Category: Creative Process

Topics like art block, creative block, brainstorming, flow, and idea generation focus on the obstacles and methods within the creative process.

Note-Taking for Artists and Designers

I’m a note-taking addict. A few years ago, my notebooks were filled with notes for myself and my work as an illustrator and comic artist. Note-taking is something we all do, but often not in the right way. We write down our thoughts and ideas, but sometimes we don’t look at them again. A few years ago, when I was filling these notebooks, I would sometimes skim through my notes, but I often didn’t find what I wanted or found things I could have used earlier. So I’ve changed the way I use and work with my notes. Now I can actually use all my notes and they give me new insights and ideas for my creative work almost every day.

In this blog post, I’m going to talk about how you, as an artist or designer, can use your notes effectively to help you in your creative work. How not to forget your notes, how to use them effectively, and how you can increase your creativity and productivity just by using notes.

The Perfect Way to Capture and Use Notes

Plot twist: There is no perfect way to capture and use notes. But you should try different methods to see what works for you. So if you have been taking notes the same way forever, try to experiment and find a better way to take and use notes. I recommend doing everything digitally. There’s the “Zettelkasten”-method, but you need a lot of drawers to use them effectively. Who has room for that? Our space these days is digital! So do it digitally! Of course, you can write your notes on paper, but I recommend that you transfer them to something digital later to be able to use them effectively. I’ll show you how I capture and work with my notes later in this article.

Note-Taking Apps

There are a lot of note-taking apps out there. Choosing which one to use is up to you. Watch some videos about them, try them out, and then choose the one you like best. Everyone is different and likes different things.

I’ve tried a few and I like using Obsidian. I also use Notion, but not for note-taking. What I like about Obsidian is that it keeps all the notes it generates as an isolated file on my laptop. That way, if Obsidian ever disappears, I’ll still have all my notes and I can just import them and use them in another program. Here’s a short list of note-taking apps:

Create an Effective System

So you have your app and your old notes ready to work with. Now what? Well, before we start, we need a system for taking and organizing notes. This system can help you find and use your notes more efficiently. Here are some things you could do, but don’t have to.

Use a consistent format

Use a consistent format when taking notes or they will quickly become a mess. Examples include having a header and footer. In some apps, you can use a template so that all your notes have the same format. Things in your header and footer can be Tags, note types, aliases, authors, sources, “see also”, etc.

Use tags or keywords

Assign relevant tags or keywords to your notes. This can be particularly useful for searching and grouping related notes. I use tags as a separate file. So a tag like “drawing” is a separate note that takes me to drawing stuff and even more notes related to it.

Index and number your notes

For comprehensive notes, create an index and a numbering system. This will help you navigate through your files and speed up your workflow in your note-taking system. I use a variation of “Johnny Decimal” for numbering: Check it out!

Review your note-taking system

Every now and then it is good to review your system. How can it be improved? What is missing? For example, I had a lot of trouble with the indexes in my note-taking system. So I changed them to the numbering system mentioned above. Now it’s much easier to find things when I’m not using the search function.

Backup!

Always have a backup of your notes! Even if it is “in the cloud”. Apps and servers can die, you know.

What to Do With Your Notes

There are lots of things you can do with your notes, and a lot more stuff out there on this subject. If you want to know more: Search and you will find it. It’s too much for a single post. Anyway, here are some things you can (and shouldn’t) use your notes for:

1. Remember forgotten thoughts and ideas

Go back through your old notes to find ideas you have forgotten. Sometimes a quick note from months or years ago can give you a great idea for your next creative project.

2. Use your note-taking system as a second brain

Your notes are a second brain where you can store helpful information related to your work in art and design. This can come in handy when you need help with something technical or want to improve your skills. When I am making a story, I like to look at all the notes I have on storytelling. So I go into my app and search for “story” or go to the “storytelling” tag. A bunch of notes come up and I pick the ones I like and read them. Then I use those notes to create my story. The same goes for any other skill I need to use. You don’t have to use it every time, but sometimes it’s good to see what else there is to the thing you’re making.

