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June 2004 Contents
I. In Search of a Deadline
II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room, and the Shrink’s Couch
III.  Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
IV. Creative Links:
V. Newsletter and Info: Sharing this newsletter, subscribing, and unsubscribing

I. In search of a deadline
Early on in my career as a psychologist, I learned the value of deadlines, both in solo work and in research teams writing grant proposals. There was nothing like that due date for sharpening one’s thinking and getting the adrenaline flowing.

In making art, however, I’m finding deadlines a mixed blessing. Sometimes the momentary excitement about a publicized challenge gets me to commit to making art with a particular theme, only to find out later that the depth of the work ain’t so great – in fact it can be downright shallow, with no legs once the lure of being part of a show with certain people or in a prestigious setting cools off. I’ve fallen into the pit of the “urgent but not important” (#3 below).

Steven Covey* is the latest presenter of this useful 4-fold table. All artists need a structure to support the energy and flow of their work, and usually those in mid-career have deadlines as an inevitable part of that structure.  In my rebellious way, though, I like to picture structure, whether deadlines or some other studio discipline, as made of lashed bamboo poles, a scaffold like they use in the far east for high rise construction. It’s light-weight, easily moved, and rearranged to suit different purposes.

I’d like to have the power of a deadline to help me get a piece done but without the deadline pressure. When I examine the power of deadlines for me I realize that the most important element is the excitement, both physical and emotional.

Once I’ve committed to a project, I feel I have no choice but to move through the various steps of making that piece without time for breaks just because I’m stuck. Or because my body want to go work outside, curl up with a book and my cat, or go for a walk.

The emotional excitement comes from having one eye on the creative process and the other on the calendar (or on the clock when my planning was way off!). The excitement is largely from the tension of “will I get it done?”. I also like the illusion of clarity when the piece is tightly connected to a calendar; I am way more aware of the beginning, middle, and end phases of the work.

Using Covey’s table, I’d prefer to move to box 2, where the work is Important but not Urgent and find a source other than deadlines for the physical and emotional excitement - hopefully a source that is not tied to the calendar and does not require working on art when my body, psyche, or spirit really need something else.

What’s best for me is finding the excitement in the work itself, and being much clearer about its challenges. Often the process of creating brings this excitement on its own, and then it is a gift which I try to stay alert enough to receive. But there are times when I need to consciously challenge myself to push one step further in conception, in design, in technique. Then I am creating the kind of excitement deadlines can engender but from within the work itself.

Do you use deadlines in your creative work? Share your pro’s and con’s and be entered into a raffle for a free fall teleclass. Click here to respond: connect@dianereardon.com.
*Covey, Steven. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 1989. See Chapter 3. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743250974/breakthroug00-20
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II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room and the Shrink’s Couch

Pressure vs. Momentum
Robert Fritz’s research is not from the lab but from teaching about creating. His refreshing approach is to downplay creativity, the noun, the something we have or don’t have, and to emphasize creating, bringing something into existence because you love it. He warns us away from psychology, especially any focus on the creator’s state of mind, hang-ups, positive or negative thinking, etc.

In his focus on creating, the verb, he reviews some fairly well-known principles that help keep the momentum going. He goes deeper in underlining that you get to make all the choices when creating. He only gets psychological if there is something getting our way of making those choices and provides good examples of how beliefs about obligation, responsibility, knowing what you’re doing, and behaving rationally can get in the way.  

In this context of “creating”, he warns us that deadlines can be used to create pressure or build momentum. When they are a manipulation, the person responds to the pressure and once it’s over is only relieved. When you use a deadline to organize your actions, however, it can build momentum. Working backwards from the due date to chunk out the steps of your work helps you to organize a practical process that produces more and more energy. Again the focus is on what your are creating and your passion for it.
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III. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
Click on amazon link for book details and to support breakTHROUGHArts.

Loehr, Jim & Schwartz, Tony. The Power of Full Engagement. 2004.  www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743226747/breakthroug00-20. These corporate consultants go beyond time management to energy management. Their ideas for the “corporate athlete” are clear enough to apply to anyone including artists. The model is that of an athlete who goes into training to be more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned. For those whose work includes deadlines, they give great examples of ongoing training routines to prepare you for those high performance periods, followed by recovery periods. If you ever considered eating the right breakfast as part of supporting your art-making (think of all the eggs in Rocky I), this book will inspire you.

Fritz, Robert. Creating: A practical guide to the creative process and how to use it to create anything – a work of art, a relationship, a career or a better life. 1991. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0449908011/breakthroug00-20
As suggested above, this small investment yields high returns for those who want to examine beliefs about their own creativity.
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IV. Creative Links.
www.PowerofFullEngagement.com  A somewhat simplistic but often revealing free assessment of the balance of your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energies. 

www.artdeadlineslist.com Here’s where to go if you’re lacking deadlines and want some of that energy. Includes 2 and 3-dimensional visual and literary media. There’s a free version of monthly listings of several pages each month, or for $20 you can have over 50 pages in your email box to pore over.
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V. Newsletter Info 
E-mail changes. To change your e-mail address, subscribe, or unsubscribe please e-mail connect@dianereardon.com. If you use a spam filter, please add this e-mail address to your list of approved senders. This material is included on the breakTHROUGH Creativity Coaching website (www.dianereardon.com). All material is copyrighted ©, 31 May 2004, Diane Reardon. All rights reserved. Visit the website for back issues and details on scheduling a complimentary one-hour coaching session.
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