Staying Motivated and Inspired
February 23, 2009
Staying inspired and motivated can be difficult for an artist or maker, especially in this slow economy (or during this Covid pandemic) when retail sales are down. Don't let it get you down. When things are slow, you need to refocus your efforts on quality work and refining your inspiration.
I highly recommend reading a book by Twyla Tharp titled, "The Creative Habit". She reveals many of her tricks and techniques for staying focused on her work. She continuously stresses the importance of practicing her craft all the time..." scratching" (as she calls it) to develop new ideas.
Another suggestion is to "Quit before you are exhausted". She likes to quit before her creative focus is exhausted, she wants to be able to retain some energy for the next step in the studio.
When my work is going well and I have to quit and walk away, my trick is to write down what I need to do next. I put a note to myself, front and center on my workbench with the next half hour of work laid out for me to do. When I walk in the next day, feeling cold (there is no heat in my studio) and uninspired, my day's first task is ready to go. This can jump-start my day.
This post was updated on January 9, 2022