3. Boost your creativity: Find new insights

By taking detailed notes, you may discover new connections between old ideas and thoughts. Your connected notes work like your brain. An idea is usually a mixture of two thoughts. By tagging and connecting your notes, you may discover new insights and create new ideas. Reviewing your notes regularly may uncover interesting connections between ideas that seemed unrelated. So when taking notes, try to find tags and connections as you write them down.

4. Try to use atomic notes

An atomic note is a single piece of information. This makes it easier to organize and connect your notes in a meaningful way, creating a network of interconnected ideas. Atomic notes can be linked together to form a knowledge structure that helps you think, learn, and create more effectively. You don’t have to use these types of notes all the time, but they’re really powerful for creating new insights.

5. Use evergreen notes

Everygreen notes are pretty much the opposite of atomic notes. These notes are designed to be permanent and timeless, containing information or insights that remain relevant and valuable over a long period of time. I use them for information and thoughts that I use on a regular basis. For example: I have an evergreen note for every project I’m currently working on. It contains everything I need to know and remember about the project.

6. Plan your projects

Your notes can help you better plan and track your creative projects. For each project, I use different notes for research, goals, timelines, and other things. I make connections to existing notes and use those connections to generate new ideas. In Obsidian, with their canvas feature, you can have a visual guide and overview of your entire project.

7. Use visuals in your note-taking system

Try adding drawings, mood boards, or pictures to your notes. They can help you visualize the mood, themes and look of your creative work. Combining them with your old notes from years ago can help you come up with even better creative ideas and designs. Here also with the Obsidian canvas feature, you can visualize your written notes in conjunction with your visual notes. Perfect for us artists and designers.

8. Delete useless notes

If you are not sure if you can use a note that you really like, keep it. It might help you in the future. But as soon as you realize it doesn’t fit anywhere, delete it. It will only clutter your files and your mind. Only make and keep notes on things you might need and can use in the future.

9. Do not use your note-taking system to “work”

Note-taking can be addictive. It is so satisfying to organize and work with your notes. But don’t use it to procrastinate or “work”. Set up your system and use it when you need it. Don’t work all day to find better ideas and connect thoughts. It will feel like work, but it’s not. If you use your notes when you really need them, it will help you in your creative work and can improve your creativity and workflow.

How I Use My Notes

How I use my notes could be a whole new post in this blog. If you are interested, send me an email. Here’s the short version:

I usually write thoughts and ideas on sticky notes and scraps of paper throughout the week and then enter them into Obsidian at the start of each week. I work with a pseudo “Zettelkasten”. Yes, you can use the above ‘Zettelkasten’ method in a digital environment. But I only use the parts of the system that I like. You could actually write whole books just from atomic notes using this system. So check it out if this is something you want to do.

For each note, I tag it as a fleeting, literature, or permanent note. I will add a todo to these tags to remember what I need to work on. A finished permanent note should be an atomic note in my system. I link these notes with other notes to create new insights. Evergreen notes are used when I need something regularly. These contain lots of links to other notes.

All my notes are in one folder. Yes, just one folder. But I have indexes or maps of content that act as tags and “simulate” a folder. Why this? So I can use a note in different folders without moving or copying it. It also helps with connecting thoughts and ideas. And I really like that!

note-taking system in Obsidian
My Note-Taking System in Obsidian

Conclusion

Your notes aren’t just old records; they’re like active sources of inspiration, knowledge and ideas. By regularly reviewing and using your notes, you can get the most out of them. Think of your notes as powerful tools for your creative journey. This will help your creativity grow and your skills improve.

If you would like to hear me talk more about this, drop me an email.

📩 Free Composition Guide 📩

Join my quirky newsletter for my free Composition Compendium, jolly updates, and other helpful stuff! Every three months (or so)!

