Productive Procrastination

I've been preparing for an art collective in June. Since I knew I wouldn't have much time this month to work on it, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Collecting references, writing a bit here and there, and visualizing possibilities in compositions. But what I call being prepared, my art/soul/life mentor, Daisy Viola, called a type of productive procrastination.

Daisy is the reason why I started doing art intentionally (one day I hope to go more in depth about her incredible art process and teachings) and I'm so thankful to have her in my life. She reminded me that approaching work only rationally and in the realm of ideas was a certain path to frustration and soulless work (I'm paraphrasing, but it was something along these lines).

The thing is, there are many levels of what "thinking" is in the process.

You think with your hand, with the material, with the size of the paper, with the movement of your body... all of them have opinions, limitations, and sparks of inspiration for what the final work will look like.

We are so used to prioritizing our brains and everything else becomes secondary, but it is only while actually making the thing that you will know what it can, cannot, or will be. This conversation changed my perspective on how to tackle things moving forward.

I'm a graphic designer by profession and the creative process is basically the opposite. A lot of the making is intrinsic with the outcome. We make things based on functionality, references, and always try to get as close to beauty as we can. But with art we have less control in the outcome, and the making of it is as important (if not more) than the final thing.

“Style is the sum of your shortcomings.” -Roman Muranov

We can't find what we want if we are expecting perfection at every turn. I love how Muranov points in his newsletter to the fact we need to embrace difficulty and not run from it. It is the opposite of what we want, but it's what our soul needs.

Daisy recommended keeping a practice of doing something every day for 10 minutes. It breaks the barrier of expectation while keeping the energy moving. It also makes stakes lower and the process more fun and consequently frees the mind from the ego.

I'm still in the early stages of the new work, but I'm inspired and it has been easier to make more things because it's part of my day instead of something I have to pull out of my hat once a week when I actually have time to make things.

One more month to go, wish me luck!

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From my journal

Here are a few 10 minutes sketches I did this month.

Easter happened and I made this little fella for some friends.

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Some last bits

• I live in Vancouver and we had a horrible incident here this weekend. My heart goes to the families and everyone that was there.

• I’ve been interested in starting to memorize poems and just found this Poetry Challenge on NYT. Really inspiring, specially how they do a deep dive into it.

• A cozy interview with Joe Wright about Pride and Prejudice. It is one of my favorite films and like one of the reviews said: “wrap me up in this movie and I’ll stay there forever.”

• If you are in Vancouver June 7th, come by to Slice Gallery to see the piece in person (and me!) You don’t have to buy the ticket, by the way, it just makes it easier to get in in case there is a line.

I hope this letter finds you well. The world is a bit insane right now but all we can do is to keep putting one feet in front of the other. All the love to you today.