Pressure and Productivity -

[Jaxilon]

I can't be the only one but it seems like it sometimes...

What is it about intense pressure that brings out my highest levels of productivity? It's like I can't trust myself to start something early because it might be a complete waste of time. At least if I only spend a couple days on something and I have to toss it in the trash it's not a huge loss...does that seem right to you? Is this an artist malfunction or uniquely my own?

I feel like I'm sort of in a limbotic (is that even a word?) state these days. Having sold my business and started a part time job where I'm in the office only two days a week you would think I'd be pounding out some art. While I am fiddling around with watercolors I'm not really going like gangbusters. I'm more day dreaming about something HUGE. Now if only I could figure out what it is and bring it to the surface! To make matters worse I could be working from home writing code and making some money but when I sit down to try and do that I suddenly feel more like taking a nap. LOL.

I see some of you guys who pound out art on metronomic pace and I feel envious. For example, I've wanted to create an entry for the current challenge and the one page dungeon contest but have I started? No... Today is the first day I am thinking seriously of trying to make something for the challenge. Seriously?! I mean what the heck, why do I always do these things in the last 5 days? Why not give myself a chance by starting early for once?

Sometimes I think I'm either completely burned out from the last 10 years running my own business or I just lack motivation. Once I get going I'm unstoppable and don't interrupt me or I might rip your head off. When I'm at full steam even my phone ringing irritates. Why doesn't it ring while I'm sitting here in thought doing nothing? It's like the universe knows, "Oh, quick, he's getting productive, call him or something." Haha, I can work for an entire day straight forgetting to eat and everything and I totally love it. Hyper-focus I'm told but I seem to have one heck of a time getting into that mode at the moment.

Oddly enough, I really think I need a vacation to just reset my head and blow out these lazy bones.

Am I the only one who has these episodes where the only way I get anything done is when I'm up against the wall? It sux!

[Beoner]

You are not alone. Just last summer I had about 2 months of vacation, and except for the Lite Challenge, I did nothing concerning art or cartography, I spent the whole vacation thinking on what could my tale (for some sort of challenge a publishing house was running) be about, also I wanted to draw some maps for any future campaings, or just to improve skills. Guess what I did? Nothing, when there were two days of vacation left I got the idea to draw Arcantis (which, btw, is still not done ), my tale I got a good idea by the mid of march (after 15 days since vacation finished), but the deadline was on april 11, and I couldn't get it done in time.

Sometimes I sit down to think, "Well, now what could I possibly write/draw about?", and then when I check the clock "five minutes later" , Oh my! I've been sitting for an hour now, and my work is pretty much nothing. It does is only when I have the time knife behind my back that I start to really get the ideas and work, though not always I have enough time to finish them.

[ravells]

I am just like you, Jax. I was at my most productive when I had the least amount to time to draw. Now I work from home and have much more of an opportunity to draw maps I find myself doing other stuff!

[Gamerprinter]

It's really why I work so fast in creating my maps - I place a self-imposed deadline to any map I create, usually same day, never more than a week. I actually have a lot to do these days so I have to 'schedule' my creativity time, getting a particular map done within the frame of particular dates. Sometimes I have to 'psyche' myself up prior to starting a map, but once I get started - hours later, I'm done. The longer the periods between maps, the more I have to prepare myself to do them. When I'm on a run creating map after map in quick succession, it's easier to start a new map, but this can lead to 'burn out'. So I pace myself between maps, and proceed at top speed when actually creating one. (I'm an odd bird, I know, but it's how I get things done.)

GP

[Jaxilon]

@GP - Actually that makes perfect sense. I may give that a try myself.