3 Things To Do If You’ve Lost The Fun In Your Creative Work

Fun Illustration

For months I felt numb to what I was doing, there was no fun anymore. I didn’t enjoy my dream job anymore. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration because I didn’t hate my job. I just lost the passion for what I was doing and that was a little too much for me.

The problem with not having fun at work is that you automatically get less done and get bored quickly. In other words: I was no longer productive. So I asked myself how I was going to enjoy my creative work again, and actually, I was able to answer that question, and I managed to have fun again. My dream job was saved!

How I did it, and how you can do it too if you’ve become numb to your creative work, is what I’m going to tell you in this short blog post.

Things that are fun

One of the reasons I wasn’t having a good time wasn’t because of a boring work process or a stressful client. In those moments, it can be normal not to have fun, even when you have your dream job. My place of numbness was in doing things I used to enjoy a lot. Working on things I wanted to make, sketching wildly, and creating new creatures and worlds, to name just a few. None of it was as fun as it used to be. As a result, my own deadlines on all my projects were clearly dying.

How did I start to enjoy it again? And how do you get the fun back? By doing these three things today:

Thing 1: Make an effort.

Sometimes we do work that we can’t identify with. Less so when we are doing our own work, and more so when we are doing work for others. But even when we do it for ourselves, we may feel that it’s not our work. This happens when we put less effort into it.

According to Yu-Kai Chou in Actionable Gamification, it is important to own your work in order to enjoy it. We need to be in control of everything we do. When we put less effort into something, we own it less. Therefore, we enjoy it less. I have noticed this with my own work. This insight has helped me tremendously, and it is such a simple trick.

Practical action: Put more effort into your creative work and you’ll enjoy it more.

Thing 2: Telling yourself it’s fun.

Here comes a piece of behavioral therapy. Because we tell ourselves it’s not fun, our brains change (no joke) and we train ourselves not to enjoy it. Even if we don’t believe what we tell ourselves, our brain changes for the better (or worse)! This is another simple trick that has helped me so much.

Just tell yourself: This is fun! I love this work! Or even when it’s difficult: This is difficult work right now, but this is what I want to do and it’s fun. This will change the structure of your brain (I’m really not kidding) and after a while, you will automatically enjoy your creative work more.

Practical action: During a difficult phase of your work, tell yourself that you enjoy it and want to do it.

Thing 3: Create systems that celebrate your accomplishments.

Whether it’s checking off to-do items or something else, when you get something done, you should celebrate your accomplishments with systems created specifically for that purpose.

I created a level system where after 30 points I move up a level and get to draw a lottery ticket with rewards. A record system also helps: If you want to paint for an hour every day, keep track of it, and after a while, you can visually see that you have a winning streak. You will automatically try to keep this streak going. That way it’s more fun to stick with it when motivation isn’t there.

Practical action: Create systems for your successes that can make your creative work more fun.

Conclusion

These are my top three things that have put the fun back into my work. They’re so simple, it’s almost silly that I (and maybe you) haven’t done them before. If you’re not having fun, these things can help you put some fun back into your creative work. Give it a try, you’ve got nothing to lose!

Sources

Chou, Yu-Kai. Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards. Packt Publishing Ltd, 2019.

Getting Good Ideas

Getting Ideas comic drawing

Oh, how we know that feeling. We’re working on our creative thing, whether it’s comics, drawings, or something else, and we just can’t come up with any good ideas. Our mind is empty. It seems that only shitty ideas are left in our heads. But it is important, especially in our creative work, that we can generate as many good ideas as possible because the variety of our work is what we need to make good things. Without many different (good) ideas, there will be no good creative work. And this is where we sometimes struggle. Just generating good ideas.

So how do we do that? We have to distinguish between two things: Belief in the process and techniques for generating ideas.

Belief in the Process

Belief in the process is critical to idea generation. Because sometimes we don’t do the right thing to get the right ideas. We sit around and wonder why this creative thing just doesn’t get better. Why does THE idea never come? We have to believe in the process and this is divided into several areas.

