Organizing My Brain: Planning a Work Day That Makes Sense (To Me)

Being self-employed is great, but it certainly has risks. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is planning a day of work. With most jobs we know what our day looks like: arrive at 9 a.m., have coffee, say "hi" to the boss, do our work, have lunch, do our work, go home at 5 p.m. However, being responsible for my own schedule, I risk going through the day doing nothing.

As an artist and writer, I am responsible for my work schedule. Being unique and quirky in my own way, I must find a way to schedule a work day that fits me, makes sense to me. We are different. What works for me may not work for you. The goal is to find a schedule that works for me and then stick to it.

As both a writer and artist, I have two jobs. I must paint, I must write. While both are creative endeavors that have much in common, they are also quite different. Painting and creating visual art is both physically and mentally draining. After a long session at the easel, I am physically tired and mentally drained. Writing, however, tends to make me mentally alert and drained without the physical pain. After writing for a few hours, I often feel the need to do something physically active, like riding my bike or taking a walk. After painting in the studio, all I want to do is rest.

I am faced with scheduling a work day that needs to address my uniqueness, the way that I like to work. For now, I am trying this: I am splitting my day into two parts. I reserve my mornings for writing and reading and research. After lunch I paint, draw, create in the studio.  I am finding that if I keep my two jobs separate, art and writing, I have a better chance of staying on track.

My writing workplace is often this coffee shop.
Today, the scene is pretty hectic, being Friday.

For the longest time I was approaching my work day like a day off. That is, I had no real plan or idea of what I was going to do that day. I would write when I felt like it, then paint. I might go through a day and not paint at all. I might go three days without writing and just paint. While this might be a fun way to work, it can be counterproductive. I have goals to reach and a business to run. I cannot afford to just work when I feel like it. I have two jobs, both very demanding and both requiring discipline. I have to paint and write each day, even if I don't feel like it. I have to remind myself that I have two jobs, not hobbies.

When deadlines call for more attention to a particular project, then I make adjustments. But I still need to pay attention to both jobs and not neglect one, because of the work required for the other. For example, I have an art fair on my calendar in two weeks. The temptation will be to focus on preparing for the fair and neglect my writing. But this is a problem. I might need to cut back on my writing schedule, but I must not neglect it. I still need to write, even if its just for a few minutes.

I have never liked working for someone else. Being self-employed is a choice I made and I know it has risks. Scheduling my work day is a continuous struggle. Switching gears between art and writing is not easy, but necessary. I have two jobs that both require my attention. Organizing my scattered brain is a constant problem, but I'm trying my best to make it work.

Online Print Houses

I have been looking at online print houses to order high quality posters of my digital art, and it's not easy. I first went to Mpix.com and ordered a 24x36 full color poster. I receive it yesterday and was disappointed. Their "low weight paper" is just awful. They offer no other papers. My total cost was $37, which included basic shipping. The low quality paper is just a deal-breaker. I will not use Mpix for my poster prints.

The next site I visited was PosterPrintShop.com. I ordered today a 30x30 customized poster with a high gloss finish. Total cost to me was $43, including shipping. I am hoping the quality of the paper stock is much better. Once I receive it, I'll let you know what I think. I am impressed at the easy user-friendly interface this site has to offer. It was a quick and easy matter to upload my image, crop, and place the order. They test the quality of your image and give you an idea of how large a print is best, given the size and quality of your image. I have found that an image of at least 2400pix is necessary for a 30 inch print.

I also visited FineArtAmerica.com. For quality poster prints, this site is also limited and I was unable to crop my uploaded image on the site. They only offer standard sizes and one kind of paper. So far, this site doesn't seem to be what I'm looking for.

I went to VistaPrint.com and ordered a 24x36 glossy poster. I will be eager to see the quality of this one, too. Total cost was $42, including shipping. They only offer standard sizes, and card stock is only available for an 11x17. They do have a useful cropping/editing interface that is helpful.

These are the images I am using as test cases for posters. I am developing a series of digital prints to sell as posters, if I can just find a good price for a quality print on a paper stock that is better than a roll of toilet tissue.

Hi Girls, Miss Me?

Writing a screenplay can be as fun as painting a picture. While distinct similarities exists between the two, my brain seems to be working from a different place while I'm writing dialogue. In both cases I'm painting a picture. I'm using words to paint dialogue, hoping to find some rhythm and texture just as I would when applying oils to a canvas. But the process, the brain activity, seems to be different. I cannot explain it. I'm not a brain specialist. I love doing both, writing and painting, and they are great compliments to one another. Both are creative practices, apparently exercising different parts of the brain.

