Becoming the Whisperer
The horse whisperer has complete control over the animal. If you’ve ever been in the presence of a great dog trainer you will experience this power first hand.
Your job as a creative is to have the same level of control over your focus and persistence.
You set the setting and you bring the muse into your space like the snake charmer. Phones go into a drawer, or better yet, they are turned off. The door is closed if you live with others.
“But what about self-care? You sound like someone from the world of toxic productivity”.
For me, self-care is getting to spend time on my Most Creative Work. The more time I give it, the more options I have for how I want to make things.
If I spend most of my day staring at a wall or goofing off online, I feel far worse than if I get to uncover new ideas.
The key is having the discipline to sit down for the first ten minutes.
After that, it’s much easier to keep going. If you find yourself acting like a jerk, then you have to re-parent yourself and get back to work.
Take plenty of breaks, stay hydrated, and eat lots of snacks.
Just be careful about going on a little side quest or “errand” that ends the day.
And when your loved ones need you because of an “emergency” that came up at the last minute, because that’s how it works when you sit down to do your Most Creative Work, you are simply not available.