It's that time to rally one last huge effort before times up. Tick... tick... tick...BOOM! It's November, the eleventh month and a few of us, myself included are prepping for a few final Reviews, Illustrator contests, Events etc. of the year. And to add to the stress there is a major holiday at the end of this month. The clock is definitely ticking. So what to do or not to do?
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FRIGHT © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor digital. |
Don't try and hide. Feeling overwhelmed and procrastinating only prolongs the inevitable. While I have been inspired by things I see on TV and Twitter, sooner or later you need to sit down and face the work. It's the fear that it may not come out the way you want or whatever that's making you uncomfortable but the only way to conquer the fear is by working through it.
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ZEN RAM © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, watercolor |
Find your Zen Mode. When I feel like I'm in a time crunch I make a list. Cross things off the list that aren't MUST DOs. Do I really need a brand new shiny postcard? Do I need to make a real dinner or can we have whatever? Can it wait until after the deadlines? Simplify the list and breathe easier.
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HOT DOG © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor |
Juggle or not. Some of us are better than others with multitasking. I'm not. I like to wear blinders and focus. However I still use a trick from my student days, before I fall asleep I tell myself to dream/or think a solution for whatever I need to be working on next whether it's how to tie up loose ends in the story or how to layout the hand lettering on the current illustration spread. 99% of the time I wake up with a solution of sorts and I'm energized to see if it works.
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JESTER PIG © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, watercolor |
Dig in and do the work. Sketch, sketch, sketch. Ink, ink, ink. Paint, paint, paint. Write, write write. Pixel by pixel it will get done. If I need to do 16 sketches by (pick an almost impossible date) I divide the number of of sketches that need to be done by the REAL days/hours I have to work with and that's what must be done before I sleep, within reason of course. Allowing that some days will be naturally more prolific than others. Pass the caffeine and chocolate.
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DIGGING DOG © Diana Ting Delosh
Brush pen, watercolor |
And that's all folks. Now back to the studio and drawing board for me.
In case you missed it, I was recently interviewed by Dana Carey on the SUB IT CLUB. Take a peek and read The Postcard Post: Diana Ting Delosh.
What a crazy month! Thanks for your blog, it helps me calm down and focus!
ReplyDeleteGlad it's helpful.
ReplyDeleteThe last push before the new year...YIKES! At least we know were not alone!!
ReplyDeleteYes it's sort of comforting to know we're all in this mess separately yet together.
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