Time Boxing the part time painter

I find it hard splitting my focus sometimes. I get so many competing tasks, so many different groups of people wanting different things from me, that there are days that I feel I'm not doing any work effectively.

Time Boxing is a technique that has been around for a while, probably has different names, but is most often referred to in the software development sphere. I thought I'd talk about it as it's a very simple but effective technique that can be applied to anything that you need to manage - particularly when you're shifting your mindset significantly.

Organisation 1: ToDo lists and the part time painter

I always have a to-do list that is a million miles long. Every time I remove one thing, another two get added in its place. I have to-do lists for my website updates, my chores, my goals, presents for myself (I like this list the best!), current projects for the medieval group I’m involved in, to-do lists for myself at work, to do lists for the people on my team (I’m their manager, I need to remember what I’ve asked them to do!), and anything else I can possibly think of.

Because of my shift from worker bee to manager at work recently, I’ve been doing a lot of shuffling of to-do lists, a bit of playing around with different techniques, a whole stack of reading, and a number of dismal failures. Why am I writing about them? Because it saves me having to remember everything that I’ve learnt! So what are the benefits of a to-do list, how do you implement them, do they work, and are there any secrets to using them effectively.

Why use a "to do" list

• It saves your brain, and your sanity! If it's written down, you don't have to 'remember' it. Imagine having seven paintings you need to get done in a month. If you are focusing on the fact you have 'seven paintings to do' you will likely start stressing about the seven colour schemes, the different poses, where do I find references, how am I going to get them done on time... and so on. A ToDo list allows you to essentially put down six of the paintings and focus on them one at a time. A whole stack of smaller tasks are much easier to deal with than 7 big tasks where you can't even think of where to start.

• You feel like you've achieved something when you cross it off the list. It may just be the act of putting a like through something, but it's kind of cathartic knowing that you don't have to deal with that task ever again (well, at least not for the next five minutes

• It acts as a record for what you've achieved. This can be a great pick-me-up when you're feeling like you've been sitting at your desk/ easel for hours and not done anything. I can tell you, working in management where you don't actually deliver anything but 'the project on time and within budget and without your team killing each other in the process', it can be a wonderful record that proves you ARE actually doing stuff!

• It improves our organisation. Just the act of sitting down, writing a list of things to do, and sorting that list helps us focus on what we need to achieve.

How to create an effective ToDo list
This is the way I try and do it. I'm not saying that it is the best way or the only way - this is simply the way that I work and what I find works for me.

1. Write down any tasks you have to complete - complete brain storm. It doesn't matter how detailed or vague the list, just do a complete brain dump of everything. N.B. If you have multiple ToDo lists, or you like to categorise them, then do this set of steps for each category.
   
   
2. Look at each task. If it's going to take longer than 2 hours, you may want to try and break it down into smaller steps. The smaller the task, the less daunting it appears and the more likely you are to actually do it!
   
   
3. Prioritise the list. This is probably the most important step. Writing a list is all well and good, but if you don't rank the tasks you might as well have a shopping list. Ranking can be as simple as:
   

* If I get time I would like to do this
* I really should do this, but if I don't, 'meh'
* I must do this, but I have a little time to do it
* If I don't do this I will have to live on 2 minute noodles for the next week/ my client will get ugly/ the deity I pray to will smite me down

Being a visual person, I like to colour code my list - red items being really important, orange ones need to get done within the week, and some other colour for the rest. I try to have only 2-3 items as 'critical' tasks as it's less stressful than seeing a page full of red items.

4. If you want, rewrite the list in order. I do this by scrubbing notes down on paper, then transferring it to a spreadsheet/ online tool/ new sheet of paper/ white board.
5. Give yourself a rough estimate of when the tasks should be completed by.

Multiple lists vs. one looooooonnnnnggggg list
Some people like fifty lists - one for the chores, one for work, one for this project, one for that project. Other people like having everything in one place. Basically everyone is different so you have to work out what is best for you. Personally, I have a few lists on the go partly because if I put them all on one piece of paper, it would probably look like Santa's toy list and go scrolling off under the table and out the door!

