Radical Compassion as a Productivity Tool in Your Creative Practice, Combating Procrastination in Art

Why Was I Resisting Something I Actually Wanted To Do?

Today I had to put into practice one of my most repeated lessons from the book 'We Need Your Art'.

I almost didn't get out of bed this morning when the alarm went off to go climbing, and by the time I got home I was feeling rubbish and super low on energy.

After breakfast I treated myself to a lie down on the couch and almost made myself get straight back up, telling myself I didn't have time for this. But then I stopped and told myself that if I felt more rested, I'd probably get more done when I did start moving.

I defiantly wasn't in the mood to make any art.

Twenty minutes later I still wasn't feeling quite right, so I put on my jeans, poured a coffee into my favourite ceramic takeaway mug and took the dogs to the park. I wandered off the path and into the sunshine and listened to Sabrina Carpenter the whole way.

There was a time I would have felt guilty for this. For not sitting at my desk and grinding it out.

But I've come to appreciate that when you work for yourself, sometimes rather than force your way through resistance, it's more productive to ride it through and come out the other side understanding it better.

Wrestling Your Inner Monkey Is Exhausting

I've been resisting writing this blog post.

Which feels ridiculous, because I know I want to write it, and I LOVE writing.

I host a creative book club every month and through reading non fiction books for creatives, discussing them and putting their ideas into practice, I learn so much.

Writing down my conclusions helps solidify what I've learned and translate it into a consistent part of my illustration practice.

I also enjoy writing.

So why do I feel so much resistance to doing it?

While reading McNee's chapter on procrastination, I wrote in my notes:

"Cultivating a habit which examines the reasons you are avoiding something is far more fruitful than trying to stomp out all distraction with an iron will." I think there's a lot of wisdom in that.

Having to exert an iron will all day every day is a route to ignoring your deeper feelings and needs. Treating our resistance with radical compassion and reflecting on why we're feeling so resistant is a path which leads to more fruitful work with stronger outcomes.

Be nice to yourself.

Ask yourself WHY you don't want to do it before forcing yourself to do it anyway.

Nobody likes to be ignored after all (even by themselves).

Asking Why I'm Experiencing Procrastination In My Art, Instead of Feeling Guilty

This philosophy of dealing with procrastination with radical compassion was my biggest takeaway from the book.

I also loved the acknowledgement that procrastination can't be stomped out entirely.

"No matter who you are or what you do, you will procrastinate. All of this is part of the creative journey."

Accepting this frustrating state as inevitable helps reduce the guilt that comes along with it, and guilt rarely helped anyone produce their best work.

As an illustrator and freelance creative, I often feel particularly confused by procrastinating illustration work.

After all, I'm living my dream career.

Doing a job some people would love to have.

So what, I can't be bothered?

But dig a little deeper and more often than not I'm resistant because I'm not sure how to execute what's in my head and figuring it out will be hard work. Or perhaps I do know exactly what needs doing, because I've done it a thousand times before, and that makes it boring to this novelty-seeking creature that lives in my brain.

These are valid reasons.

After all, I am simply human.

And I suspect ADHD and freelance work are not always the easiest combination when your brain constantly craves novelty.

Giving My Brain Less to Fight With

I've been refining my workflow with client projects this year because I realised I was feeling resistance at certain points during the book cover illustration process.

I didn't have a consistent method.

Without repetition I wasn't building the muscle memory needed to make those tasks feel easy.

Then on low-energy days I would wonder why it felt so hard to get started.

Understanding the source of that resistance has really helped.

As a result, my brain space has been freed up to be more playful with my work, and my output is better.

Have you ever felt bored while making a piece of art, and then questioned the very foundations of yourself because you're "supposed to be a creative person"?

Me too.

Instead of fighting that boredom, I've started working with it:

Setting timers.

Changing location.

Making novelty drinks.

Texting friends about my work to make what I'm doing more interactive.

I'm writing this right now on a standing desk in the garden.

That makes it way more fun for my novelty-seeking brain.

Work with yourself and your weaknesses.

We are not robots.

We are creatives.

Tiny Habits and Rebuilding Trust

My third big takeaway was McNee's "two week reset".

Take something you want to do.

Then make the most embarrassingly tiny version possible.

Something so small that even on your busiest and worst day, you could still do it.

This tiny act works wonders on your relationship with yourself.

When we repeatedly fail giant goals, we slowly stop trusting ourselves.

But by consistently achieving something manageable, we begin to believe we can do the things we challenge ourselves to accomplish.

I've long struggled with social media.

As a creative freelance illustrator, I know posting consistently would be beneficial, but I've always had blocks around it.

After posting simple stories every day with a clear manageable goal, I enjoyed posting for the first time in years.

I'm going to do the same thing with portfolio work next.

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Radical Kindness Is Surprisingly Productive

While reading this book and reflecting on my resistance every day instead of simply pushing through it, I drew more, made more art and had more creative ideas than I have in a long time.

I FELT like the creative person I idolise in my mind but can never quite live up to.

I've even used this mentality in other areas of my life and can confirm that radical kindness and self-understanding are surprisingly fruitful productivity tools for creatives.

For the creative book club in June, we'll be reading and reflecting on 'The Creative Act' by Rick Rubin, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what I take away this time.

Future Creative Book Club Meetups on Eventbright