Below is an excerpt from a screenplay I'm writing. It is fun to do this kind of thing after a week of painting in the studio. It's all about expressing what it means to be human.

(Excerpt from a current screenplay...)

INT. LAUREL GROVE HIGH SCHOOL, BOY’S RESTROOM, DAY

Brando is staring into the mirror of the restroom. He has a bloody nose.

SAM

                          You okay? Your nose looks crooked.

BRANDO

                           It hurts like shit. But I’ll survive. That prick was lucky. I didn’t see him.

SAM

                          Why do you put up with it? Why don’t you beat his ass?

BRANDO

                          He’s the size of a buffalo. I wouldn’t have a chance. He would break more than my      
                          nose.

SAM

                          If you don’t do something he’ll keep it up. I’ve been picked on my whole life. I’ve
                          gotten used to it. But you. You can do something about it. Your dad’s the sheriff for
                          God’s sake!

BRANDO

                          So...you want me to run to daddy. Is that it? I’d rather get beat up.

SAM

                          Your Dad would throw him in jail.

BRANDO

                          But then what? I’d look like an idiot. Running to Dad to fix my problems. My dad        
                          already thinks I’m a pussy.

At that moment the bathroom door opens and Satchel walks in. He’s tall, well-built, but still has baby fat around the waist and chin. His hair is long and messy, like he just got out of bed. He’s laughing to himself. He notices Sam and Brando in front of the sink and mirror. They both turn as he walks in.

SATCHEL

                          Hi, girls. Miss me?

Last Week of Class at AAU

It's been fun, but the long road to a master's degree in fine art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco is coming to a dead end this week. My last Group Directed Study class with Jacob Dhein and other grad students at the Chestnut location was yesterday. All of us were tired and ready for the semester to end. We were told to bring three paintings for a final critique, but I just couldn't do it. Instead I chose to bring one painting and a study from a Malcolm Liepke painting.

My copy of a Malcolm Liepke painting.

"I'm just so tired at looking at these paintings," I said. "You all have seen them. I've done nothing to them since the last time you saw them." It seemed like overkill to bring the same final thesis paintings for another "final critique" to this class. I had shown the same paintings the week before in my Final Thesis critique.

 I told my class and Jacob, "At some point. you just have to move on."

The process was weird, the steps I went through the final weeks before graduation. The commencement ceremony came first (I did not attend), followed by a Final Thesis critique. Then another final critique in GDS class yesterday. Tomorrow I have one last class in Professional Practices before I'm done.

So, for my final class in Group Directed Study I brought  in one painting, "The Priest." I also brought in a study I have been working on, a copy of a painting by Malcolm Liepke.

"The Priest", 30x30, oil on canvas. Made the visit to my last GDS class for a  "final critique."

Writing Screenplays and Painting Pictures: Two Sides of the Same Coin

The more I write screenplays, the more I see similarities to painting pictures. For me, the creative coin has two sides: I love writing stories and I love painting pictures.  It is all about creating something from nothing. Writers begin with a blank page. For painters, there is always the blank canvas staring you down.

In a recent interview with the director Daniel Stamm (visit AikenWriter.com for my notes), I took notes about the creative process in making films. I quickly realized that making films and writing screenplays are similar to painting. It all boils down to the creative process.

Here are some examples.

1.  Engage the audience in a story that is unfamiliar. Stamm is looking for scripts that deal with unfamiliar territory. Painters are looking for the same thing. Screenplays are paintings. The writer uses words instead of oils. A screenplay should paint a story in words. Both writers and painters want to engage the viewer, and hopefully show them something they have never seen. 


2.  If you can’t deal with failure you won’t have a career. This is true for anyone in the arts. Failure is the norm. Failure is the air we breathe. Rejection is our biggest fan. Failure is inherent in the creative process. Only God creates perfection out of chaos. For us mortals, it's a lot harder. Success is in the doing, the process, the work. 

3.  A lack of confidence in what you are doing is inherent in the creative process.  Stamm talks about meeting with producers, the money people, trying to convince them he has the confidence to make a certain film. It is con game. In reality he has no clue. To get the money, you have to sell people on your clear vision and have confidence in your talent. Painters are no different. 

When I begin a new painting, I don't have a clue how it is going to turn out. Will it be a total failure? Maybe. Probably. Most likely my painting won't be a masterpiece. However,  I must show confidence in my ability or no one will give a damn. If I think I'm a lousy artist, and say that to a potential patron, then you can see the problem. If I don't believe in myself, then who will? It is okay to lack confidence in your work. 'Not-knowing" is inherent in the creative process. We learn by doing, through trial and error. Just don't let those with the money see you sweat. 

