Recognize that most fear for newer artists comes from fear of being judged. This is why so many artists have trouble with procrastination, Silber explains. “Once it’s finished, it will be judged,” he says. As a result, if you can just keep your painting or jewelry to yourself, incomplete, it will never have face all those possibly disapproving faces.

Figure out why you create. What drives your art? Do you have something to say? Do you want recognition? Do you do it for the money? Most artists start because they can’t help it – there’s something in them that must come out, whether or not the finished project ever see the light of day. The benefits they receive from publication, sales, etc., is just icing on the cake. If you are creating first and foremost for you, keep that in mind, suggests Silber.

Focus on the process. Take the pressure off your creative process, Silber urges. If every time you sit down to draw you tell yourself that this has to be sales-worthy, you’re putting undue stress on yourself. “The answer is to not focus on the outcome, but to focus on the process,” says Silber. Tell yourself, “I’m doing this for me.” Don’t expect anything commercial from your creations at all while you’re creating. Focus on the fun and joy the process brings you.

Let the muse guide you. While some creative-types can be very disciplined about their art, more are inspired by the muse, says Silber. Put your materials out where they’re easily accessible when inspiration strikes, and work when you’re in the mood. A benefit of taking advantage of small blocks of time is that you can get into your art before your logical brain has a chance to get in the way.

Set goals. Know what you’re aiming for, whether it’s becoming a self-supporting artist, writing a book, or taking part in a craft show. Even if you don’t have things spelled out in such detail, Silber says you should still set goals – create a bulletin board above your desk with inspirational pictures, quotes, or photos that represent what you’re aiming for. “It gives you focus,” he says. One challenge for creative people is that everything is interesting, so it’s easy to get off-track. This way, you have some sort of criteria for judging what to let into your life. You can ask, “Is this going to help me, or is this going to sidetrack me?” he says. “It helps you push a lot of things to the side.”

Give yourself a break. While Silber is a big proponent of setting goals, he also believes that there is plenty you can do to move yourself towards your goal that doesn’t involve actual creating. Administrative tasks like updating your website, or housekeeping items like filing or running errands can occupy your left brain, leaving your right (creative) brain free to do what it does best – dream, imagine, create.

Give yourself deadlines. One thing that keeps Silber on track is the external deadlines his publisher gives him. He knows he has to get moving at a certain point, or face the consequences. “A lot of artists need that drop-dead deadline,” he says. He suggests instead of punishing yourself, reward yourself when you complete a piece or make a self-imposed deadline. Buy a new piece of photographic equipment or a new software program – “Something that’s not just frivolous, but something that relates to your goal,” he suggests.

For more information on Lee’s books, or to read his blog, visit him online at www.creativelee.com.

For more information on Lee’s books, or to read his blog, visit him online at www.creativelee.com.

You can read his article "The Soul of an Artist"  here.
It is beautifully written and will give you the clarity and insight that indeed you are on the right path. So very insightful!

Visit his site at: http://www.creativelee.com
Email to: leesilber@earthlink.net 

:: Good And Bad Procrastination by Paul Graham.

How To Control Clutter Throughout The Year
“I don’t love you because you’re organized. I love you in spite of that.” —Chandler Bing to Monica Gellar on Friends

It’s really not “get organized”, it’s “stay organized”. One way to stay organized is to put Post-it Notes wherever you leave a mess and remind yourself what your goals are or scold yourself for going back to your old ways. Put notes in your calendar as reminders to stay organized. You have to have a new mindset. You know what being disorganized is like. We both know there is a problem or you wouldn’t have bought this book. This isn’t for my good, this is for yours. You already have the book. The solution is for you to make some lasting changes. Keeping a place organized is a thankless task, but worth the effort. If you value yourself you will want to do it and keep things that way. Just because you are organized doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. You have got to keep it up. Reaching a goal can be a real letdown but you have to set new goals. Here are some suggestions to keep you on track.

• Think before you buy. Start today by promising to not allow any new clutter into your life until you get a handle on what you have. The new you thinks about everything that comes into your life and wonders whether it is working for you or against you and doesn’t allow things in that don’t belong or help you reach your goals. Will this purchase make my life easier? Better? For example, when you buy bedding, is this complicated comforter and the ten pillows that go with it worth the time it will take to make the bed every morning? Pause and reflect before buying something or agreeing to do something that could clog up your life with clutter. You have a system in place so that you know what goes and what stays and where it goes. You have divided your home and office into zones with most often used items easy to get to and stored near where they are needed. You have a junk drawer but before you fill it up you take the time to sort through and thin it from time to time.

• Believe and achieve. Say, “I am organized.” This can’t just be a phase. Write it down over and over again. Put it on your keychain. Turn it into a screensaver. Act as if you ARE  an organized person even if you have to pretend and cast yourself in that role. Your home is the set. You can have a cast of characters to help out. You write the script complete with a happy ending.Schedule an opening night to show off the new organized you. That’s commitment.

