As a creative person, it’s easy to fall into Cameron Fry mode. You sit in your office/car/room, paralyzed, trying to get the engine started. The nagging voice of inspiration (in this case, Ferris) keeps calling you, but you’re in “Egypt land” and want to be left alone. You constantly tell yourself “I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go…” You are busy doing what most of us do and do well: make excuses.
During the making of my first large endeavor (a student film), it took my advisor screaming at me and slamming the door on me to realize that I was making excuses for myself. You see, there was technical issue A and issue B, not to mention school work and my part-time job. How could I move forward on the project?
Well, first off: stop making excuses. As soon as I stopped making excuses and started working, the looming issues that acted as road blocks previously began to fade. I was excited to be working on the projects again and creativity was flowing because I was not ignoring its voice. There are so many reasons not to be working on a project (fear, confidence, time, etc.), but I have found a few things helpful in producing work instead of excuses.
1.) Maintain the longview
It is easy to become discouraged when all you can judge your progress by is the micro day-to-day progress on any given project. Some things take time. I don’t have a great deal of faith in my ability to churn out something perfect and riveting in the first draft. What I am slowly learning is to have faith in the process. I am not Mozart. I have accepted that. That does not mean that I cannot produce great stuff through patience and good ol’ fashioned hard work. In this sense, working on something becomes less about genius and more about sticktoitiveness. It is about having faith that time, patience, honest critique, staying open to inspiration, and hopefully, good sensibilities, will help you ultimately see out your vision.
2.) Work through discouragement
We all feel discouraged when we are working on something. I am not sure how other people view artists, but I see them as mostly brave and courageous people who are willing to risk constantly by exhibiting their work and opening themselves up to scrutiny. I personally think it sucks when people hate something I’ve done. I try to remind myself that I cannot please everyone, but it still is difficult to deal with the inevitable criticism that attends publishing. One key to coping with discouragement and blows to your ego is to continue working. It feels good to produce. Working on projects reminds you what you love about creating in the first place. If you allow discouragement to turn you into Cameron Fry, you will feel worse and produce less. Fall in love with the process of creation and turn to it for shelter when you lack confidence. You can be a perfectionist about the final product, but remember that there is a world of difference between experimentation and implementation. Remain flexible during the process. You are the one who eventually decides what makes it out of the editing room. Alex, the subject of my first documentary film, passed on this quote to me from New York City-based sculptor, Michael Lekakis: “Do your work. The rest is in the lap of the Gods.”
3.) Choose your critics wisely
I do not feel obligated, in the least, to open projects I am working on to the public while they are still in progress. I am lucky to have some close friends and family members who are always willing to give me tough news and critiques. When I finally finish a project that I am happy with, it is largely due to the many waves of critiques I have received over time from close associates. As much as it pains me to hear that my first draft isn’t perfect, I am very thankful that I have people around me that constantly provide the necessary criticism and encouragement to make my work better. There are plenty of people out there who are more than willing to volunteer for the position of critic. Choose your critics wisely. Once you have chosen people you trust, listen to them, swallow your pride, and get to work making improvements.
So, there you have it. Don’t be like Cameron. Stop making excuses and remember to maintain the longview, work through discouragement, and choose your critics wisely. I promise you that as you work and keep working you will be happier. You will break out of your funk and start producing again.
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