In this post, we are going to look at some methods for getting ‘un-stuck’. You can listen by clicking the play button above, or read the transcript below. There are also some links to related readings at the end of the page.
1. Sneaky phantom mountaintops
I wish there was a word for that feeling you get when you are climbing a mountain and get to the ‘top’, only to find another top waiting for you. And then you get to that top and another phantom mountaintop has appeared.
I wish there was a word for it because it’s the same feeling I get when I’m working on an art project. I stop to take stock and think:
“Well, this isn’t good enough,” or “There’s waaaay more work in this than I thought,” or worse still, I have the sobering realization that “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Ryan Kingslien coined the term ‘the valley of the suck’ to describe this exact phenomenon.
The thing is, that sense of ‘this-isn’t-good-enough’ is actually useful. It’s what pushes us to be better artists, but it can also get in our way.
I wanted to write this blog because I have been struggling with a personal project for over a year now. I’ve had to ‘un-stick’ myself several times. Whenever I got stuck I reached out for advice and help from my creative friends. With that help, I managed to get better at getting unstuck. I have learnt a lot. I think the key to getting unstuck is understanding our relationship with this particular feeling.
2. Don’t ‘just do it’
I used to think that to get past these bumps in the road you just needed to ‘find the motivation’. You had to keep going, put your head down and just grind through the hard bits.
That does work, but it’s not reliable, it’s not sustainable, it’s not fun and it’s a sure way to get burnt out. If that works for you that’s great, but for me, it has not been good for my mental health.
So, is there a better way? I think so but first, let’s break down what’s actually going on.
We do things because they feel good.
Your identity is a story you are telling yourself. Part of that story might be “I’m a dad” or “I’m a good person”. One story you and I both share is “I am an artist”. When we do something to confirm that story “I am an artist,” that conformation feels good.
So, you get to a stage in your project where you can say “that bit looks good,” and your ego can enjoy it. Not because it “looks good”, but because it’s confirming the story you have about yourself.
This is important. We don’t feel good because something we are working on looks good. We feel good because that thing looking good confirms the story we have about ourselves.
“I am an artist.”
When things are going well on a project that feeling creates a positive feedback loop. The project makes us feel good. It motivates us to keep working so we can get more confirmation and feel good again. Pulling us along to the next “I am an artist” fix.
But, when we run into something difficult, when we realise that something will take more work than we had anticipated, then the distance between where we are and the next “I am an artist” can feel too big.
That distance is what gives us sneaky-phantom-mountaintop-feeling.
We might think “I’m not motivated enough,” or “I’m not good enough.” But in reality, there’s just too much distance between us and our next hit of “I am an artist.”
The real trick is managing that distance. Let’s look at a few ways we can do that.
3. Managing distance
Know where you are going
A great way to find your next hit of “I am an artist” is to skip ahead and take a peek at what the finished piece might look like. You can set up some lights and make a render of your block out. Bring your art piece into Photoshop and do a draw over or you can have some fun blocking out a pose or a base for it.
The idea is this: once you have a clear intention of what you want to achieve, you can identify the steps you need to take to make that happen. Instead of having to finish the entire piece to get your “I am an artist” fix, you can get it from every chunk of work that brings you closer to your vision. Celebrate every step.
It can also help to solidify in your mind what ‘finished’ actually means. Are you trying to capture a mood or a style? Did you start the project to learn a new skill?
Go back and add to (or start) your mood board. Collect more references. Take some time to find things that ‘feel’ right and help identify what it is you are trying to do.
Then, go back to your piece of art and make some notes. What’s missing? What needs to change? What steps do you need to take? Pick something and start working towards your next hit.
Make a plan
If you are still getting sneaky phantom mountaintop vibes from your project it can help to identify exactly where they’re coming from. Break the project down into parts, and write out a list of what’s left to do.
Going back over this list should give you a sense of which parts you are not looking forward to (it’s fine if there are lots). These ‘tough nuts to crack’ are most likely creating space between you and your fix. Once you identify them you can start working on reducing the distance for each one.
- You can try to break them down further. Celebrate every step.
- Identify what you need to complete them. Do you have a good reference? Do you have the skills? Perhaps you could do a mini project or focused practice to hone that particular skill.
- It may be that it’s just going to be a boring slog – retopo or UVing can be like that. But you can find a way to celebrate every step. Maybe change the materials of the parts you have done to give you a visual cue of what you have done.
- Maybe you still feel like you don’t know how to crack it. That’s okay too, you can always reach out to other artists and ask for help. Just make sure to be specific.
The other big advantage of a list like this is how good it feels to cross things off. Having many small victories will help to keep the distance between your “I am an artist” moments small. This will keep your spirits up and keep you wanting to come back to work.
Take your time
Another good thing to do is to ‘hang out’ with your art and get to know it. Set your art as the background to your phone or computer…hell, even print it out and hang it on your wall. Spend time with it outside of when you are working on it.
This ‘non-focused’ time gives you a chance to see it with fresh eyes and digest it. It will help you see things you want to change or improve and – most importantly – get excited about changing them so you can get your fix.
Put down your deadline. The first 80% of a project takes 80% of the time. The last 20% also takes 80% of the time.
Estimating is hard. If you have a deadline you are more than likely going to get burnt out chasing it or just miss it, feel like a failure and not be able to enjoy working on your art.
Giving up a deadline means giving up those negative feelings. Without negative feelings creating distance to our next fix we can enjoy the process. Which makes us want to spend time on our art. Which makes us get more work done.
In summery:
It’s the big distance between our “I am an artist” fixes that give us sneaky-phantom-mountaintop-feeling.
In order to reduce that distance you need to:
- Know where you are going.
- Make sure you know what you are aiming for. Block it out, gather references and clarify what you want to achieve. Then work out the steps you need to take.
- Make a plan.
- Break your project down into chunks and identify the ‘tough nuts to crack’.
- Work out what’s making you uneasy. How can you break them down into smaller steps that you can celebrate.
- Take your time.
- Spend some ‘non-focused’ time with your art to help you get excited about working on it.
- Put down your deadline.
That’s it. Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully this has been helpful for you; feel free to reach out, or leave a comment below if you have any thoughts.
Happy arting.
Further reading
Ryan Kingslien – The Valley Of The Suck
Adam Savage – Lists, More Lists and the Power of Checkboxes
Freakonomics – Here’s Why All Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It
Mark Manson – Personal Values: How to Know Who You Really Are
No Comments