I have:

1. A work - currently it's specific to the project I'm managing. No doubt I'll do up a second list for general management processes. Because of security I can't use an online tool, so I carry around a paper scribble list for jotting down tasks, and then transfer these onto an excel spreadsheet which I colour code.
   
   
2. An 'art business' list. I often have a whiteboard which I scribble down tasks on, but recently I've started using an online tool which I plugin to my google homepage.
   
   
3. Another general todo list, though more often the art list is being used for adding things like 'pick up washing powder from shop' or 'return library books'.

Using a ToDo List
It is not enough just to write down a list. A todo list is just that - 'To DO'. That means you actually have to do the stuff on the list!

• Delegate - see if there are any tasks on the list that you can palm off to someone else. That load of washing, why can't the partner put it on? Typing up the minutes of the meeting, there were twelve other people at the meeting - see if one of them can do it for you (remember to return the favour at some time!). If you can afford it, think about hiring someone to mow the lawn/ clean the house/ do the bookwork/ help package your orders.
  
  
• Be realistic with your tasks. Don't set a deadline if you know you probably won't make it. That will just make you feel like a flop when you can't finish it on time. Also be aware of your habits. Organise your day around when you work best. If you are like a zombie before 10am, set that time aside for dealing with small, simple tasks from your list, and leave the really important high priority tasks to a time when you are going to be able to deal with the task effectively.
  
  
• Re-assess the list half an hour before you go home or finish up work. Think about what is most important to get done the next day. I actually highlight what I need to do the next day, every afternoon before I go home. Sometimes I'll write out those tasks onto a sticky note and fix it to my screen so there's no way I miss it.
  
  
• ToDo lists are flexible. If the boss changes her mind on what task is most important, drop things down or off the list. It's a guide only. Just because it's on the list, doesn't mean something terrible is going to happen if you deviate from the list.
  
  
• Don't procrastinate and do all the 'fun tasks first'. Do the important ones first, maybe give yourself a reward for completing the task, but never just put off the task because you don't want to deal with it. The fact is - that task is still going to be horrible, doesn't matter when you do it!
  
  
• If your current method isn't working, try something different. I've been writing ToDo lists for a long time, and it's only been in the last few weeks that they've really clicked. They've always kind of 'worked', but now that I HAVE to save my brain from complete mental meltdown, I'm finding the benefits of sticking with a system is really paying off. I still want to try some different online tools, but the general process is going to stay the same for me.
  

Available tools or Paper vs Technology
There is a plethora of tools available out there. You don't need all those fancy online tools to make a todo list, and to be honest, sometimes it's not practical to be stuck on the computer all day.Here are a few simple ideas:

• Notebook/ paper and pen/ pencil/ highlighter - simple, can be taken anywhere, but can be tedious to rewrite. Also, if you're like me, I misplace small bits of paper, so make it something you aren't likely to throw away!
  
  
• Excel spreadsheet - can be customised, comes with Microsoft office, there are already some templates out there for use
  
  
• Post-it notes - they come in a range of colours and shapes. You may simply want to use different coloured notes for different tasks and fix them into your diary, removing them when you've completed them.
  
  
• Whiteboard - great for brainstorming and quick to adjust.
  

• http://www.solutionwatch.com/450/25-to-do-lists-to-stay-productive/ - a list of online tools and their features
  

Hopefully people will find this of some use! As I mentioned several times, organisation is a personal thing - what works for one person may be useless for others. If you have any tools that you use, or other tips, please leave a comment!

Further Reading

http://todolistblog.blogspot.com/ - be inspired by other people’s to-do lists, some are works of art, some like

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_05.htm -

Artist shortcut #1 Copying great artists

Leonardo's Leda & The Swan vs Raphael's St Catherine of Alexandria ... Great artists (Raphael) 'steal' (from Leonardo)
Images taken from http://www.Wikipedia.org for educational purposes.

