Don't forget to breathe
On struggling with a Creative Productivity Trap
Hey friends, I’ve been out of touch for a few days. How’s everybody doing out there?
Summertime in Wisconsin is funny because in this part of the world, where we’re forced indoors for the cold season half of the year, we try to cram twelve months of living and playing into twelve weeks of warm weather. Making time for everything can be exhausting.
I was out for coffee with my friend Lisa the other day. She’s a designer and painter, and we ended up discussing the balance between being creative and productive, noting how the two are often at odds, and how many of us struggle with feeling like we’re not making enough good work.
In America, we often measure our worth by the amount we accomplish. And artists, I fear, spend too much time worrying about how productive they’re being — or how little they’re making. I think that’s a trap. But I’m not immune to it. I’ve been lucky because, since I rebooted this newsletter in 2022, I’ve rarely struggled to write. I publish a post a week, and for the most part, it hasn’t been difficult. I am forever behind on email and DMs, but I consistently generate newsletter ideas, and the FlakPhoto flywheel has been steadily turning for the past three years.
Last week was a busy one at home and work. I was in Chicago attending the Nobel Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War. (You can read more about my day job here.) I saw a live performance by the Kronos Quartet, which was truly inspiring, and I returned to Madison a few hours before some good friends from California were scheduled to arrive for the weekend. We had a blast: great conversation, good food, lots of laughter, and a gorgeous evening of paddleboarding on Monona Bay.
Obviously, these are all good, meaningful activities, but I woke up today feeling mentally drained. Have I been playing too hard? Maybe.
We started our Sunday as usual, with a 9 o’clock yoga class. My mind was wandering all over the place, and I found myself feeling guilty that I hadn’t written anything for you this week. See? There it is again, the Creative Productivity Trap. It’s a complete waste of time, and yet, we seem to be hardwired to focus on how we’re not doing enough. I do, anyway. It’s toxic, really, because most of the time we feel guilty for not being productive when we should be focusing on how we don’t make enough time to relax and reflect. Finding that balance is critical.
I felt compelled to write today primarily because it feels good. And like yoga, writing is a practice that nourishes and fortifies me. Putting my scrambled thoughts into words frequently calms my busy mind, and I figured dashing off even a short note this afternoon would do me some good. I feel better already.
At coffee last week, Lisa recommended a book she had been reading by
. It was inspiring her, and I plan to read it at some point. It turns out Amie writes a newsletter, , about creativity, and I subscribed today. You might check her out, too.The truth is, every artist needs to make space to do nothing — to rest, and recharge the creative batteries. Most of us forget that at least some of the time. I suspect many of you can relate.
Do you struggle with a Creative Productivity Trap? How do you cope with it?
Please share your thoughts with me in the comments. I know I’ll benefit from your insights, and I suspect others will too. Thanks in advance.
One more thing…
Special thanks to Maureen Drennan, who contributed the gorgeous photograph up top to today’s post. Maureen was in Madison recently and shared some of her newest project with me and Kristen a few weeks ago. Maureen is a breath of fresh air and one of my favorite photography people. She’s also immensely talented. Please look her up when you have a moment. You can follow her on Instagram here.
Okay! I’m going to log off and sip some spearmint tea with a book on the front porch this afternoon. Thanks for listening, friends. I appreciate you!
Oh yeah, this topic is close to me all the time! I often write about the need to do nothing and my wish that our society allowed that space to everyone. When you factor in the need for not only being productive creatively, but also commercially, for those of us trying to make a living at this, it becomes quite the pressure cooker. I often picture myself walking on a balance beam, or a tightrope!
I am in a transition at the moment and learning to let go of this productivity thing. I'm tired of having to constantly 'market' myself and my work. A friend told me some time ago that I was an artist who wanted to be a hobbyist. I've thought about that a lot in the last few years. My plan is to embrace the concept behind it, let myself create when and what I want and not feel like I have to put it out there 24/7.
As for Aimee's book, I loved it. Read it several weeks ago.
I also just wrote about 'success' here: https://medium.com/namaste-now/how-do-you-define-success-6b9eabb7e3b2?sk=42b75d885fcbd62d2828cbbf87b73869