Lisa Call

Page From My Sketchbook Used to Track Studio Time (click to see larger image)

Tracking Studio Time

I wasn’t planning on writing tonight but I want to write this down while I still remember the thoughts I had today thinking about the post I wrote last night and some of the comments that were left.

I mentioned several times on my blog that I track my studio time. The posts I wrote early in 2008 ( This One and Another One ) are very interesting reads.

These posts indicate a change I made in tracking studio time. I went from being very systematic about it, to taking a more laid back approach. It was all part of the search for who I wanted to be.

I’ve since decided that is a bunch of crap-ola. Yep – I’m going back to a definite plan for how much work I want to get down in my studio.

It Didn’t Work

I discovered that trying to take the "Oh, It doesn’t matter, I’m more floaty and creative if I don’t put rules around it" approach to studio time resulted in my getting significantly less done.

In Jan-Mar of 2008, right after I devised that crazy scheme, I did basically nothing in my studio. My kids were in Europe – I was home alone – there were no excuses or distractions. It was simply me being less systematic. As a result I would often say "I’m tired" or "I don’t feel like it" and stuff like "I’ll do it tomorrow".

None of that stuff really results in things getting done. Instead it’s a good way to get nothing done but have a lot of lofty reasons for why I didn’t.

Like "self care is just so much more important than making art". Hm – NOT! Making art is the #1 thing I say I want to spend my time doing. Not avoid doing.

Why Does A System Work?

So I’ve thought a lot about why my old way of doing things, with rules and precise tracking, worked and I think the answer is it is basically the same thing as setting a timer.

There has been tons written about boosting productivity by using a timers (check out these google results). I think my old plan was essentially that. I timed myself.

When I walked into the studio I trained myself to look and the clock. That was it – timer was running. I didn’t stop working until the time was a even increment of 15 minutes. And then I wrote it down.

Because the timer was running I wasn’t tempted to run off and do other stuff, like check email or do my laundry.

When I left my studio the timer was off – I wasn’t racking up minutes. So I’d hurry back to get the timer going again.

I know this sounds kinda crazy but after seeing it in action and reading all the timer and productivity stuff (my favorite person that write about this is Christine Kane) I’m convinced – it really works. And not just for studio stuff. I now use a timer for my writing and planning art business stuff now also.

I have been spending 15 minutes each morning entering addresses into my snail mail mailing list. Fifteen minutes isn’t a lot but over time it adds up and with no big drama effort, I’m going to have the last 18 months of avoiding this task whipped into shape.

Going with No Goals

In my attempt to be more floaty I also gave up setting goals for how many hours I would spend in my studio each week. I decided to just let it happen. As I mentioned – it didn’t.

What happened is the emotional side of me got all excited and it had a field day. Woohoo – we get to run the show and stop her from doing what she wants.

I only made art when I felt like it. Or when I magically had time.

Okay – really – I work full time as a software engineer. I’m a single mom every other week with 2 teenagers constantly wanting stuff. I own my home, have to pay the bills and do all those house things that need done. There is the yard (okay there was the yard – it’s now dirt). Family, friends, quack quack quack.

I don’t have time to put in 20 hours a week in my studio so of course if I give myself an out I’m going to take it. There weren’t any goals so it didn’t matter. No disappointment so why bother doing it.

Thumbs Up To Goals

So forget that no goals thing. I’m now setting my goal to 15 hours a week. I’m making it lower than before because I also plan on doing a lot more art business stuff than I used to.

By setting goals I have something to aim for. I may not always make that goal but by identifying it and writing it down I have a much better chance of making my goal than without writing it down.

By setting goals I am no longer giving the emotional side of me free reign to do what I want. I get scared or worried or anything about what I’m working on. Great – recognize the feelings – but I’m not going to let it stop me from pushing forward.

Eventually those feelings realize they aren’t in control and they get a little less loud.

By setting goals and being systematic I’m significantly more creative and make much more art than when I’m all new-agey. Trying to be like those non-driven people I sometimes think I should be like, who always seem more creative and spontaneous and fun, didn’t work for me at all.

I need structure and systems for my creativity to work.

Home #3
©2008
10.5" x 8"
Purchase Here

Organization and Energy

When people ask me about having a lot of energy, one of the common threads is to ask how I have the energy to stay so organized with everything I do. I think the answer is that because I stay organized, I have energy for other things.