• Set aside some time for organizing tasks. According to a University of Maryland study, 85 percent of us feel rushed some or all of the time. Duh. You will always be too busy to get organized and it’s even harder to find the time to stay that way. It doesn’t take that much time to keep up your organized ways. You can sift through your wallet in a minute or two. It takes five minutes at most to go through a pile of publications and get rid of your oldest ones. You’d be surprised at how many pesky little projects you can clear off your to-do-list in a few minutes a day. You can probably do a desk drawer in fifteen to thirty minutes. In one hour (with no distractions) you can conquer all kinds of clutter. Make the time to tackle organizing tasks like paying bills, putting photos in albums, repairs. Many of us go through seasons or cycles where we are extremely busy and then there are the down times. Granted, some never get a break. It is during the off-season that you can conquer clutter and finally catch up on organizing projects, so do a little every day. Set a timer for ten minutes and see how many tasks you can accomplish and how many things you can put away.

• Persistence pays off. “Persistence trumps talent and looks every time,” says Aaron Brown. It will seem impossible that you will ever have everything in its proper place  but by breaking down areas that need attention, you will find it is possible. Chip away and take on one area at a time. Getting one drawer of your desk in order does make a difference. Making a dent is a confidence builder. Take it one pile at a time. There will be peaks and valleys on your way to becoming organized. Don’t give up if you get discouraged and start sliding down the hill. Pull yourself up and stay with it even if you suffer a setback. When you feel overwhelmed, take a day off and leave the endless chores alone and go have some fun.

• Do something, anything. Build some momentum. Once one area is organized you will feel so empowered and you’ll want to continue. Take out the big stuff first (binders, catalogs, books) so your piles get smaller sooner. Do the task you find the most appealing first. By beginning with the easiest or most exciting thing you should see some success and start to get in the swing of things. Believe it or not, once you start you may not want to stop.

• Find the deeper meaning. “All motivation is self-motivation. Your family, your boss or your co-workers can try to get your engine going, but until you decide what to accomplish, nothing will happen,” says Seth Godin. Post the reasons why you want to stay organized so that when you are tempted to quit you’ll stick with it. Jim Carrey used affirmations before his big breakthrough. He was broke and struggling but he still told himself, “I am one of the top five actors in Hollywood. Every director wants to work with me.” Then he wrote himself a check inscribed, “For acting services rendered, $10 million.” He credits much of his success to affirmations and the mindset they can create. Make up your own that includes the words, “I am an organized person.”   

• Rome wasn’t built in a day. Getting organized will take time. Don’t give up if you don’t get everything the way you want it right away. It’s a lot like a diet. It’s a lifestyle that you have to maintain for a lifetime. You make changes with the times and what’s going on in your life. You find a system that works for you and stick with it. You may fall off the wagon but don’t throw in the towel. You may feel like you are losing control and in order to get a handle on things you may need to get some help to get things back in order and flowing. Murphy’s Law will always rear its ugly head and throw a wrench into your organizing wheel, so set realistic goals.  

• Take it one day at a time. Many of us will do what I call Olympic organizing. Once every few years we decide to get organized and we give it our best shot, but in between things tend to slide. My personal preference is to do a little organizing every day. I use found time to straighten up, put things away, shuffle my papers and take care of pesky little tasks. I find that I work better in short bursts anyway, and I prefer to slip in organizing between more enjoyable things. When I am writing and need a break, instead of plopping down in front of the TV, I will make copies, put papers away and take care of a multitude of mundane left-brain tasks. If you don’t have a minute to spare then you have to set aside some time to get to your organizing tasks. You can’t function at full speed if you are being slowed down by clutter and disorganization. A little organizing a day actually saves time later and prevents tiny tasks from turning into monsters. Actress Lucy Lawless says, “I can be ‘on’ for about two hours, then I have to do something real—like cleaning the grouting.”

• Look for ways to mix it up. Create new ways to do those same old tasks like paying bills, answering e-mail, updating your mailing list, cleaning the house or doing the dishes. Walk around your house with Duct Tape on your feet, sticky side out, and pick up all those little loose items. Then you can sort  them and throw away what’s not worth saving.

• It’s a new mindset. When you are faced with new challenges to staying organized, look for solutions instead of giving up or giving in. Keep your eye on the goal and what seems like a setback may not be a cause for concern or time to cave in. A state of effortless action is when you and the task become one. Find the tasks that give you that state of absorption that creates flow. One woman made her computer password at work “Organized” to make sure she thought about it throughout the day.

• Celebrate your organizing successes. For one week make a list of all the small successes you’ve had each day. Realizing this will motivate you to do more and keep you motivated. Put a jar on your desk and every time you choose organizing and maintenance over chaos and clutter, put a few bucks as an “atta boy” or “good girl” reward. When you get to $100 blow it on something fun and frivolous for yourself. Get rid of ten worn, unflattering tops and replace them with one nice new one.

