Freedom within Limitations
A kick up the bum, delayed gratification and shiny new things
Helloooo lovely souls! Since we last spoke I’ve done a bit of a 180. If you keep in the loop you’ll know recently I’ve been doing a lot of thinking but very little doing. Sometimes we must be gentle, give ourselves the time and patience to think and process. Other times we need a gentle kick up the bum.
My creative juices haven’t been…juicing?…but the longer I mulled over ideas the list of excuses, directions and doubts grew and the scoreboard appeared Overthinking 1 : Creative Chiara 0.
I often feel the sporadic, adventurous mind of a creative needs structures in place to keep them from roaming in every which way. For the most part, I’ve been roaming a little too freely this year and not really getting much done.
Setting the Task
From talks, Q+A’s and workshops, the one recurring question is “how do I stay on track even when I feel lost?”. I could never give a clear answer because the creative process looks completely different across people and practice. Then one day it just rolled of my tongue - “Freedom within limitations”. There are no rights or wrongs in a creative practice which can often lead to the painstaking task of dilly-dallying over what route is the best to explore.
Out of sight, blurry, crystal clear
Much of being a freelancer is learning to work with the ebb and flow of what is within our control and what is not. I sometimes have to remind myself “success” is a mix of controllable, non-controllable factors and sheer luck. Recognising this helped me to build limitations and structures in my own personal projects.
Task 1 - Reach out
Freedom : Contact clients that align with my work
Limitation : Submissions require specific formats
Something that motivates me is the sense of urgency, that I’m proactively seeking opportunities and not just blissfully awaiting for things to fall into my lap. Task one was to (dare I say stalk folk on LinkedIn) reach out to at least 5 - 10 potential clients and submission forums a week. This also encouraged me to update my website. This task is the perfect dichotomy of what I can control vs what I can’t. I can reach out but I can’t guarantee a response.
Task 2 - Delayed gratification
Freedom - I get to paint something I enjoy every day
Limitation - a painting a day, within a restricted size and concept
I went back and forth with this idea for toooooo long and now that I’ve started I cannot tell you how much joy it’s bringing me! Without giving too much away just yet, this piece is forcing me out my comforts. She’s big. She’s also tiny. She’s a drawing a day for many days. I’ve always been someone who prefers a fast turn around because I love the final outcome. This project however is blurry, I have no idea how it will look and it’s forcing me to practice the idea of delayed gratification.
Although I’m excited to see how it will turn out, I think I’ll be sad when it’s complete…I wonder if i’ll still feel the same in over 100 days *nervously laughs to self*.
Task 3 - New products
Freedom - Create greeting cards for any occasion
Limitation - Limited colour palette and deadline
A perfectly simple project overcomplicated because of choices galore. The goal was to produce greeting cards but this was too broad and I found myself aimlessly faffing. Once I’d put limitations in place, a task I’d been tackling for months, became crystal clear and completed in the space of a week.
Some cuteness for you to get your little paws on. Grab 10% off with code APRIL
All three of these tasks have been on my to-do list since the start of the year but I gave myself no structure or limitations within them. Personally I find decisions within client work much easier because they set limitations. It’s a whole other ballgame when you are in charge. Accountability, structures and deadlines are your besties when you wanna get going.
Being your own boss is a beautiful balancing act of being gentle and gently kicking your booty.
Until next time lovely souls,
