It Helps Me, It Doesn't Help Me...

My Pitcher and Jo's Peppers
8 in x 10 in colored pencil on drafting film

Yesterday Katherine posed the question, "What increases your artistic productivity?" She also asked for ideas on what doesn't work. I love to read about other people's work habits, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

Helps Me
Having a specific list of goals really helps me. I need to know each day exactly what the art time is supposed to accomplish. Without that, I either fail to fight the battle with the kids over "quiet time" or I spend the whole time wondering what I should do. I get all distracted with how valuable the time is, how small it is, how I really need to be productive, and then I just fret, make no decisions, and surf around blogs and sites and get discouraged that I can't do what they can do.

Doesn't Help Me
Thinking that I need to think like an artist, that I need to "just let it flow." There was an interesting poll over on Empty Easel a few weeks ago about whether you are a planner or more intuitive when creating. I think that the "emotionally driven" camp won, but I was encouraged by how many "logically-driven" artists there are. I almost treat it more like a science than an art, if you know what I mean. I find planning it all out - making lists of what pencils to use where, considering what strokes to use where, etc - fascinating, fun, and freeing. I even make lists to remember what I planned in certain areas so I don't forget.

Oh dear, I suppose I'm a compulsive list-maker!

Above you see my pretty-close-to-finished Pay It Forward piece for Jo Castillo. As per yesterday, I'm going to consider this my finished piece of the month. Jo, when you said your kitchen was red, white and blue, I knew exactly what to do. My kitchen is decorated with blue and white pottery. This pitcher normally stands above the cabinets in a corner of my kitchen.