Jinx and Teego watching me work.
Some days are better than others.
I set a goal and make step-by-step plans on how to accomplish that goal. I make and stick to a list. I check off items on that list as things get accomplished. I set deadlines for myself and work to meet those deadlines.
And then….
there are some days in which no matter WHAT I do, I just can’t seem to get it all TOGETHER. Nothing appears to get done. The projects are waiting. I’ve got what I need. I can find the supplies, have the time, look around and then WHAM! I get blindsided by what might appear to be procrastination, but it’s really not. (At least I don’t think so.)
I’ll call it “Spinning Circles” for lack of a better term. I can’t seem to get anything accomplished, so I’ll go out in the barn, sit down at the wheel and begin to treadle. On the wheel I can feel the fiber passing through my fingers and my thoughts begin to flow with the movement of the wheel. I keep a notebook handy for when/if the solution to a problem, inspiration or idea strikes. I’ll write it down because I KNOW I won’t remember it later.
Another technique I use is called “Foolin’ Around.” I’ll take my camera with me and go for a walk in the back yard. I never know for sure what I might find, but it gets me up and moving. My imagination begins to look at things from a different point of view and that’s always a good beginning.
Jinx and Teego were a little curious when I came into the pasture with my camera. Soon I had some handspun yarns out for a photo shoot and it was more than they could bear. They came over to look. Did I have food? After spending almost two hours with a camera and the alpacas, I could begin again. Maybe I was working all along.
What do you do when you get “stuck” with thoughts or ideas in your creative projects? Although I might be spinning circles and fooling around, I’ll be making forward progress.
Today’s a good day for “Foolin’ Around.”
Happy Creating!
Paula B. Puckett 