Two ‘business related’ goals were accomplished: file three years of email correspondence relating to research and writing Song of Jaybird and inventory studio work. How quickly I realized distractions replaced art and writing goals, since last week’s blog post. Distractions came one by one.
When I was younger with our children in school, I longed for the day to work without distractions, a dream I shared with an older friend (also an artist and writer). She set me straight on that unrealistic, idyllic, creative life. "There will ALWAYS be distractions!" She said, "The distractions you have later will be different than now."
True, practice, lessons, homework, activities, and dramatic teen years have been replaced with sad and happy distractions, illness, deaths, marriages, grandchildren, my husband's retirement, social security, and Medicare, not to mention changes in technology, which can also be a blessing and an interruption.
My dear friend was right; I often remember her foretold wisdom. The years pass, and still, I am perplexed how to manage goals amid disruptions.
A prolific author of over seventy published works, Joyce Carol Oates, said, "Distractions are the great adversary of creativity." The reality of her quote weighs me down. Somehow, she managed and accomplished her way through them. It helps to look towards others’ ability to manage their life’s disruptions.
There are things I do habitually: I check my email once a day. I keep my phone on silent all day. When I take a break, I check to see what text or phone calls I need to answer. I limit social media until the end of the day. I make lists. Then, there is an ever-present interruption I had not planned or set time for. There are definite distractions that have deadlines and need attention; for example, signing up for an insurance plan took us most of the morning. With that out of the way, we can move on; however, the task and time involved left no room for creativity. The danger for me is too much time away from my studio creates a mental distraction, as I experience a disconnect with something I am working on. When I am not creating, I feel a loss of physical and mental energy.
Taking control is the next step. How do you take control of distractions? I would love to hear from you.