I find that clutter is a huge energy drain. Be it clutter in my mind or the more concrete piles of junk all over the house. If I let things get into too much disarray, all of my energy is spent thinking about what I have to do or hunting for stuff I can’t find and there is little energy left for doing anything. Staying organized frees up a ton of energy for other projects.

Mental Clutter

When my mind is full of unresolved issues with people or events or projects I tend to be low on energy. Or maybe more accurately, all of my energy ends up going towards ruminating about these situations.

Yesterday when I got home from work I ended up doing very little. Watched old episodes of The Office online. I never watch TV and I had 5 hours that could have been spent on studio time but something was off.

When I find myself stalled like I was last night I don’t beat myself, instead I look around and try to figure out what is draining my energy. I made a list of the things that were nagging at me and will spend today cleaning up those lose ends so I can get back to focusing my energy on making art, not worrying about stuff.

Getting the jumble out of my head and down onto paper, including my thoughts on how I feel about some of these things, is a huge help in plugging up the energy drain. Just recognizing all of the things that are pulling me into different directions is very freeing. Now I can prioritize the list and deal with the issues in a sane manner, instead of freaking out and shutting down.

Physical Organization

It’s not just my brain that need to stay organized for me to think clearly and have the energy to get things done. I also work better in an organized environment.

I’m a big believer in "a place for everything and everything in it’s place". When I don’t have that my things end up in random spots and I spend too much time looking for them, which is a complete waste of energy.

Just because I know a piece of paper is in a huge pile doesn’t mean it’s a good use of my time to dig through that pile every time I need it. Getting and staying organized is a way better use of my energy, so when I need something it is easily found. No distractions about clutter need enter my head when I’m in search of papers. I was able to pull together all the documents I needed for my construction loan in about 10 minutes because my files are so organized.

I had to buy an new quick release thing to attach my camera to my tripod as the old one disappeared. In my old house that thing had a home, if it wasn’t on my camera it was in it’s home. It had no home in this house so it apparently felt neglected and went on vacation. I spent over a month hunting for that thing, worring about taking pictures without and in general letting it annoy me. All of which was a huge waste of energy. The new one just arrived and first thing I did was decide where it will live in my house during the remodel. Energy drain plugged by a bit of organization.

This might sound like a silly example, but when a huge number of silly little things like lost quick release plates pile up together, I end up with a life that is only about distraction, not about making progress.

Home #3

These thoughts about clutter and organization tie in nicely with my thoughts about what makes a home. One thing I ask myself is why I crave so much space in a house. Why is my 900 sq ft house so in need of being made bigger for me to live here?

One of the answers I came to is that in 900 sq ft it is really really hard to be organized and uncluttered. There is simply not enough space to put things. Or to be more precise, given the things I own, there is not enough space to get organized. If I were told I had to live in 900 sq ft I could do it. But I would get rid of a lot more stuff. A huge roll top desk is not something that fits into a house of this size.

Fortunately I do not have to live in 900 sq ft and it turns out with the addition my house will be closer to 2300 sq ft. I’m pretty excited about that as I love big clear open spaces with minimal stuff. So while the frugal, virtous part of me feels like a big american pig for wanting such a big house, the efficient, productive artist in me is excited that in a few months I’ll be able to get really organized again and hence have more energy for making art. My energy is not best spent riffling through a cabinet crammed full of pots and pans to find the right one.

I’m ignoring the voices in my head that tell me there is some virtue in living small. I’m listening to the voices that say there is virtue in living large and honoring my desire for space for making art.

I completed Home #3 this morning and find it interesting how this piece of art, which I subtitle in my head Big House, Little House, and this posting came together at the same time. Rather serendipitous. And it’s the first photo I’ve taken in about 2 months with my tripod. Woohoo.

My Studio – Cutting Table and Laptop

Electronic Distraction

Currently my computer sits on a table in my bedroom, specifically the table I use to cut the fabric for my textile paintings. I find it very distracting and rarely can pass it by when I first wake up, with today being no exception.

It draws me in when I’m trying to create art as it is basically, well, in the way. It is warping my cutting mats with it’s 100 degree bottom. It’s a jumbled mess of cables that I keep thinking I might chop into with my rotary cutters. I have no other place to put it in the house at the moment so I need to learn to ignore it. While it’s not evil- my inability to ignore it is rather pitiful.

