By contributing columnist Amanda aka: GimmeThatThing

Having spoken to many crafters on the Folksy forum or at craft fairs, it has become obvious to me that most of us create our wonderful masterpieces at home, whether it is in the spare bedroom, a cellar, a quiet shed at the bottom of the garden, or in my case in the kitchen, where I produce my ceramic pieces. 

We all seem to have one thing in common – the problem of how to deal with the distractions that arise when we should be knuckling down and doing some creative work.

Some crafters are lucky enough to have a studio that is away from their home, but those of us working at home have so many distractions that we have to learn to ignore them.  Those precious spare hours when we can get to making stuff are few and far between, especially if we have day jobs or a family to keep happy.  Even those of us who craft full time are faced with those same problems that arise when working in a domestic space.  Should we vacuum the carpets, do the washing up, iron the kids’ clothes, do the supermarket run, or should we just ignore these duties in the hope that they will go away? 

My approach is to deal with the urgent matters on my ‘to do’ list and leave the carpet and ironing until tomorrow. After all, I may not feel creative or inspired to make anything worthwhile tomorrow and that is when I can achieve something with a vacuum cleaner or shopping trolley! I often tend to get those domestic duties out of the way first and then I know that I can enjoy a few hours uninterrupted without suffering the guilt. However, you are bound to find that further distractions can arise throughout the day.  Friends may phone or call round, knowing that you are bound to be at home. They may come for a chat or arrive with an offer of taking you out for lunch, but this is just a temptation that you have to learn to rise above. 

Perhaps your kitchen is a tad too close to your workspace and it is all too easy to make just one more cup of coffee before beginning work, or worse still, to keep raiding the biscuit jar! Ideally, you should tell yourself that you will have begun creating by a specific time, come what may. Avoid the biscuits, the phone calls, that extra cup of coffee.

Close yourself inside that workspace and focus on what needs to be done. Tell yourself that you are not allowed a break until you have finished making that pair of earrings, sewn that seam or finished knitting that sleeve, or just give yourself a time limit and do 2 hours work before coming out of the work space for a little time off. 

Do not get distracted by the mess, chaos and lack of organisation once you are in your workspace .  These are issues that you can deal with on those days when you lack inspiration. Make the most of your time. Be organised and disciplined. Make a list of what you want to achieve each day.  Do not come out of that workspace until you have achieved the day’s goals, whether it is making one item or a whole heap of identical items for a wholesale order. Then, and only then, release yourself from captivity, make a hot drink and treat yourself to a piece or two of chocolate, because you’re worth it!

Photo courtesy of  Jenniferstumpf

Tags: art studio, artistry, crafting, creations, creative work, discipline, distractions, folksy, GimmeThatThing, indiesmiles, time management, todo list, workspace

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