What do you do when real life interrupts your artistic process? 🍚
This post loosely accompanies Gab & Jam, 241. What do you do when real life interrupts your artistic process?
(video: https://bit.ly/241reallifevid and podcast: https://bit.ly/241reallifepod )
As a D.I.Y. Rock Star, you have to NOT ONLY grow/maintain your artistic exploration, outreach, and dialing in the vision, but also you are living real life in the meantime. This means that you are likely holding down a day job, may have some kids and a spouse, and need to balance it all as best you can. THAT’S where this episode comes in. Lean on these ideas when “real life” strikes and takes you away from your creative life.
This topic piggybacks on episode 235. How NOT to let the news discourage you (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star) (video: https://bit.ly/235healthymindsetvid and podcast: https://bit.ly/235healthymindsetpod ), but this one specifically asks what to do when you cannot just fa la la into your studio whenever you want to create your art? Sure, you’ve blocked your time and made an appointment with yourself and closed the door, but then a child is sick and you have to tend to them? Or a spouse is in a bicycle accident (as was the case in the podcast episode that I was inspired by), then what?
Inspired by Check out When Real Life Interrupts [173]https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?c=sharelink&af_dp=stitcher://episode/204620884&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/episode/204620884&deep_link_value=stitcher://episode/204620884
Gab & Jam, 241. What do you do when real life interrupts your artistic process?
(video: https://bit.ly/241reallifevid and podcast: https://bit.ly/241reallifepod )
Here are some considerations on what do you do when real life interrupts your artistic process:
What do you do when real life intrudes? (World events, day job, kids,…)
1. Tend to your loved one, the accelerated deadline, or whatever is the current crisis
In the episode I was listening to, the podcaster’s husband had been in a non-fatal bicycle accident, but it had put quite a bit more time and energy on her—she had to pick him up at the hospital (two hours away) and bring him home (another 2 hours), and all driving for those two weeks had to be done by her—until her husband was well enough to drive. This took her out of her art studio for a couple of week.
Our advice is simple here, take care of your loved one, who is here for a limited time. So, problem solved. We think about the fact that these are the moments you will both remember as life goes on and what BETTER way to spend your time than showing the people you love how much they mean to you in that moment?
This also rings true for accelerated deadlines at work, etc. Get that work done in that season and then go back to your creative practice, when the crisis has passed. Doing the work of the heat of that moment, and keeping your work situation secure is worth it AND will have the added benefit of making you feel even MORE grateful of whatever you get to spend when you get back to your creative time. –Because, let’s be honest, just as it takes the winter to help us appreciate summer, it TAKES time pulled away from your passion to make you more deeply treasure the time when you’re at it again.
2. Respond to the crisis by creating–or by releasing—so that you CAN create.
In the Art Juice podcast, one of the house says that she does NOT create art borne out of the strife or anxiety—and instead, tries to release it putting together jigsaw puzzles or hiking—but then, she is able to return to creating. She says that making art is essential to her mental health and keeps her attuned to your purpose—her reason for existing—so, even though her art is NOT a direct response to the “interruption,” she must return to it, in order to become at peace once again. The other podcaster faces the situation by saying that it’s not in her DNA to be a doctor—or any other critical job that can help heal the world, literally—but that the best way to help the world is create her art. That her function is essential, even IF she does not DIRECTLY respond to a crisis or any other life interruption.
We agree that your art doesn’t have to DIRECTLY reflect the crisis, but that you will process it and it will become a part of your art in the long run, because the trauma is a part of you and YOU create your art. Don’t force a response.
—Of course, our third option is to create what you TRULY feel in that moment, but don’t add that to the list of things you share; keep it as a cathartic expression (similar to what a diary entry may be for you).
3. You NEED real life “interruptions”
Realize that the two work—living real life and expressing art—in tandem, because WITHOUT living a full life, it might not be possible to create meaningful art, so don’t dread them or feel burdened by them.
We recently watched the show, Queen’s Gambit, and the adopted mother in the story tells her daughter to NOT be so engrossed in her craft that she does take the time to notice where she’s at and soak in the MOMENT. Take a walk, enjoy a concert, go out to eat; in essence, experience life, so that you have memories and relationships to draw from and so that you will be more fulfilled with life in general.
We can’t stress THAT enough. In fact, it’s our NEW mission to make joy, to find joy, and to spread joy; living our lives to fullest is the best way to meet ALL of those goals. So, this is the advice WE take and hope that by sharing this will help YOU look at your own life for ways to do the same.
What do you think?
What do you do to return to your art once real life interrupts? We'd like to know.
Leave it in the comments below.
Check out the episode to hear the full discussion and check out our blog post: 241reallifeblog
Here’s what we’re into now:
· Tom Ray’s Art Podcast: https://bit.ly/tomrayspodcast2june2022
· “Sugar Fit” on Darkest Corners of the World Podcast S2 E3 http://bit.ly/sugarfitdarkestpod
· “Flying High” (from “Sugar Fit” album) on Toes in the Sand Playlist http://bit.ly/toesplaylist
· “Sugar Fit” on his Spotify “Indie: Undiscovered But Brilliant: Vol. 3” http://bit.ly/SugarFitonPlaylist2
· “Sugar Fit” on No Sugar Radio http://bit.ly/nosugarradiosugarfit
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· “Tips for Competing with Yourself (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star)” http://bit.ly/Ep94BV2019blog20
· “Tips for Video Making (for the D.I.Y. Rock Star)” http://bit.ly/Ep86BV2019blog12
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