Stretch yourself

One step at a time.

Constraints on creativity can help a lot, a border that’s defined to where you can play.

The point is that when you have set up rules and regulations, that you agree with, on whatever you can do to enhance your project you can take it.

The blank sheet of paper and that blinking cursor can make anyone feel overwhelmed at their task.

Whatever the task could be it’s the starting point that always gets people on a block.

This is what you get when you have absolute freedom without any responsibility.

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote about this in his at times prophetic novel, Notes from the underground.

The Underground man, the protagonist claims that “Men are not piano keys,” the particular comment given in reference to the materialistic notion of a human being a machine of some kind that requires to have an ideal environment in order to be happy i.e. a utopia. Dostoevsky claims that you give human beings everything, a literal paradise without any drudgery and work and let him be happy with only cakes and thinking about forwarding the species, the irrational as the human being is would immediately do everything to topple this utopia just so that he’s not bored.

So when you are doing something creative, whatever it may be, such as making graphics or fine art.

Thinking up about your next business plan or coming up with a new project try coming up with constraints or rules so that you can navigate it and discover something new.

Let me tell you about my own experiments with creating something new and as always it begins with the one practice that is most synonymous with creativity i.e. drawing… basically visual art.

Several times in the past I’ve given several attempts at practicing drawing but to no avail.

I’ve tried all kinds of books, tried to copy things from the pinterest but none of them worked.

What became the turning point was Inktober 2020, where people on instagram go out of their way to come up with interesting drawings no matter how imperfect based on prompts available online.

These prompts give the basis of what you can draw and the added one day limit gives you just enough time not to procrastinate and come up with a solution.

I hated this at first, I did not want all my peers on my instagram follower base know the truth of the extent of my failings online.

Then i found out almost everybody was “failing” in coming up with “perfect” drawings.

This I believe opened my eyes to where I was willfully blind.

My art need not be perfect just that it was mine.

It took some practice at first to get the few drawings out.

But as and then I gave it a few more tries…

As the days went by on Inktober I began to see myself as an artist.

October 31st rolled around and I saw myself as a consistent person, those who had attempted to do the Inktober challenge with me had backed down.

There’s more, I didn’t stop after that.

I gave it two days and things seemed empty to me, i felt like i should do something and I turned my attempts to draw everyday and post it on instagram maybe to the annoyance or to impress my followers.

Regardless daily posting worked, I could work on improving my drawing like this I thought.

of course One drawing suddenly doesn’t turn you into Picasso.

But then again I imagined myself doing this everyday for a year, maybe three… maybe five.

A kind of artist who can do that by the end must be able to come up with something beautiful by the end of it.

I was sure of it.

So impressed I was by this that I confidently bought myself new tools to further this new enterprise of mine.

I bought brush pens, later new markers, I bought a graphic tablet to see if I can create digital art.

I wondered if I can speed up this process and the privilege that I was given the time due to the Lockdown I wondered if I could double my workload.

So I did that. I doubled my workload towards improving my art.

I do two conventional art pieces using conventional drawing and painting instruments.

In addition I also add a digital art piece using my graphics tablet and I do this twice.

It has done wonders to my self-esteem this same system I though I could apply it elsewhere to all domains based on my goals.

So I took up writing 1000 words a day on medium as you see now.

My apologies that most of these blog posts may end up sounding the same.

The intention is to fulfill my daily quota, like a worker in the soviet union who would have to dig 5 meters of trenches everyday in true communist fashion.

This constraint of coming up with content everyday has made me feel more and more confident to come up with new content everyday.

It’s like I am going to the gym everyday.

You may not see muscle growth just yet but when the time comes… when I reach a tipping point I know I’ll be ready with something competent enough to take me to the next level.

I shall keep writing daily, everyday to improve the quality of my writing.

I shall draw everyday to improve the quality of my art.

I have begun to do this on health too.

I began to see myself as someone who’s strong.

The best way to start is to do five pushups on cue.

Like how Ramit Sethi said if you want to begin to floss everyday regularly.

Start by flossing one tooth everyday.

Given enough time you will make that habit to reach a level of competence.

It’s just a matter of time.

Keep digging you’ll get the gold.

Don’t stop digging.

I am almost close to my thousand word count!