I learned six new tools and forgot what the project was
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Creative survival
My creative routine is mostly negotiating with a chair
The perfect morning ritual has been postponed until after the actual work.
Buy the lamp. Move the lamp. Read about how another artist arranges their lamp. The chair remains unoccupied.
A routine can reduce the number of decisions between you and the work. It can also become a collection of preparations so elaborate that doing the work would ruin the system.
Start with a small appointment and a specific task. “Work on the project” leaves room for three hours of folder maintenance. “Make two rough layouts for the opening spread” gives you somewhere to begin.
Notice what makes starting difficult. If the files are scattered, assemble them beforehand. If the next step is unclear, leave yourself a note at the end of the previous session. These are ordinary adjustments, which is rude of them considering how much mythology surrounds creative practice.
Keep the routine loose enough to survive a bad day. Missing one session should not require a ceremonial return to your true self.
The lamp can stay. It looks nice. Ask it to stop taking credit.
Your revision is next. Keep rolling
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My day job has declined to be the villain in my origin story
Sometimes the thing paying for your work is allowed to remain the thing paying for your work.
Creative survival
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An investigation into the suspicious productivity of an object that cannot sync.
Creative survival