certain projects are spatially complex, and require measurements or logistical calculations. The best method I have found to dealing with these complexities is to draw a basic sketch that helps my brain to better communicate my idea to myself.

It seems simple, but there are many times where I have been caught by a lack of planning or sketching and end up struggling to place a large object that will not bend, into the back of my car that ONLY accommodates things that will bend. This also works when doing things like redecorating or staging a home. Make a sketch of what are trying to accomplish, and reality will show you whether it is possible or not. You will be more productive with your time if you do not waste it trying to make square objects fit into circular holes.

Ask for help

When you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help. If it is a matter of delegating certain tasks to lighten your own load, then relinquish your control and give those tasks away. You don’t have to be intricately involved in every aspect of a project to consider it your own. Your productivity will suffer if you micromanage in areas that someone else can easily help you with. It is a much better strategy to focus your talents on areas where you excel, and to outsource the areas where you don’t.

Take photos

My mind often goes to the now ancient online saying: “Post pics or it didn’t happen”. Many people will take copious photos of meaningless moments of their lives to post online; however, those same people often shy away from sharing photos of passion projects that they have been working hard on for months. Why? It is likely because the passion project they refuse to share with the world is very dear to them, and they are suffering from some level of insecurity about it.

Here is the thing: if you don’t post the photos of the progress of your passion project, then how will you know it is happening? Progress photos show a story from inception to completion. By showing your process you are proving to yourself and to others that this is something that is meaningful to you as a person who has made the decision to pursue their dreams. In turn, this will help to motivate you to push further toward completion, therefore driving your productivity to new heights.

Photos of your progress also help to improve your productivity because you are able to see areas where you would do things differently the next time. When that next occasion comes, you can zone in on it like a laser and crush it before moving on to your next passion project.

I think that there are many ways to improve your productivity, so this is a topic I would like to revisit again soon. Are there any strategies that you think belong on this list? Leave your answer in the comments below, and thank you for stopping by.

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

5 Signs that You Are Working in the Wrong Industry

We have all been in a similar situation: having a summer job that you hated, but was necessary to keep your parents happy. While we are young, these jobs are about doing as little as possible until the end of the day. The way we got through it all was the knowledge that the job would end once school returned in September.

As an adult, there are a lot of similarities between your attitude to that past summer job, and the one you have now. You hate your work environment, do as little as possible, and at the end of the day, you can’t get out of the building fast enough. Unfortunately the main difference is that there is no longer the definite end date that you can count-down to, because you don’t know how to get out of the wrong job or industry that you are trapped in.

 

5 Signs that You Are Working in the Wrong Industry

 

You hate Monday mornings almost as much as Sunday night.

As the weekend approaches, Friday is your best friend. You love the end of the week with an intense passion because it means that you will not need to go back to work for 48 hours! What a way to live your life on the installment plan! As a result, by Sunday night you are depressed: only to become full-on catatonic by Monday morning on your way back to work.

 

You fantasize about your boss being fired or discovered to be a monster.

Sometimes we imagine the worst about other people because we are so deeply unhappy with the circumstances that brought us to that person. Do you hate your boss? Would you feel the same way if you met them in a different set of circumstances? Probably not, because you are trapped in a job/ industry that you are not right for. This is likely a friction that can be solved by making a plan to pursue your passions. Focus your energy on something else!

 

You fantasize about revenge on people who have wronged you.

Holding on to anger and resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Let go of the things that are keeping you in the past. If you must leave your job/industry to properly pursue your passion in order to fix your life, you have to take positive action to make it happen or else you will be adding names to your list of enemies for a long time to come.

 

You spend your free time doing hobbies that have no link to you job/industry

When we align ourselves with our purpose, we tend to do things for work that are related to things that we are passionate about. If you work in a law firm pushing paper around Monday to Friday, but give guided walking tours of the city’s food district on the weekends, then I would suggest that you are working in the wrong job/industry because these two areas have very little in common. My guess is that your work in a law firm is simply for a paycheck, and not because it feeds your soul.

 

Your ideas are not valued in your job/industry

Do you often feel like your ideas are dismissed by others in your workplace, yet outside of work people usually respond positively and with intrigue? This is a phenomenon that I have identified as being part of a bigger problem; say it with me: You are working in the wrong job/ industry!

I have had personal experiences where my ideas were dismissed and trivialized by the people I worked with, especially when it came to things related to technology (because why would I know how to connect an Ethernet cable, right?) I realized that the reason why my ideas were dismissed was not because they were bad ideas, but because the people I worked with did not have a high opinion of the person who the ideas were coming from. Basically, they didn’t see me as a person who they believed would know the right answer. I was working in a job/industry where people like me were rarely in positions of power or seen to hold value, and so, my ideas were judged as the same.

 

If you discover that you are working in the wrong job/industry, do not wait too long before you make the changes necessary to start living the life you want. Time is our most valuable resource, yet so many of us fritter it away while waiting for an opportunity to come to us. Don’t wait too long to pursue your passion and make a fresh start.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Stephanie

 

by @Lillybochic

5 Reasons Why I Save My Old To Do lists

5 Reasons Why I Save My Old To Do lists

One of the ways I like to stay organized in life and professionally is by writing down everything that I need to remember. My to do lists are no exception. I love to do lists because of the endorphins I get from crossing the completed item off of my list. I also save my to-do lists once I have completed them, and here are five reasons why…

  1. I am able to track what I have completed- the completed list contains an itemized description of what I have accomplished during the time period.
    woman in front of her computer
    Photo by Retha Ferguson on Pexels.com
  2. I am able to highlight my accomplishments-I can own the feeling of progress! Yay! I’m getting stuff done!
  3. I am able to make new goals for the future- You start to think “If i just did all this, I can surely move on to…(insert bigger plan).
  4. I am able to remind myself of how amazing I am- Give thanks to the greater self image and bigger story of your life.
    man with fireworks
    Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com
  5. I can follow up on anything I was unsuccessful with or unsatisfied with- What you failed on, you will prevail on! Keep going.
    Have you tried this? What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading, and please subscribe for more!