Area 1: Trust in Bad Ideas

We have to remember that not every idea we generate is good. We dig and dig and just come up with nothing good. But there may be one good idea among hundreds of bad ones. It doesn’t matter how many there are. The important thing is that we know we just have to keep working on possible ideas so that eventually the good ones we need will come. And they exist. You know they are somewhere because you have had them in the past. Believe in it! Deep under all that crap is something we can use. So let’s keep digging!

Area 2: Belief in Working on the Bad Ideas

Depending on the creative work you do, the process of turning bad ideas into something is important. For example, in drawing, sometimes the ideas come only when you start drawing. The same can happen with any creative work. If you make crap, at some point the idea of how to make something good out of the crap will come. Sometimes, even if you make a mistake, a good idea can come out of it. It’s very similar to when we have a hundred bad ideas in our heads. But if we work on it and use our hands (or feet, if you can work creatively with them), those good ideas will come by themselves. So: Work on your thing! Don’t wait for a good idea, start working on it and the good idea will come.

Area 3: Believing in Pauses

In addition, the creative process sometimes allows us to take a break. This is important because when we’re not working on our projects, an idea can suddenly come to us. So when things aren’t going well, it helps to just work on something else or take a break. Take a short walk outside, which has helped famous scientists to solve problems. Or get the idea in the shower. Over the years I have learned what is really important when taking these breaks: think about the problem every now and then. If you go for a walk without thinking about your project, you may never get an idea. But thinking too much is not good either, so it is important to find a middle ground.

When things aren’t going well, it’s important to remember these areas and not lose your head. Believe in the process! Believe in yourself! It helps you overcome anxiety and the pressure to come up with the perfect idea.

Techniques and Methods for Idea Generation

While it helps to believe in the process and keep working (or walking/showering) accordingly, good techniques for generating ideas are of course important. So here’s a list of my favorites and a few others. I distinguish between techniques where you don’t have an idea yet and techniques where you already have ideas.

Techniques and Methods Without Ideas

Brainstorming

Just about the best-known technique. And one of my favorites. You don’t have to brainstorm in words! You can sketch, paint, make whatever in a tiny size, and do variations to brainstorm. This will trigger area 2 from before because you are already thinking about ideas and making them. And don’t be afraid to make stupid ideas! Even the worst ones go on this list!

Mind Mapping / Clustering

So I’ve been reading Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Rico and came across a technique called “Clustering”. It’s similar to mind mapping but you write down the associations of the word you use. So if you need ideas for a topic about trees, for example, you write down the first thing that comes to mind about the word “tree”. For me it is “green”, “leaves”, “book”, “reading”, “free time”, “walking” … etc. Sometimes these associations give you pretty good ideas that even have a deeper meaning. For example, a few months ago I did a comic called “Catch an Eye“. I asked my partner to give me a word and I’d make a comic out of it. She said “eye” and I used the clustering method to get ideas for the story.

Real-Life Experiences

Sometimes we forget that we have a real life to draw ideas from. So if you have a project that could have some connection to your past, search it for good ideas! Sometimes these are the best ideas because they add a personal touch to your project. The second thing is to go to places in real life where you can experience something similar to your project. For example: If you have to do something related to the Middle Ages, go to a history museum.

Word Ideas

If you can get ideas for your creative project from a few words, you could use random word generators on the Internet to get some ideas. You can even combine them. Sometimes when I draw a creature or character, I use some random words to get ideas of what they might look like. You could even point blindly at a book or newspaper to get those words.

Techniques and Methods with Existing Ideas

SO TAME Method

I used this in a Creative Work Problems comic. If you already have ideas, you can use them to get other ideas. Sometimes the bad idea just needs a different form to become good. The SO TAME method is a mnemonic for this:

  • S – Slice it up
  • O – Do the Opposite
  • T – Take something away
  • A – Add something
  • M – Mix it
  • E – Exaggerate it

Pretty much take your idea and do one or more of these things to it. Sometimes you will come up with some very unique ideas. I use it myself almost every day.

