Does it seem as though your dreams of artistic success – no matter what that means to you – are hopelessly out of reach? Try some small steps to reap big results!
The Japanese have a word for it – kaizen – although it was brought to Japan by Americans after the Second World War.
https://diamondart.news.blog/2022/02/22/dont-leave-your-studio-without-them/
You’ve heard the sayings:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
It turns out that these sayings contain very wise – and scientifically sound – advice.
The part of our brains that control emotional response – the amygdala – is programmed to take over when we’re faced with a dangerous situation. That was extremely useful back in the ages when humans lived out in the open and needed to be aware of danger from animals and weather. It’s still useful when we’re confronted with sudden disasters.
It also, however, triggers the flight-or-fight response, and shuts down higher orders of thinking, such as creativity.
The amygdala is a primitive part of our brains, and cannot distinguish between the challenges of real physical danger -–an oncoming train, for example – and the challenges that present themselves to us in modern life – write a report, create a set of illustrations, paint a large and More about Diamond Dotz
important portrait.
The trick is to, literally, trick that part of the brain, to keep it from being alarmed at the thought of big changes, big challenges and big projects.
How?
Quite simple really. Take small, non-threatening (to your brain) actions.
For example:
Issue: Your studio is an overwhelming mess. You don’t know where to start. It’s been a mess for weeks.
Possible Action: Put away one thing. It may not look like much right away. But put away one more thing tomorrow. And the day after. Before very long, you’ll begin to see some order, while not being overwhelmed by the task at hand.
Issue: You have a show scheduled, but nothing is framed.
Possible Action: Just think about what sort of frame you might like for one piece. Picture the outcome. Tomorrow, buy one frame. Frame one picture the next day.
Issue: You’re stuck, artistically speaking, and can’t seem to do anything.
Possible Action: Take out a piece of paper and pen, and doodle for one minute. Do that each day. See what happens next.
In each case, the action was actually trivial. Not enough to alarm your alarm system. But you have actually taken action, and in taking action have begun to reprogram yourself.
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