Creative Block & The Smart Phone Addiction
I'm not going to lie, for the last couple of weeks I haven't felt like 'myself' and I haven't been producing that many new pieces of work. I've had a creative block where i've been completely uninterested / lost interest quickly in anything i've started to work on. I quickly loose any concentration and go back to my iPhone or laptop, i'm sure i'm not the only one who goes through these phases. My intention is not to start a pity party, but I want to get to the bottom of why I feel like this and how I'm trying to get over it- hopefully this will help you if you're stuck too.
*even whilst writing this post I was flicking over to Facebook and Youtube*
My first quarterly (Jan-March) goal was to improve on my branding and to increase followers through social media to in turn, increase the traffic flow through my Etsy shop. I started as an attempt to make more sales but then turned it into data collection and tried to understand my market based on the few interactions people were having in my online shop.
This quarterly (April-June) goal, I have chosen to increase my Etsy listings, to make more products and to make a clearer collection that flows more easily and works with new/different types of products. I want to draw more and pay more attention to what i'm making so that it will look like and feel like 'my work' and with any luck i'll feel better about the direction i'm heading in.
Just before writing this post, I was watching a TED Talk that mentioned the link between smart phone addiction and the decrease in attention span. It mentioned that our attention span is now on average 8 seconds long, that's caused by rapid stimulus, caused by notifications and our reaction to answer them. I even find myself switching between apps and looking at information on my screen that i'm really not that interested in. I can't remember the last time I made a drawing that took me two days to finish, I can't remember the last time I read a book. I find it easier to scroll through Pinterest or Facebook than to create a drawing that I pre-predict I won't be happy with because it's not what I saw on that other person's Instagram feed- I'm sure we've all been there.
I'm finding it a bit concerning that the goal I had set myself to increase my following has actually hindered my making because I am comparing myself and I'm distracting myself. Even to the point where I now have a weekly plan that only allows me to use social media for one hour a day, to try and beat this habit.
*still flicking back over to Facebook to see how a baby panda grows*
Things I already do.
I currently use an iPhone 5s for both my personal and my business use. As you can imagine, it has the same amount of storage capacity as the boot of a Mini and if a thug pinched it from me, they would definitely return it. This is great in some ways because it means I am more particular about the photos I take (because i've just had to delete 25 to be able to take one more) and it means I can't hold more than two potentially distracting apps. My laptop on the other hand is always open at whichever desk I am currently making a mess on, crying out for me to 'just check' on my Etsy shop (something amazing might have happened in that last 3 minutes since I last checked).
I have started to make a weekly plan and a daily plan so that it sets out what times I am to start and end a task, keeping me focused and cutting out any free or unplanned time that I would otherwise spend on social media (or sit staring at the wall)- this seems to be working well but some days I do loose track of my plan if I get carried away (which is a good thing!).
One thing I have stopped doing is drinking caffeinated tea, I was finding that it was making me like an ADHD riddled child, I am much calmer and focused without it.
Things I am going to try.
I want to start having a day without technology, I plan on checking my Etsy shop in the morning and then leaving my laptop at home. I will also leave my phone's internet turned off and keep it on 'do not disturb,' I think this will really help me with staying focused and getting more quality drawings onto the page.
I am also going to try once a week to have a 'just play' day, where I completely ignore whatever i'm doing in my main work and just play with something else. Whether that ends up being making myself a tote bag or going to a class or community project to just switch my brain off for a bit.
If you have any stories or solutions that work for you, please do share them in the comments! x
*even whilst writing this post I was flicking over to Facebook and Youtube*
My first quarterly (Jan-March) goal was to improve on my branding and to increase followers through social media to in turn, increase the traffic flow through my Etsy shop. I started as an attempt to make more sales but then turned it into data collection and tried to understand my market based on the few interactions people were having in my online shop.
This quarterly (April-June) goal, I have chosen to increase my Etsy listings, to make more products and to make a clearer collection that flows more easily and works with new/different types of products. I want to draw more and pay more attention to what i'm making so that it will look like and feel like 'my work' and with any luck i'll feel better about the direction i'm heading in.
Just before writing this post, I was watching a TED Talk that mentioned the link between smart phone addiction and the decrease in attention span. It mentioned that our attention span is now on average 8 seconds long, that's caused by rapid stimulus, caused by notifications and our reaction to answer them. I even find myself switching between apps and looking at information on my screen that i'm really not that interested in. I can't remember the last time I made a drawing that took me two days to finish, I can't remember the last time I read a book. I find it easier to scroll through Pinterest or Facebook than to create a drawing that I pre-predict I won't be happy with because it's not what I saw on that other person's Instagram feed- I'm sure we've all been there.
I'm finding it a bit concerning that the goal I had set myself to increase my following has actually hindered my making because I am comparing myself and I'm distracting myself. Even to the point where I now have a weekly plan that only allows me to use social media for one hour a day, to try and beat this habit.
*still flicking back over to Facebook to see how a baby panda grows*
Things I already do.
I currently use an iPhone 5s for both my personal and my business use. As you can imagine, it has the same amount of storage capacity as the boot of a Mini and if a thug pinched it from me, they would definitely return it. This is great in some ways because it means I am more particular about the photos I take (because i've just had to delete 25 to be able to take one more) and it means I can't hold more than two potentially distracting apps. My laptop on the other hand is always open at whichever desk I am currently making a mess on, crying out for me to 'just check' on my Etsy shop (something amazing might have happened in that last 3 minutes since I last checked).
I have started to make a weekly plan and a daily plan so that it sets out what times I am to start and end a task, keeping me focused and cutting out any free or unplanned time that I would otherwise spend on social media (or sit staring at the wall)- this seems to be working well but some days I do loose track of my plan if I get carried away (which is a good thing!).
One thing I have stopped doing is drinking caffeinated tea, I was finding that it was making me like an ADHD riddled child, I am much calmer and focused without it.
Things I am going to try.
I want to start having a day without technology, I plan on checking my Etsy shop in the morning and then leaving my laptop at home. I will also leave my phone's internet turned off and keep it on 'do not disturb,' I think this will really help me with staying focused and getting more quality drawings onto the page.
I am also going to try once a week to have a 'just play' day, where I completely ignore whatever i'm doing in my main work and just play with something else. Whether that ends up being making myself a tote bag or going to a class or community project to just switch my brain off for a bit.
If you have any stories or solutions that work for you, please do share them in the comments! x
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