Two into One

Sometimes two things should be one idea. To me, that is what an idea essentially is: A mixture of two thoughts. So if you need a good idea, try to combine two things. Do you need a warrior character design? Why not mix a warrior with a baby and make a big baby warrior? Because warriors are “dumb” and so are newborn babies. Voila, we have a nice idea. Maybe this has already been done, I do not know. You can do this with anything that exists.

The “What if…” Method

Let’s say you have a story. But this story is pretty boring and you have no idea how to make it better. Well, there is a method called “What if …”.  This method asks a question about an idea you already have. It lets you think differently and add things that you would never have thought of without it.

So let’s do this quickly: We have a story. Say a whale wants to find his true love. A whale that just swims around might work, but … what if … the whale lives in the sky? Now we have a nice setting that makes the story more interesting. And we go on … what if … the whale falls in love with a cloud that looks like a whale? Well, now we have a bad idea. But remember! You need stupid ideas to get to the good ideas. So just go with the “what if” method and you will find the good stuff. You don’t have to keep everything. Maybe with this method, we’ll find a cool story about the whale finding love, but it’s not going to happen in the sky.

SCAMPER Method

I stumbled upon this method while researching this blog post. I haven’t used it yet, but it sounds promising. It is similar to my SO TAME method. This SCAMPER method allows you to think outside the box. The acronym stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify/Magnify/Minimize, Put to Other Use, Eliminate, and Rearrange/Reverse. The method involves applying these seven strategies to existing ideas to create new ones.

Substitute involves replacing elements in the idea with alternatives. Combine suggests combining two or more ideas. Adapting involves modifying existing ideas to fit new contexts. Modify/Magnify/Minimize involves changing the size or scale of an element. Put to other uses suggests using a concept in a different context. Eliminating involves removing an element or simplifying an idea. Rearrange/Reverse involves changing the order or direction of elements.

Conclusion

Generating good ideas can be a daunting task, but it is essential for success in any creative field. Believing in the process is crucial because it helps you overcome the fear of failure and the pressure to come up with a good idea. You must understand that generating good ideas is a journey, not a destination, and you must be patient with yourself.

In addition, you can use several techniques and methods to generate good ideas. Brainstorming, Mind Mapping / Clustering, and SCAMPER are just a few examples of the many tools available to help you generate new and good ideas. The key is to experiment with different techniques and find what works best for you.

Ultimately, coming up with good ideas requires a combination of creativity, persistence, and hard work. By believing in the process and using effective techniques and methods, you can generate a wealth of new and exciting ideas that will help you achieve your goals and create good stuff for others to enjoy! Now keep on making!

📩 Free Composition Guide 📩

Join my quirky newsletter for my free Composition Compendium, jolly updates, and other helpful stuff! Every three months (or so)!

A Different Approach to Art Block

Art Block Illustration

There are various names for this phenomenon — writer’s block, creative block, or art block. I made a list a while back with some suggestions if you have this problem. Today I’ll show you a different approach with an exercise.

This exercise includes a) different steps you do in a relaxed body position, b) mental imagery exercises, and c) a visualization of your art block.

It can also help you solve daily creative problems in your work. For example, if you get stuck on a project and don’t know what to do. That’s why I will test and do this exercise myself too.

I have adapted this exercise so you can do it alone, as it is usually done with a therapist who guides you. This means that I will change this exercise over time with feedback.

What Can Help With Art Block?

There is evidence that vivid daydreaming helps with a creative block. That’s why we do an exercise that enhances this.

We all know when we go for a walk with a problem in our mind, we find the solution before we even come back from the walk. In this sense, daydreaming can help us when we have this issue.

But how can we deliberately start this daydreaming? Of course, we can encourage it by doing nothing and letting our thoughts run free. By doing something other than our creative work and thus letting daydreaming take its course. Or just do something else, like Kness did when she had art block. Or we can apply this solution with an exercise, which encourages daydreaming. As a result, it helps with our creative block.