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

Three types of people you will lose when you start to pursue your passion

Three types of people you will lose when you start to pursue your passion

As a person growing into your chosen life, it is important to understand that some of the existing structures in your life are based on what was prescribed FOR you by others. To achieve the life you want you will need to consider the changes necessary to get to where you want to be. This includes thinking about the type of person you want to be.

Some relationships in your life will be like branches on a tree. The strong and important ones will grow with the tree; while the less important or unbalancing branches will need to be pruned, or worse yet- will get destroyed by a lightning storm.

3 People You Will Lose When You Start to Pursue Your Passions

Illustration by Stephanie Konu of Three types of people you will lose when you begin to pursue your passion
Illustration by Stephanie Konu

  1. The Becky’s and Tatiana’s

    These are the flaky friends who would often share in your misery when life was not as good. They usually spend more money than they make, and live their lives in bank overdraft. The world exists to give them things (in their minds only of course) and they frequently fail to follow through on anything.

    How to know if you have a Becky or a Tatiana?

    Set up a mental test for your friendship. When you see them next, suggest a S.M.A.R.T goal (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Time Based goals). This could be something like asking them to meet you on Saturday to take photos at the park. These photos would improve your friend’s photography portfolio, and ultimately help them book more work as a photographer. If your friend initially agrees to the plan, but cancels or flat out flakes on the date without a very good excuse, then you know you have a Becky, Tatiana, or Tom or Billy on your hands!

  2. The people who boo you from the cheap seats. Alternate alias: the Haters.

    These people have a very negative outlook on life, so they are easier to spot from farther away than the earlier category. They are fueled by a negative and self-defeating mindset. For them the question is: “Why bother? It won’t be any good” for pretty much anything in life that doesn’t serve an immediate survival need. Fun and enjoyment only exist within their narrow purview of life; so if you look to them for validation in your pursuit of your life passions, you will be very disappointed.

    These people do not want you to succeed for a simple reason: misery loves company, and why should you accomplish what they never could? Do not pay attention to them because they will soon become your supporters when they see how well you will emerge from your transition into the life you want.

  3. Time Wasters

    These people can have similar traits to the previous categories. Becky and Tatiana waste your time by never following through. Haters also waste your time when you focus on their negative energy. This specific type of time waster is a person who will want to associate with you because of reasons that add to their own self-esteem. These people will ask for your time, and favours in exchange for some far-off reward (large gifts, promising to promote you, etc). When you give them what they want, all you end up with is a bill for your expenses and time lost from pursuing your passion.

    These people are dangerous because of one main reason: time is the only resource that you can’t ever get back. You really don’t have much of it to spare on meaningless associations that lead you nowhere. Spending too much time with these people will never lead to new opportunities, or to new ideas. Just to dead end nights where the only thing you have time to do before bed is to look longingly at your projects and sigh. Wasted time. Take back those minutes.

Living the life you want is not impossible, but it takes work and conscious observation of who you are. Keep going. You will get there. – Stephanie

Thanks for stopping by,

Stephanie

by @Lillybochic

10 Ways to Become Inspired

Creative blocks can occur at any point in the process. Whether you are writing a thesis, painting, or have to perform, you may suffer from the ability to become inspired.

Inspiration is one of those elusive things- we know that inspiration leads to creativity; but what are things that spark that fresh and new idea?

Here are my ideas for:

 

10 Ways to Become Inspired

 

 

  1. Go for a walk in the great outdoors. It doesn’t have to be a perfectly orchestrated event. If you live in a safe neighborhood, grab your keys and take a stroll outside.

    photo of woman wearing yellow dress
    Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com
  2. Visit a friend. Go and check in on your friend who lives up the road. If you haven’t seen them in a while, bring a small token to renew the friendship.
  3. Drive or ride your bicycle to a body of water nearby. If you are lucky enough to live near a lake or an ocean, take advantage of how fortunate you are! Go and see it!
  4. Purchase a small item from an independent retailer. “Mom and Pop shops” and other small businesses need your support. Without them, the world would be full of stores like Target and Walmart. We need to support the originality of the dreamers who dare to do something different. Kind of like you, right?

    man standing beside man holding gray club
    Photo by Jopwell on Pexels.com
  5. Make conversation with the cashier or salesperson the next time you buy something. Be friendly. You never know what you might learn from someone else!
  6. Clean every reflective surface in your home. It sounds weird, but follow me on this one. Reflective surfaces will usually allow you to see yourself when you polish them. If you focus on cleaning and polishing all of the reflective surfaces in your home, what you are also doing is spending time looking at your own reflection. What better way to become inspired, than by practicing positive self-talk in a mirror? You go and you get it!
  7. Empty the junk drawer in your house. You know the one I am talking about. Take the contents out to sort and organize. Something could pop out at you that is unexpectedly inspirational.
  8. Review calendars from previous months. Highlight your accomplishments. Own those moments of achievement.
  9. Clean out your Gmail inbox. Delete those email offers from Hello Fresh. Enough is enough already!
  10. Read an article about an upcoming holiday or event. The more obscure the celebration, the better. Learning about the customs of other people will spark creative questions and make you want to understand more. The more you understand, the more inspired you will feel to try other new things.

 

Finding that spark isn’t easy, but once you have tried these 10 Ways to Become Inspired, you will have a fresh set of eyes and a rested mind feel your inspiration come through.

Thanks for stopping by!

-Stephanie

 

by @Lillybochic