This article might come off as a joke, and it could be. However, I want you to take a moment and reflect on your creative procrastination.
Are you procrastinating on your creative projects? What does your procrastination look like?
Before I start, let me tell you that I personally think that creative procrastination is part of the creative process—a very important step, if I say so myself.
The following is a list of things I have done (that may not look like procrastination) to procrastinate on creative work and avoid things I should be doing in general.
1- Scheduling unnecessary months of content beforehand
This is my number one act of procrastination, as it gives me a solid reason to not answer any other creative calling. Why? Because I am already doing something creative, and it is giving me results and keeping me going. Plus, after creating content for my blog for about 2 years now, it feels like second nature to me. I am writing and brainstorming freely and not feeling any resistance, which is both great and not-so-great.
On the first hand, it is great because it was challenging when I first started, and now I feel proud to have it come easy to me as a reward for the consistency and effort I put into it. But also, it’s not that great because, although it is creative, it’s not as ideal as doing something with my own hands. It is also no longer as challenging as it used to be, which minimizes my chances of growing and pushing my limits.
2- Reading is creative procrastination
Listen, I know exactly what you’re thinking! Reading isn’t procrastination. Yes, it actually is.
Instead of reading for two hours and having to read through the same page over and over just because my mind is caught up in something else, I could be painting. But I know that I use what I call “productive procrastination” to keep myself from doing what I need to do. Be it painting, starting a new creative project, or scaling what I have already started. To me, it’s all about the sneaky ways that my mind chooses to resist things that will give me a challenging experience and a chance for growth.
3- Going on unnecessary shopping trips
Hear me out; this is another very tricky way for me to procrastinate. Because I would never go shopping randomly. I always make sure to go to places with decor items, creative set-ups, etc. so that when I am having a bit of self-blame about all the time I spent shopping and basically doing nothing, I can remind myself that at least it was inspiring and that I’ve had visual nutrition that will sooner or later come in handy. And I’m not even kidding; I always end up convincing myself 😀
4- Using seasons and weather to procrastinate on creative projects
One thing you’d never hear me say: “I don’t care about the weather out; I’m staying home to work on this or that”. You better believe that if it’s a good sunset, I’m going out to watch it. If it is raining, I’m also going out to see that. I would literally schedule evenings or days to go out to see how autumn or spring is changing the way landscapes look. And not schedule a creative session to finish painting.
5- Doing things that look productive on the outside
I am a self-taught artist; reading about art, watching art movies, and consuming art content is my way of learning and working on my skills and presence. So these things are convincing enough to spend time on as equally as they are for art practice, right?
Well, the answer is no. Developing our taste and leaving our practice on the side do more harm than good. It leads us to dislike the art we create and creates a gap between what we can actually do and what we expect ourselves to be doing.
I have gone on a marathon to watch a significant number of art movies, both for “educational purposes” and for a blog post I am working on. These are hours worth of watching, and I have successfully procrastinated on painting through that.
Conclusion
I want to remind you and myself that we are not rewarded for being busy. We’re rewarded for being productive and working on meaningful tasks and projects. Do not fill your days with a bunch of meaningless tasks that don’t align with your goals. And especially, do not let productive procrastination fool you into believing that you’re doing great and that you’re being an imposter.
Enjoy creating <3