No matter what kind of artist you are, it’s often tempting to take shortcuts. On the outset, they may save time, but in the long run they can prove costly in more ways than one. The first ‘shortcut’ I’ll be discussing in this series is ‘taking inspiration from other artists’.

There's an old saying that good/bad artist's copy, but great artists steal (attributed to Picasso). Do a search on www.google.com, and you will see dozens of articles about the fine line between being inspired and plagiarising (i.e. copying/ stealing/ ripping someone else’s work and claiming it as your own). But while plagiarism is BAD, being inspired by other artworks can help you become a better artist.

So when does a shortcut such as being inspired by other artist’s work become plagiarism, or even just cross the line and become ethically or morally bad? How do you use this shortcut to your benefit? Here are some personal thoughts on the matter:

1. Good artists copy.
We learn through imitation. Copying great artworks or even our favourite artworks can help us improve as artists. When we analyse other artist’s work, we’re learning many different skills about composition, colour, and technique. By looking at a variety of sources, even artwork we don’t like but know are popular, we’re increasing our understanding of what makes us react to art, and therefore can incorporate it into our own.

One word of caution, don’t copy artworks to learn anatomy. Artists make mistakes, often exaggerate or stylise anatomy, and get it wrong all the time! Even photographs distort anatomy. Learn anatomy from anatomy books, life drawing, and from photographs when you understand what you are drawing. I can not stress this enough!

2. Great artists steal
- There are reasons why you are drawn to particular paintings. Great artists take elements of what they see and recreate them in a way that is unique, riveting and original. If someone can look at your artwork and instantly pick out another painting that look remarkably similar to yours, then you haven’t been inspired enough (unless your work is a parody). It’s not enough to do the equivalent of a cut and paste… you need to make it your own work. Something that defines the piece as representative of ‘you’ or ‘your style’.

3. Acknowledge your inspiration/s:
It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s ethical. The old masters would say ‘Painting X after Artist Z’. You’re effectively tipping your hat to your source of inspiration. If you’re concerned about copyright, contact the artist, or simply don’t make the artwork available for retail. Keep it as training exercise. You shouldn't be able to see a direct correlation between your work and the inspirational piece.

It always surprises me when I see works of art that have obviously been 'inspired' by another artist's work, yet the artist in question doesn't see fit to mention the source of their muse. I'm not talking about people who try out a 'style' or paint the same kinds of subject matter, I'm talking about artists that take shortcuts and directly 'borrow' a recognisable pose (say from Vallejo), an entire scene, or the whole costume (unless it's a historical or fan art piece). Sometimes it can be an oversight, simply forgetting what triggered the idea in the first place, but other times it shows a lack in judgement*.

* I'll be talking about the Good Decision Making Model in coming weeks.

Some ways to trigger inspiration by copying elements of other artist’s work:

1. Create your own reference file.
Gather anything that strikes your fancy such as photos, artworks, advertisements, books, jpegs, web pages, DVD’s and objects. Use this to flip through whenever you need a boost in creativity. I used to keep an art journal* for this purpose... now I have folders of stock images, websites bookmarked, and a filing cabinet filled with cut out images from all over the place.

*Look out for a future article on personalising art journals!

2. Use the image search on www.Google.com to spark off ideas. For example, say I wanted to do a painting with a medieval theme. I go to www.google.com and type in something like ‘medieval France’, or ‘Templar knights’. The results that come back may be maps or photos of re-enactors, or medieval stained glass windows, or architectural layouts of a castle. These then can trigger ideas, and inspire me through the use of colours in medieval manuscript, or the composition of a Leonardo da Vinci painting.

3. Try and recreate a famous painting using a different context. i.e. Take Medieval icon and recreate it as a science fiction scene.

Above all, have fun, be creative, but also be respectful of other artists' creative property.

