Resistance strikes!
"This is war, baby." -- S. Pressfield
Remember my last newsletter in which I described how eager I was to start exploring all the ideas I had put on hold for so long? Well, something happened.
I was attacked by Resistance.
In Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art, he describes a force called Resistance that thwarts our efforts to do our work. Pressfield has numerous descriptions of it (here’s a good one), but for our purposes here, these are the tactics Resistance used in its most recent assault on me:
procrastination
distraction
laziness
perfectionism
inability to focus
fear of failure/success
fear of humiliation
fear of destitution
inability to defer gratification
inability to act with self-discipline
Get the picture? Watching myself the past few weeks has been hilarious! Stuff came at me from all directions. Upon entering my studio, I’d think: “I need to watch another demo on YouTube… I’ll just check my email real quick… SQUIRREL!!!” I blinked, and three weeks have passed.
Apparently, when the winds of life have carried me in one direction for many years, it’s not so easy to abruptly shift directions.
Despite all that, I have managed to do a little drawing and urban sketching, make some monoprints, and I’ve booked a show for June 2023. Progress!
Featured blast from the past
Because I don’t have new work ready to show you, here’s one of my favs from years ago, titled Sage. It’s done in graphite on coquille board, which gives it a stippled effect. I’ve always loved the unique texture created by drawing on that surface. He was originally featured as the Wise Man on a set of Christmas cards I designed. The original drawing is available here.
Now it’s back to the drawing board — literally. I’ve seen Resistance for the phantom it is, and so will just sit down and do my work. It’ll be back again, but for today, I’ve won the battle. Next time I promise to show you actual evidence of my victories.
What’s your experience with Resistance? Share any tips or tricks you use to conquer it in the comment section below — I need all the help I can get.
Thanks for reading. Till next time.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, and I earn a commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.
It's amazing how clean my house gets when I have a deadline...
I just attended a workshop and learned about some brain tricks and tools we can use to train ourselves to automate actions. Our brains love small actionable steps, I'm working on breaking things down into smaller steps that I can accomplish daily. Focusing on doing three things daily related to a goal and working backwards from a goal to figure out the steps required to accomplish the task. Still slow going...and still cleaning my house, but this was a great question to remind me about that workshop and get out my notes :). Love this drawing & looking forward to your next entry!
Love your little self portrait. She has some joy in her. Are you giving details on your show in 2023?