Today = Art

This weekend is my first weekend since moving into my new house that I have reserved for making art the entire weekend. No kids, no house chores, no distractions. Except this computer.

I’ve been having trouble really focusing on my art. In my old studio I could work for 8+ hours without drifting off to do something else. I want to get back to that place today. I am going to get back to that place.

So to reduce temptation, even though the real answer is some self control, it’s time for the computer to go away, at least temporarily. So I’m joining Cindy Davis and unplugging this weekend. Powering down the computer until sunday evening. Turning the ringer off on my phone. Going to get focused and make some art.

I thought about going til monday morning but I want to pay bills this weekend and do some art business activities that require me to be online. So I’ll group all those together and do them sunday evening. If I have time I want to do another post on scrum sunday evening also.

A Design!!!

Met with my builder last night and we have a design that I really love and that fits my budget. We will sign contracts tomorrow and the plans should be at the Denver Building Dept later this week. Then we sit and wait – up to 6 or 7 weeks – for them to approve the plans. I want to start soon so I’m going to believe that they will review the plans and issue the permit within the 4 weeks they say it takes. And they will.

Cause they know how much I really want a dedicated studio.

Without a computer in it.

Notes on the Above Photo

1. The new piece on the wall is Structures #98. That’s what I’ll be focusing on this weekend along with Home #2. All those bright colors are very different for me. I’m excited about working with them.
2. The beautiful glorious crabapple tree in the back yard is history. We tried everything to save it but I couldn’t build up, down or back without killing this tree (we even thought about picking up the house and moving it forward on the lot – but even that wouldn’t work). The tree is simply too close to the house. I’m sad. I’ll plant many more trees to make up for it. But none of them this close to the house.
3. My laptop is totally cool – although you can’t see it in this photo – it’s orange. No wonder I can’t just walk past it when it’s closed. They made these things colors to make them more irresistible.
4. The first thing on my todo list today is to clean up my studio. There is no way I’d show you the view from the other direction. I need to bring a bit more organization to my bedroom/studio/office.

Do you have any tricks for ignoring a computer?

Markings #4    ©2006    56"x 55"

Distractions

When I left the workshop in Idaho in October 2005, where I completed the first composition for the Marking series, I was excited about doing more work in the new series.

I was so hyped up about it I decided to leave Sandpoint friday evening after the workshop was over instead of spending the night as planned. I figured I could make the 1150 mile drive back home in a day and half and it would give me all day sunday to work in my studio.

That plan worked out great and I was home by Saturday evening.

Unfortunately I came home to a big mess in my yard from a snow damaged tree. And to top off the distraction I managed to lock myself out of my house as I investigated the mess 5 minutes after returning home, barefoot and with no coat. I spent the next 2 hours at my neighbors watching bad TV waiting for the other neighbors with the keys to my house to return.

That drama was the end of any work in my studio for a while (it took a few weeks to clean up the mess in the yard) and when I returned I worked on my Structures series.

Drawing

Although I wasn’t investigating mark making with textiles I started drawing that fall. I started with objects but quickly graduated to lines. Lots of parallel lines. Pages full of them. You can see my drawings here.

With many months of drawing experience under my belt, in late March 2006 I decided it was finally time to go back and explore mark making in fabric. I feel taking the time to explore pencil drawing before jumping into this series was a good thing. I can’t say I exactly planned it but in looking back I feels right.

Back on Track

I decided to dedicate the entire month of April to an exploration of lines and I designed and constructed the compositions for Markings #2-#10. A fairly significant effort as these are all large pieces. Markings #9 was the only smallish piece.

I find that when I really focus like this, only on the design and composition leaving the surface stitching for later, that I can get into a flow. One pieces follows another and new ideas arrive faster than I can work on them. It was a very satisfying month.

Interestingly my blog posts from April 2006 give absolutely no clue I’m working on these pieces. Just like now I am writing nothing about what’s happening in my studio (I’m working on the surface stitching for Structures #72 and #73). I think it’s rare for me to discuss my current studio work. It needs to incubate for a while before I find words for what I’m doing.

Markings #4

In Markings #4 I was playing around with the values of the thin lines. In the top of the piece the lines go from light to dark and back light again. The bottom half is reversed.

 
Detail of stitching: