Hello peeps,
this post was inspired by a friend's cry for help on AWA group on Facebook about
losing interest in and not being able to finish a project. I so decided to give
a full insight into how to overcome this dilemma that is plaguing especially
the ‘creatives’ in the design industry today.
Project lag
is a state of abandoning an on-going project (whether personal or official) for
an undue period of time due to unprofessional excuses like loss of interest,
lack of ideas, loss of motivation, etc. I used to suffer from this syndrome until
in my study I stumbled on some tips which I will explain briefly here. After
which a massive change occurred in my professional life.
To start
with,
ALWAYS set a reasonable time frame
for your projects; it
is common to be lazy about project from the on-set and therefore set an unduly long project
time-span or to be very enthusiastic about it that u imagine it all set and ready
before you even start (guilty as charged… lol) this kills the project spirit
when u actually realize it’ll take longer than your expectations or that due to
‘over-timing’ you’ve lost the enthusiasm to follow it up…and maybe even
forgotten the original idea that fired you up. To checkmate this, it pays to be
very reasonable and logical about the time-span of our projects. Not too short that you don’t get it… and not
too long that you loose it
NEVER rush a project; in that initial moment of creative
inferno… when you just come up with that burning idea and you are itching to
see i materialize or a client is on your spine poking you to get it ready immediately
at all cost …it pays to create a calm. Take
a little time to recollect and build your ideas into full details and store an image
of it on your ‘mental hard-drive’ before you propel. I usually achieve this
when the situation doesn’t create room for a break by asking the client some
professional questions which would help me build up on his or her ideas and/or
by checking out similar works and researching to build my mental ideas. Other than
that, I just put the job at a time-span that gives room for concept build-up.
Take it one part at a time; break up your project into bits, parts and phases…then take it one at a
time. We humans are
genetically created to be motivated by success (I for one, am addicted to it)
so we want to know that we are progressing. Feed this hunger by creating
land-marks in your work-path and target time for them. Then when you achieve them rest or take some time off (this is very
important). It helps you refresh your memory for the next phase n gives you the
satisfaction of progressing… c’mon this is why books are written with chapters.
When I’m doing digital painting for example I break the projects into sub-parts
like sketching, inking, filling the basic colors, creating color tones/highlights
and shadows, and then adding special effects that hint at realism. Each of
which I do each in different days so I can admire n gloat over my progress
while preparing mentally for the next phase... lol.
NEVER force it; there are times when your creativity is at a ‘low’… its normal. Avoid your projects like a leper at
that point… touch it and you’ll regret it. Go somewhere else, do other things
that are fun (in my case I either watch a movie, play games, surf the net, or something).
Don’t try to fight it because you will never win. It will return in due time
and believe me when it does you’ll be glad it left.
Observe it; a lot of times we are so caught in
the frenzy of work that we don’t even look at what we are working on. It pays to take time to observe your work, criticize
it and admire it. Especially when you are not working on it, just look at
it for hitches you’ll fix later. (Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the
night just to admire my works and spot where isn’t going right…. Yeah, I know I’m
a freak).
JUMP into it when you feel that
creative juice flowing; this basically explains itself… hehe. Don’t
waste a second, when you feel that juice getting back up, dive back in and let
yourself loose.
Try this and
see yourself completing your projects efficiently. I do hope I’ve been of great
help… check back regularly and pick up tips to help you boost that creative
ingenuity from within. See ya!
