The Fine Art of Procrastinating
Just do it.
MW Wanderings 2, 3.75” x 11.25” Acrylic, toner on Arches Paper ©Amy Guion Clay 2021
Yeah, I know you’ve heard that one before.
So why DON’T we just do it? Why do we avoid the very things we long to do in favor of lesser activities that seduce us away from our creative callings? Why is procrastination such a stinking formidable foe?
Because as long as we keep our creativity in our heads, we don’t have to face the possibility that we might suck at it. We can blame it on all the external circumstances and put our potential tucked safely away in a drawer.
Cartoon: 2 artists lamenting in front of blank canvases. One says, “If only I had the funding, then I’d really have something to say!”
The longing to create is one thing, the actual creating is quite another.
MW Wanderings 4, Acrylic on Yupo Paper 5.5” x 14” ©Amy Guion Clay 2021
For example, writing these posts is one of my biggest procrastinations. And yet I enjoy writing and sharing my thoughts on the creative process. I also love learning about (hopefully) becoming a better writer (by yes, writing). And the responses I get from my readers are SO satisfying.
And yet I can’t tell you how many posts I have “in process”, which might as well read, “I’m procrastinating”.
I reckon it’s really about expectations and disappointments. We are fixated on achieving certain results. We think we have to be good before we even begin. This will crush any playfulness or curiosity. To be able to begin to make marks, or sounds or put words together without any expectation of “being good” is the best way through. And then, through regular practice, we realize that, in fact, we don’t suck at all.
MW Wanderings 3, Acrylic on Yupo Paper 5.5” x 14” ©Amy Guion Clay 2021
On the other hand,
“To see procrastination as undesirable, especially in the early stages of an endeavor, is to say that…a woman feeling her first birth pangs should get on with it; that a bud should be broken open to reveal the full glory of the flower. What looks from the outside like our delay…may have more to do with a slow, necessary ripening through time…” David Whyte from Consolations.
In this way, it does not help to beat ourselves up for our procrastination. We can have compassion and patience for the early tender days of gestation. It’s helpful to discern the reasons behind our avoidance - is it fear of inadequacy or trusting that the timing will present itself in perfect order?
That is up to you to determine.
The main thing is to nurture life, to give fertile ground to your creative impulses and then take action when the quickening moment begins. This is why deep listening is key. To cut out as much noise as possible and be ready to receive guidance. (More on that later).
Don’t give procrastination the power to rob you of your brilliance. There is joy in the doing of it.
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If you need help getting unstuck and moving beyond your procrastination, check out my coaching page HERE: