Six tips for your Creative Life

May 15, 2011

Taken from the Interweave Insider newsletter!

 SOLID ADVISE, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION!

1. I schedule my crafting. Literally. I enter craft time into my computer calendar, block out specific times, and set up reminders to be emailed to my inbox. Sounds a bit dorky, perhaps–but it works.

2. I keep my appointments. No canceling on my knitting dates. No standing up my spindles. These craft times are commitments and I treat them as such.

3. I gather everything I need for each project and put it together in one place. When I say everything, I mean every single thing: Pattern, needles, extra yarn, notions, scissors, measuring tape, the whole burrito. (I have lots of measuring tapes. I bet you do too. Check the cracks in the sofa cushions.) I put each project's supplies into a portable bin so I can carry the project to the best location for the day's task, whether knitting, spinning, seaming, or beading.

4. I let those around me know I will be (generally) unavailable during my scheduled project times. I turn off my phone, close my laptop, and kiss my husband on the cheek as I leave the room on the days he works from home. Now, I know that many of you have kids, and kids are impossible to ignore. Maybe Mr. Knitter can bathe them and read them a story so you can go work a few rows of your knitting? 

5. I choose a specific work area, and clear it of distractions. I trying to keep the top of my desk and studio table (relatively) tidy. This is a big effort for me. (I think I must be part Chaos Demon.) And when I simply cannot focus on my knitting or spinning any other way, if the weather is nice, I banish myself to the front or back porch.

6. I make sure I have music or a good audio book on my iPod. Music and audio books help me focus, so that the Little Voices In My Head do not ramble on with distracting comments while I am trying to work.