— In “21 Days to Creative Abundance” (somewhere around Day 12 or 13) you’ll run into what I think might be one of the most vital components of the entire course:
The importance of learning to think (and create) in terms of PROJECTS.
“By default, we tend to go from one piece to another, drifting from one idea or approach to the next . . . toying with one thing today another thing tomorrow, none of it really connecting in any way. . . . And in the beginning this is totally natural.
“But it is through focusing your efforts on a CREATIVE PROJECT that you will begin to feel that your work really matters. And the reason is obvious: because in working on a larger project (something that takes at least a weekend to pull off, but maybe a week or a month, maybe an entire year) you necessarily need to bring more attention, more care, more thought to the endeavor.”
It’s fun to just create work more or less at random. And you should be doing just that, pretty much all the time.
But I really think you should also be looking at producing two, three, maybe four larger projects each year.
And these involve just about anything you could dream up:
— Maybe the project involves a new kind of photo shoot tied to a particular theme or technique, and results in a set of related prints you want to put in a show.
— Maybe the project ends up turning into a book or a cool video.
— Maybe the project involves a set of mixed media prints designed as interior decor for a hip local business.
— Maybe the project culminates in a beautiful set of printed stationary you produce for a boutique hotel or a treasured bed and breakfast.
— Maybe the project consists of creating a one-of-a-kind box of prints and handwritten letters you give as a gift to someone you love.
When you move beyond creating art “all over the place,” and instead focus on carrying ONE specific project to completion, working on it diligently over a span of time, giving it your very best . . . and actually FINISHING it . . .
I think you’ll find that your confidence will soar and your artistic skills will take a tremendous leap forward.
Creating larger projects — assembling a very real body of work — will also make you feel so much more like an authentic artist.
And because you’ll be treating your art with a degree of seriousness it might have lacked until now, you’ll begin to feel like an actual professional.
So sit down tonight or early tomorrow, grab your journal, and jot down half a dozen ideas for possible projects you could dive into and have fun with.
Think up a few you could hammer out in one intense weekend. A few others you could pull off in a week or two. A few others, even more ambitious, that might take a couple of months.
Then choose the one that excites you the most. Ideally one that puts some butterflies in your stomach.
Then plan it out.
Pick a day to get started.
And BEGIN.
~ Sebastian
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PS: The featured artwork on this post came from an impressive project titled “Scapes,” created by AWAKE artist Colin Campbell. He even collected the entire series in an Adobe Spark presentation, which you can explore by clicking here . . . Another series of Colin’s I like you can find by clicking here . . . Both are abstract, yet thematic. Just cool stuff!
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