One part of the exercise is a series of mental imagery exercises that form the basis of the Creative Imagination Scale. I’ll give you this part of the exercise in short, there is a link below for more details.

The Concept of The Mental Imagery Exercise

There are 10 parts to the exercise. Here’s an overview of these parts (the actionable and adapted exercise is further below).

  1. Arm Heaviness
    • Think about how your arms are getting heavier.
  2. Hand Levitation
    • Think about how your arms are getting lighter.
  3. Finger Anesthesia
    • Imagine your fingers going numb.
  4. Water “Hallucination”
    • Imagine drinking cool refreshing water.
  5. Olfactory-Gustatory “Hallucination”
    • Think about how you perceive the taste and smell of an orange.
  6. Music “Hallucination”
    • Listen to music in your mind that you heard the other day.
  7. Temperature “Hallucination”
    • Imagine your arms getting warm.
  8. Time Distortion
    • Try to slow down time with your thoughts.
  9. Age Regression
    • Imagine going back in time, e.g. childhood.
  10. Mind-Body Relaxation
    • Try to relax your mind and body.

The Problem With This Exercise

And what’s the problem? A therapist should guide you through this whole exercise, while you are in a relaxed state. It is quite difficult to do with no therapist around. Hence, we’re going to change it up a bit and do it ourselves!

Go through the mental imagery exercise before you start it, preferably writing it down, and try to imagine how you do every point of this. Look for personal examples such as point 8 “Time Distortion”. When is the moment in time you will imagine? Then try to remember these points as best as you can.

If you do the exercise and forget a few things, don’t worry! It’s not a problem at all. If you do the exercise over and over again, you will memorize everything and incorporate the forgotten things.

The Exercise Against Art Block

Remember this exercise and then let’s do this!

  1. Sit in a dark room with your eyes closed and focus on relaxing your body and mind.
  2. Now describe to yourself the contents of your ongoing thoughts and fantasies.
  3. Do the mental image exercises as mentioned. No more than 1.5 minutes for each exercise.
    1. Arm Heaviness
    2. Hand Levitation
    3. Finger Anesthesia
    4. Water “Hallucination”
    5. Olfactory-Gustatory “Hallucination”
    6. Music “Hallucination”
    7. Temperature “Hallucination”
    8. Time Distortion
    9. Age Regression
    10. Mind-Body Relaxation
  4. Now visualize or otherwise experience the elements of your current creative work. Imagine your creative block. What do you want to work on right now? What are the problems and solutions to this? How do you move on?
  5. Come back to reality. Stretch your limbs. Breathe deeply. Open your eyes.

Repeat this daily for two weeks or more. You can do this as a ritual before doing (or trying to do) any creative work.

Conclusion

While there are many ways to tackle a creative block, I am trying to give you a new, evidence-based approach. I have adapted this exercise for you to do on your own, so we need more evidence to see if it works without help. If you have someone to help you, you could use the real exercise down at the sources.

Because this is a work in progress and I’ll continue to adjust the exercise after feedback. So, if you do the exercise for a while, it would be super nice if you could send me your feedback! I will adapt and improve the exercise so that it is even more applicable and can help you.

Sources

Mental imaginary exercises from the Creative Imagination Scale https://hypnosisandsuggestion.org/

Singer, J. L., & Barrios, M. V. (2009). Writer’s block and blocked writers: Using natural imagery to enhance creativity. In S. B. Kaufman & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), The psychology of creative writing  (pp. 225–246). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511627101.016

Barber, T. X., & Wilson, S. C. (1978). The Barber Suggestibility Scale and the Creative Imagination Scale: Experimental and clinical applications. The American journal of clinical hypnosis, 21(2-3), 84–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.1978.10403966

📩 Free Composition Guide 📩

Join my quirky newsletter for my free Composition Compendium, jolly updates, and other helpful stuff! Every three months (or so)!