Confidence and the part time artist - 7 tips

Two weeks ago I was promoted at work (day job). It was completely unexpected. I had applied for the job as ‘experience’ and seriously had so little confidence in my own abilities that I didn’t think I’d even get shortlisted.

But I did…

And after the interview I came out thinking, “Man, I wouldn’t hire me , I sucked!”.

But obviously I said something right and got put on the candidates list.

A week later I got offered the job.

I thought there had been some mistake. Why would anyone want to put me in that role? Surely there were better, more qualified people than me. I accepted the offer, still feeling like a fraud.

As an artist, I still have days where I look at my own work and wonder why people pay me to paint. Why would someone buy one of my prints? Why would someone ask me for advice? Don’t they know I’m not that great an artist? Surely there are other artists out there far better than me!

The reality is, as humans we are often our own worst enemies. We often perceive our own abilities differently to how the world sees us. Sure, I’m far from being a brilliant artist! I know that I’ve still got loads to learn, that I make mistakes, that I paint pictures that are not masterpieces.

But, that’s ok. Really it is!

Some days it’s easier to be ten foot tall and bullet proof than other days. Here are a few tips that I’ve tried, in my everyday life, and as an artist to help give me a confidence boost.

1. Mimic confident people. That is, take a look at the way they act and try and emulate them. Confident people take calculated risks, they try new things, they brush themselves off after failure and get back up again. It may take them a little while to get back on the horse, but they eventually will. Talk to them, get involved in forums where talented people hang out (make sure it’s somewhere you feel comfortable).

2. Ask yourself, what is the worst that could happen? For example, you want to try oils, but you’ve never painted one before. What’s the worst that could happen? You waste a few weekends, you create a piece of work that’s only fit for lining the bin or painting over, you realize that you will never be Rembrandt because oils just aren’t your ‘thing’. But… you may find that you are brilliant at them! You won’t find out unless you have a little faith and try.

3. Tell that critical, self-important internal dialogue to shut up and say something useful. Some people suggest that you imagine the voice has a volume switch that you can turn down, or giving it a really stupid voice, like someone who’s inhaled helium.
4. Sit up straight. Quite often when you feel down or are scared, you hunch, trying to make yourself invisible. So counteract this! Sit or stand up straight, puff your chest out a little and your shoulders back, lift your chin, relax your face (maybe try to smile J), make eye contact with others (not so much that you creep them out!), and breathe deeply. You may not feel more confident, but you will look it!

5. If you’re feeling a little ‘fragile’ about something, don’t put yourself in a position (if you can avoid it) where you’re going to be criticized or pounded. For example, don’t look at art critiques on your own work if you’re feeling like all of your art is bad. You’re not in the right headspace to receive them properly and you’ll either get defensive, or depressed. You probably will see the ‘critique’ as criticism.

If you’ve got a performance evaluation or someone is trying to give you negative feedback, ask to do it at another time when you’re better able to cope. Tell them, ‘This really isn’t a good time, could you give me five minutes’, or ‘Could we reschedule this?’ Often just putting yourself in control of the situation is enough to regain a little confidence.

Sometimes you can’t do this, and in this case focus on what is being said and ask yourself, or them, what achievable things you can do to improve.

6. Dress for confidence. The old adage about dressing the part works. In an office environment, managers wear suits, all neatly pressed, matching colours, the works. As an artist, you have to feel comfortable when you paint. If you’re feeling down, put on a bright coloured shirt, wear your favourite piece of jewellery, for girls, put on some makeup or a splash of perfume. It’s not about impressing other people, it’s about making yourself feel good, and therefore changing how you present yourself to the world.

7. Practice Gratitude. Try to focus on at least one good thing about your life. Write a list on a good day. Start it with something like, ‘As an artist I am grateful…’

Things might include

· Having access to a really cool art shop

· Knowing other talented artists

· Being able to get loads of useful artistic advice through forums

· Knowing that you can paint when you’re feeling better

Confidence can be learnt, it just takes time, and practice. There are loads of tips and exercise online, have a look around, try a few things! It can't hurt too much!