Plugging Away When No One’s Watching

1 CommentFriday • April 8, 2011 • by Imei

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I inherited an outlook from my own “Tiger Mom” about an education. While I hear of parents attending their kid’s graduation ceremonies from the third grade, I am aware that the only graduations that were of any consequence in my parent’s home were those of college and post-college institutions. In the meantime, we were expected to excel, and I mean EXCEL: perfect grades, achievement in math and sciences, piano recitals with flawless performances, and just all-around excellence. I can’t remember a time that I “let go” or “let up”. And while my parents weren’t there every moment to watch me like a hawk, I sometimes wonder where the motivators were that kept my nose in a book, other than my own love for knowledge and mastery of a subject. When there is no reward, what keeps you plugging away when no one’s watching?

One could argue I was properly motivated by fear (i.e. fear of disappointing my parents, fear of punishment for failing, fear of being the stupid kid in class), but I think my achievement ethic goes deeper than those surface fears. I get a profound sense of pleasure with fluency and mastery of a subject. Mastery does not mean there is nothing left to learn, but represents a freedom and fluidity with a subject that leads to playfulness and joy within the subject or medium. For example, there is a difference when you play a short tune on the piano, note by note, in painful tedium and awareness of placing the correct finger on the correct key in the correct timing and rhythm with the correct amount of force, and effortlessly accompanying yourself on that same piano while holding a conversation with someone, seemingly unaware that your fingers appear to have little brains attached to them as they dance upon the keyboard.

Not everything you do for your artistic pursuits or your artful business is going to gain you applause, branding power, or even any notice from anyone. Much of what you’ll do will be the quiet, sometimes tedious, and occasionally lonely work of preparation, knowing your subject better than others, and figuring out ways to share it with others when it’s ready. Having a successful artful business means you will have to be fairly good at all three! What will you do to work all three angles at once? Here are some tips from other successful entrepreneurs:

* Make a plan, and schedule your hours. If you work for yourself, you have to be that much more diligent to guard your time.

* Make sure you get enough practice time in your most creative and productive hours. If your best hours are early in the morning before you jump on your computer, leave your iDevices off, and go to your practice first, even if that means you still have morning breath. If it’s nighttime that floats your boat, make sure your creative time happens in a space where you can make noise, spread out, and apply yourself quickly with the least amount of effort to get yourself into a creative head space.

Don’t forget to book time that includes processing, paperwork, and follow up. I will often journal using Evernote to keep track of ideas, and I’ll send a copy of that note to any one else involved with that particular project. That builds in accountability to my work, and guarantees I won’t forget where I left off.

* Do it with others. Join a like-minded community of people who know your interests and support your creative endeavors. If you knit, join a weekly knitting group. Like to play music? Find other live music lovers to attend shows, and stick around afterwards to swap info about music production woes and developments.

* Seek a business community that supports your shout outs. They can teach you about elevator speeches, short pitches, business plans, legal issues, and other related activities. An example: Biznik.com has a free profile and premium profile offerings that let you connect with others about your business.

In my example, I was concerned that coming onto a business-related scene as a performance artists would be a put off. By joining a business community and learning from others, they have helped me shape my presentation to the business community professionally. Now I’m known as a go-to person if you need a professional dancer who understands Social Media and social causes. They helped me bridge the gap of understanding, so that a dancer like myself has a place.

Here’s a video I came across that reminded me of the process (i.e. lots of set up, lots of work, waiting, agony, and then… bingo!):

<iframe title=”YouTube video player” width=”400″ height=”3oo” src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/RODr0Fg8pNc” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

While you might not be hearing the roar of applause for your efforts, these actions can help you stay on track for deadlines, projects, presentations, and pitches for your artful ideas to take flight. What helps you stay on track to do what you love and get it “out there?” Please share your ideas.

 

Posted in: Art, Business

Tagged with: achievement, community, motivation, success