4. You Can't Make Everyone Happy.  Stamm talks about negative comments about his films being a good thing, just as long as they are widespread, covering a variety of issues. The problem comes when all the negativity is about the same issue. My paintings will always suck, to someone. That is the reality. If I could arrange for ten art critics to look at my work, I would make a list of their comments. Are they all about the same issue? ("God, that composition really sucks") Or do their negative comments vary from one issue to another. Perhaps one critic hates the composition, one hates the color, one hates the subject matter, and one just hates the whole thing. It is a good sign if ten critics hate ten different things about my work. On the other hand, if eight of the ten really hate my brushwork, then I might have a problem. 

The eleven paintings for my Final Thesis Review.

In a couple of weeks, I'll have my chance with a room full of critics: three instructors will be attending my Final Thesis review for a critique. I will show them eleven paintings. I will take notes of their negative and positive comments. How much will they agree on certain issues? The best case scenario for me: they won't agree on anything. 

5. Being alone with your inner critic can suffocate creativity.  Like writing, painting is lonely work. We work by ourselves, isolated from the world in our studios like monks. I'm referring to an honest-to-God-artist, not those scam artists like Jeff Coons, Damien Hirst or Maurizio Cattelan. The voice we often hear comes from the inner critic telling us we suck. Somehow we need to silence the inner critic and just keep working. 

Holy Cow It's Hot

After months of rain and freezing weather, my feet are finally thawing out. I guess Spring has arrived in San Francisco, just in time. Events to attend, a bike to ride, a bus to wait on...all are a part of living in the Bay. When the weather sucks, life here tends to suck, too.

Events to attend. I'm looking at my calendar and it appears like it's going to be a busy month. My friends Usha Shukla (Usha Art on Facebook) and Colleen Gianatiempo (Colleen on Facebook) are having their solo shows at the Cannery studios this Friday, May 5. They are graduating, along with me, this month with Master of Fine Art degrees from AAU.

The John Pence gallery (JohnPence.com) is closing at the end of June. I need to pay a visit since it's been a while. The gallery has been in San Francisco 44 years. I know many of the artists they have supported over the years. John is responsible for starting the careers of many artists, especially from AAU. I want to make one more visit before the doors close.

A current exhibition at the Legion of Honor I must see is "Monet: the Early Years." (http://legionofhonor.famsf.org) The exhibition closes May 29, so I need to hurry. Approximately 60 paintings reveal the young artist and his search for a visual language he could make his own. We sometimes forget these great master painters were once struggling kids trying to discover their voice.

"Cityscape I", Richard Diebenkorn, 1963

The Matisse/Diebenkorn show at SFMOMA (SFMOMA.org) also closes May 29.  The exhibition brings together 100 extraordinary paintings and drawings—40 by Matisse and 60 by Diebenkorn—that reveal the connections between the two artists in subject, style, color, and technique. I first grew to appreciate Diebenkorn after reading a biography of David Park and the Bay Area Figurative painters. I have a book of Richard Diebenkorn paintings in my studio to remind me of how great these painters were back in the 1950s and early 1960s. 

Since the weather in San Francisco has finally turned nice, it is time I make these events. Naturally, the ocean, beach, mountains, and scenic areas of the Bay also need a visit. I have a lot to do. 

No Power in Downtown San Francisco

It is hard enough to navigate downtown San Francisco, but add the loss of electrical power and it becomes like walking through a third-world country. I was painting in my studio on Chestnut Ave. when mid-brush-stroke the lights went out.

It happens often I'm told. Maybe not often, but no one was surprised but me. I grabbed my flashlight and stumbled to the front glass doors. I noticed the traffic lights were out.  Obviously it was a wide spread problem. Muni buses were running the lights, or the lack of lights, and cars were darting in and out of the intersections as if they had been transported to Mexico City. Scary stuff.

I made it across town to my Friday class located near Chinatown. No power there, either. What the hell is going on? A terrorist attack? One way to bring a city to her knees is knock out the power grid.

Many of the local retails stores placed "Closed Due to Power Failure" signs on their doors. The Starbucks at the corner of Bush and Grant stayed open but couldn't serve anyone. People were hanging outside the entrance and sitting on the sidewalk waiting for something to happen. Starbucks employees began passing out free iced coffee and taking pictures for their Instagram page. I guess they have been trained for such occasions, "Okay, if we ever lose our electricity, make friends and pass out free coffee."