(Quick note to my e-mail subscribers. Due to technical difficulties, the notifications for the past two blog posts went awry. So you’ve missed my post introducing Creativity and my post about creative fears. Hopefully I’ve fixed the snafu and we’re back to original broadcast quality!)
I’m returning to a creative routine after years of life upsets. Or at least I’m trying to return to a routine.
After learning about the routines of several successful writers, I decided to imitate them and tried setting my goal at 2,000 words a day.
That didn’t happen.
I changed it to 1,000 words a day.
Some days I got there, other days I didn’t even write a single word.
Finally I set my goal to 250 words a day.
A crazily small amount.
But, it made a difference!
I’m finally writing almost every day. Not massive amounts, but it’s a good start. And often, once I make my 250, I continue to 500, and then maybe 1,000.
Stretching to Goals vs Getting to the Page
One best-selling writer I read about suggested choosing a word count you could meet for the week and then adding 10% to keep you focused.
If you haven’t tried that for your writing, or sketching, or painting, or photography, it’s definitely worth a go. I may go back to that myself once I’m in a better routine.
But I think there’s lots to be said for the goal that is almost too small, just large enough to feel like it matters. Its purpose is not to push you, it’s to pull you. It gets you to the page, or the easel, or the sketchbook, or the piano with the promise that you only need to do something small. Tiny even. And once you’re there, well maybe you can do a little more. And then a little more. But if you only do that one small thing, it’s still a success. You’ve made it for the day. Well done!
Creative Blocks to Goals
What’s a goal like for your creative voice inside your head? I’ll hand over to my Creativity to prove a glimpse.
So, there are days I like goals, and there are days I don’t like goals. Rather like the fact that there are days I like chicken nuggets and days I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot high-jump pole (are they ten foot? Must make a note for Jessica to do her research thingy and figure out why I’m wrong. Again!)
Gah. Where was I?
Yes, goals!
So I’m not a big goal person. I’m a massive play person. If setting a goal for a certain number of words means I get to play for that long, then I’m all for it! But if the goal means my person and I need to sit staring into nothingness for an interminable and torturous (which possibly means the same thing, but hey, I’m not a stickler for the dictionary myself) amount of time, then me and goals are not on speaking terms.
So the heading says “Creative Blocks to Goals” and I would take issue with that! I would say “When Goals Cause Creative Blocks.” Or, more punchily (which is a word, no matter what spell check says), “When Goals Murder a Perfectly Good Creative Luncheon.” Don’t know where the luncheon comes from, but I’m sure it’s involved somehow. I’m already thinking about chicken nuggets and can’t remember why.
My point being, if the goal you set isn’t a play goal but a work goal, then it’s just never going to bring your Creativity to the party. If it’s a goal to aspire to, or rather inspire to (don’t grammar me, I know what I’m saying), and it’s doing something I’m passionate about, then yes! We have liftoff!
If it’s something that’s going to cause drudgery (like, if I’ve finished a chapter and I need some extra imagining time before I give the next word, and then you’re wanting the next 500 words pronto) then me and this goal are not on speaking terms. I ain’t helpin’!
Push Goals vs Pull Goals
From what I can see on the internet, the terms “push goals” and “pull goals” are used with various explanations. If you want to find a definition that works for you, try the Google. For me, I feel that the terms work this way.
A push goal is one that tries to motivate you to reach for success. If you write 1,000 words, you’ve met your goal. If you write 999, you haven’t met your goal. You could view that as a failure, or you could define it as failing to success. You wrote 999 words more than if you hadn’t had that goal in place. Either way, the goal is the measurement achieved.
A pull goal is designed to get you to turn up. It’s so small that you feel like you could just come to the easel, grab your charcoal, spend five minutes (or three minutes, or maybe even one!) sketching, and you’ve achieved your goal. Maybe you stop there. Or maybe you keep going because now you’re at your easel with charcoal in hand remembering how much you do actually enjoy this once you make it this far. The goal is the arrival at your creative space. That is the success. How long you spend there isn’t the issue. It’s getting you there in the right mindset.
Which goal do you need?
I use the term need deliberately. It’s an individual thing at each individual moment.
Do you love your craft and you need something to stretch toward? Set up a push goal.
Do you love your craft once you get there but find yourself avoiding it for some unknown reason at other times? Are you really busy and feel you only have a few minutes a day to do something creative? Instead of setting a goal that is just daunting and too easy to brush off the To Do List, try a pull goal—something that will draw you to your creative space and let you at least start. No judgement. Just start.
I’m interested to know your thoughts. What kind of goals work for you? What kind of goals don’t work for you?