Ideas, Motivation, and The Best Thing You’ve Ever Done

This blog post brings you four of my latest Creative Work Problems comics and a tip for each topic.

The first one is about ideas and how they can take a little longer than we want them to. The second is about to-do lists and how overwhelming they can become. The third one is about motivation and how it comes and goes quickly. The last one is about how we like things we do, and after a while, we realize what a stupid thing we did (which is good).

Good Ideas Take Time

good ideas comic

Often we have more bad ideas than good ones. This can sometimes make us feel like we don’t have any good ideas. So we often give up too soon. What helps is not to lose hope and to work on the ideas again for a while. Make variations, brainstorm again, or maybe try a completely new approach. If we keep at it, then the good idea will be there at some point, which we can then improve little by little. An idea doesn’t come to us in a perfect form, but it has the potential to become great. We just have to keep working on it.

Here’s a post for getting good ideas: Getting Good Ideas

Too Many To-Do’s

To Do List Comic

Too many planned tasks can be disastrous. 🥵 I hear these little empty boxes screaming at me when I can’t tick them off. Let’s stop this so we can sleep better. We always want to do more than we can do. But in the end, our day only lasts 24 hours. And we have to divide the hours cleverly without overwhelming ourselves.

Here are some tips that you can use to better deal with to-do lists.

  1. Plan enough (buffer) time. Most of the time, your tasks last longer than you think.
  2. Never write more on your to-do list than you can do in one day. If you have to do so many things, then something is going wrong with your general planning.
  3. Do the most important task first.
  4. Have flexible things planned that don’t necessarily have to be done today. You’ll feel better if you still can’t finish them.
  5. Some people only put three tasks on their daily to-do list. Much less overwhelming than an endless list.
  6. Put your To-Do List where you can see it. I have a notebook just for my lists. It always stays open on my desk while I’m working.
  7. If you have problems doing anything at all, it is often helpful to have a To-Do list with just one task. It can be anything. For example, watering flowers. Gradually you can create more tasks when you feel like it.

If you follow some of these tips, it will be easier “to do” your to-do list! And your list won’t annihilate you with empty little boxes. 🔥

When Motivation Arrives

Motivation Comic

Motivation comes and goes. Sometimes it fades faster than you would like. Or in this case, faster out the window. 👉 💥

I can give you the following advice: Don’t wait until you are motivated to work on your creative project. Don’t wait for the muse that may never come. Start with the thing you don’t have the motivation for yet. It is tricky, but sometimes it helps to spend ten minutes working on the task you’re not motivated to do. The magic is that you can get inspired by sitting down and working. And the inspiration will also quickly give you the motivation you are lacking. Ten minutes can then quickly turn into an hour or more. Try this when you’re waiting for your motivation to appear (or when you see it jumping out of the window).

Funnily enough, I had no motivation to finish this little comic. But I kept sitting down and working on it for a few minutes. And lo and behold, something came out in the end.

Some Good Work At Last …?

Good Work Comic

We sometimes have the feeling that we can’t produce anything good. But then the moment comes when we create something we like so much that we think it can’t get any better.

Yet things change after a while.

We look back on it years later and realize what we created back then is just crap. That’s a good sign. It means we have grown in our passion and made progress in our creative life. Those are the moments we need to remember! When we think we’re not moving forward. A thing in the past that we can grab onto when we are in creative despair.

But even if you don’t have those moments where you think you’ve made something great, you can still see how you’ve gotten better.

That’s why I advise you to look at your old work to see how much progress you have made. And use this as a weapon of creativity if you need it.

Those four comics are one of the last ones of my “Creative Work Problems” comic. You will find the new ones I do on Instagram if I start them again. If you have ideas for comic topics you can reach me here.

📩 Free Composition Guide 📩

Join my quirky newsletter for my free Composition Compendium, jolly updates, and other helpful stuff! Every three months (or so)!