• Anything is more interesting than what you are doing now. Use organizing as a break from boring work or when you have a mind block. When I am blocked or bored, I will switch from writer to landscaper, janitor, secretary or whatever hat needs to be worn as long as it doesn’t involve working on a book—this book. The truth is, we can’t create all day long or we’ll burn out. It’s also true that you can’t create in a vacuum and you need outside experience to trigger ideas. I also believe that to get unstuck you can’t force. The best thing to do is to get away from the problem and do something that allows your subconscious mind to work on coming up with a solution while you occupy your critical left-brain. It may be while I am going through a pile of papers or catching up on my reading that I’ll get the breakthrough I’ve been waiting for. What am I getting at? When you need a break, take it, but instead of watching another rerun of Murder She Wrote, clean out a drawer or catch up on some tedious tasks.

• Make it a habit. Believe it or not, organizing can become habit forming. Start the day off right by beginning with a simple but important task that you can complete in a few minutes. It will give you a positive push by accomplishing something of importance that will propel you through the day. What if you were to begin or end each day by getting rid of one piece of clutter? Wow, in a week you would have lightened your load by seven items. If you did one more thing a day to get and stay organized you’d be a lot better off by the end of the week, month and year. Get up early or arrive to work when nobody is there to bother you and organize. Do it at the end of the day to end on a high note. Ever notice how your local evening news ends the broadcast with a nice animal story so that it ends with something positive? It’s always better to come in the next day to a somewhat organized space. Some people may prefer to stay up late and do it. Frank Zappa worked nights while his wife, Gail, did the day shift since Zappa didn’t feel he could get anything done during the day. Some people get their second wind at night. A chore a day (or night) keeps the weekend work away.

• Redecorate as part of the organizing process. One couple featured on an episode of Trading Spaces was so enthralled with the transformation of their bedroom that they didn’t even sleep in it for fear of messing it up. Of course they returned to their room, but now they say they will not leave clothes lying around because the room has to remain spotless. I think this is true of a lot of us.

• Do it as you see it. Some of the rules that apply to staying on top your organizing tasks include the rule that if you pass something on the ground, pick it up and put it away. In fact, don’t put something down unless you put it away. Finish what you start so that a lot of loose ends don’t clog up every surface and finished things can be stored.

• Make organizing easier. When my wife wraps gifts she has a system that includes all the needed supplies and a trash bag so that she can clean up as she goes.  

• Routines are not as stifling as you may think. In fact, they can free up your creativity. It’s important for people who tend to take each day as it comes and get easily distracted to have some structure. The key is to set up a routine that is realistic and then stick to it. Put it on your calendar until you memorize it—a routine that will allow you to know what has to be done in order to stay on top of ongoing organizing. Pick a desk day to deal with paperwork, answer fan mail, put together proposals and pay bills. Otherwise, things that must get done tend to pile up. Before you celebrate the weekend, transfer all those scraps and sticky notes onto one master list. Catch up on calls. Process the mail.

• Break big tasks down. Organizing the entire garage in one try is too much, but if you work on it for twenty minutes a day you can make a difference. Our attention span is probably about thirty minutes but if we really focus we can work wonders in one hour. For big jobs break them down into “sitcom” segments (thirty-minute increments) so that it’s not too long but long enough for you to make a difference. You can clean out the fridge in half an hour and have time left over to make a sandwich. Maybe you can use the thirty minutes just to assess what needs to be done and take one tiny step to getting started. You can always sneak in thirty minutes of maintenance between the bigger tasks.

• Schedule big organizing projects. Make a date with yourself to get rid of clutter. Until you have a deadline it’s unlikely you’ll do it. Tie it in with a move, holiday, tax time, your birthday, the rainy season or when you paint your home. Whatever works. Sometimes it’s a life-changing time of your life that gets you to organize. A child goes off to college, you get married or divorced, have a baby, move or start a business. Schedule tough tasks when you know you’ll have the energy.

• Do more than one thing at a time. Multitasking helps you handle all the day-to-day organizing tasks that have to be done daily. In today’s fast world it won’t work to just do one thing at a time anymore or you’ll fall behind. If you clean the shower while showering or iron a weeks worth of clothes while watching your favorite show or wash the dishes while waiting for the water to boil, you’ll stay a step ahead of the clutter waiting to collect. Keep simple projects by the phone or near the TV to do a little at a time.

Excerpted from ORGANIZING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN by Lee Silber.
To order it from 'Amazon' simply click on the image below:

Lee Silber

Creative Lee Speaking
Creative Solutions for Every Kind of Business Problem

http://www.creativelee.com
Email to: leesilber@earthlink.net 

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