Computerlove™

April 30th, 2008

Self-directing a future self

From May to December of last year I saw an extremely heavy period of work with numerous commissions and design projects landing in the studio. It wasn't until the beginning of 2008 that I was able to grab a little time to look back and take stock of what had happened over those previous months. What I found was very alarming (to me anyway!).

I had been so busy throughout 2007 that I had spent little or no time at self-directed study. By self-directed study, I mean the stuff that's not related to commissions. Imagine a creative writer having to work constantly in house-style and never finding time to write about their own passions - the passions, in this case is the self-directed study. Its not a good situation for a creative to not have personal creative outlets and this is exactly where I found myself last year. I don't want you to think this lack of self-directed study was through laziness, it was truly that I didn't 'make' any time or head-space to get anything creative done for little old me. The limited time I had off (I can count on my hands the amount of days and evenings) was spent making sure I was rested for the next stretch of late nights and early mornings needed to meet deadlines and do the best job I could. Time management is one of my strengths but I have a tendency to let my work rule my life from time to time perhaps because I enjoy it so much. I know my clients will benefit from a spritely and fresh Ginger Monkey so I've now learnt when to turn off the equipment, put my feet up or get out and involved in the world beyond the studio.

When the new year dawned, I was off to India and able to enjoy some moments of relaxed contemplation on those wonderful beaches of Goa: beer in hand, feet gently tickled by the warm indian air. It was thanks to that time off that I knew I had to do something about the situation I had created back home. In the past, my self-directed studies had fed the advancement of my creativity; they had given me free reign to explore creativity and now I missed their gratifying power. When I landed back in the UK I got straight to making marks and pursuing some ideas. I was gutted to find my process began to feel forced: I was creating for the sake of creating and it wasn't working. I became frustrated and was terrified I might have done some serious damage to those creative bones of mine.

I realised this: it is incredibly important to hop off the commissions regularly to focus on your own work. Keep your mitts in your own creative dapples and never wait until things quieten down because you might be waiting a long time until, suddenly, you'll find yourself clawing away and having to slowly pick up the creative pieces instead of flowing gracefully back to ideas and work that's waiting patiently for your quick return. Now this might all be like teaching grandma to suck eggs to some of you creative folk but I really wanted to post this article as a bit of an eye-opener to any others that find themselves riding a forceful wave of client projects and putting off their own. This is my message: if your workload gets heavy, really try not to sacrifice your self-directed studies.

Here at Ginger Monkey I've now gone to great lengths to ensure this doesn't happen to me again and I can already feel the benefits. I've strapped my new DSLR camera to my hip and it now goes with me everywhere. This has heighten my senses as I'm looking, framing and questioning with every step I'm taking in the outsdide world. I've got all my ideas off the ground and hop on to them during my day and integrate special time for me to pursue them routinely in my weekly schedule. I've also utilised my ties with UWE in Bristol and now have a round of students coming to work in the studio to help with particular tasks and keep a general air of learning in my environment. I'm now fully aware that it is this that makes my creativity tick and pushes it further. Overcoming adversity and learning new things unlocks interesting and new experiences and I'm really looking forward to what comes up next, whatever that might be