Ask a Creativity Coach: Negative Thinking

Plan to attend the May 18, 2013 Artist Survival Kit workshop "Artistic Practice: Motivation, Discipline and Busting Creative Blocks," at the Multi Arts Center in Stillwater, OK. Romney Nesbitt will be one of the presenters. More information and registration available at www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org.

Dear Romney,

I have creative projects that aren’t getting done and I know why-- I ruminate.  I work in a high-stress office. When something negative happens at work I replay the scene in my mind all evening.  I even try to figure out what I will do and say when the next drama arises. My brain won’t let things go!  Any tips to help me clear my mind?

Dear Ruminate,

In psychological circles this type of mental activity is called Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs).  ANTs are depressing, negative thoughts that seem to generate and replicate at will. The solution is called “thought stopping.” The first step to solve your “pest” problem is to recognize the ANT.  Step two is to kill the ANT and regain control of your thoughts.  I see two ANTs ruining your creative picnic.  

Historical Re-enactor ANTs:  Thoughts stuck on negative events from the past. The past could be what happened today at work or what happened decades ago. Imagine an ant dressed in a Civil War era uniform in a re-enactment of a battle. This ant revels in reliving past events.

How to kill this ANT:  Yell “STOP!  This present moment is mine not yours!”  The truth is no amount of rethinking can undo what’s done so don’t hand over another minute to the ANT. Do what you intended to do before the ANT marched in.    

Fortune Teller ANTs: These thoughts center on trying to predict what will happen next at work, in relationships, world events etc. See an ant wearing a fortune teller’s turban peering into a crystal ball.

How to kill this ANT: Remind yourself that you cannot know what the future will bring. If you could predict the future you would have already won the lottery! Show the fortune teller ANT the door by telling yourself, “Yeah, life is unpredictable, but I have the skills and confidence to handle whatever comes my way tomorrow.”

The basic strategy to kill ANTs is to notice that your thoughts have shifted from positive productive thinking to rumination or fear-based thinking. Stop that thought by telling yourself the truth.

There are several other types of ANTs outlined in Dr. Daniel G. Amen’s book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.

Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and author of Secrets From a Creativity Coach.  She welcomes your comments and questions. Book her to speak to your group through OVAC’s ARTiculate Speakers Bureau. You can contact her at Romneynesbitt@gmail.com. 

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2011 issue of Art Focus Oklahoma.

OVAC Annual Artist Survey – Report: Common Misunderstandings Part 2

This post is the seventh and final in the series of posts (see the series here) examining the feedback and concerns expressed in the OVAC artist survey. We received over 250 responses from artists around the state.

Artwork from the Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma exhibition. View the comprehensive exhibit catalog at www.concept-ok.org.
L to R: (top row) George Wilson, Kate Johnson, Cathy Deuschle, (bottom row) Bob Hawks, Sarah Hearn, Laurie Spencer, Bryan Cook

Misunderstanding #3: OVAC only supports artists working in certain styles (Responders frequently cited that style as “contemporary”).

OVAC does support contemporary artists. When we say “contemporary” we mean artists who are living and making artwork in the present day. Our exhibitions and awards are not limited to artists working in a particular style and we do not guide our guest curators to select particular types of work.

We recruit guest curators who look at the applicant pool within a larger context of artists working regionally or nationally.  The exhibitions are usually highly competitive. The guest curators’ artwork selections are based in their own research and expertise. OVAC exhibitions seek to position Oklahoma artists to participate in the larger art community regionally and nationally. We believe this desired outcome is distinctive among exhibitions available within the state and valuable to Oklahoma artists.

Misunderstanding #4: OVAC is mostly focused on Oklahoma City-area artists.

OVAC is a statewide organization, committed to supporting artists with programs relevant to artists all over the state. Our exhibitions, grants, workshops, etc. are open to artists living and working anywhere in Oklahoma. OVAC also has leadership in multiple communities, such as strong board presence from Tulsa-area leaders. This board guidance helps insure our programs serve a broad community of artists.

While the OVAC office is located in the state capital of Oklahoma City, the majority of our programs take place off-site or online.  We partner with galleries and organizations across the state to present our programs in a variety of locations (see Suggestion #1 in this previous post). Plus many of our services are information-based, sent via mailed publications, email or online, making them available equally to those with technological capability.

If there are more artists from a certain area accepted in a program, that’s likely because many more artists from that area submitted. Of course, 33% of Oklahoma’s population is in the Oklahoma City metro area and 25% in the Tulsa metro. OVAC purposely has programs and services targeted at rural and smaller communities. The geographic diversity of our services is evident by the artists from 103 Oklahoma cities or towns who have participated in our programs in the last three years.

Ask a Creativity Coach: Do ONE THING

Plan to attend the May 18, 2013 Artist Survival Kit workshop "Artistic Practice: Motivation, Discipline and Busting Creative Blocks," at the Multi Arts Center in Stillwater, OK. Romney Nesbitt will be one of the presenters. More information and registration available at www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org.

Dear Romney,

My to-do list is not working. Even when all of my tasks are related to creating or promoting my art, I’m still not making measureable progress on my paintings.  What am I doing wrong?

List-maker

Dear List-maker,

A to-do list works IF you complete the most important task on the list. A typical to-do list includes one or two “must-do” activities and a few worthwhile “should-do” tasks.  The top priority for an artist must be to create new art—this is the must-do.  Should-do tasks may be art-related such as straightening the studio, organizing contacts, research etc., but they are rarely urgent.

Artists prone to procrastination will choose to do an art-related task instead of tackling the most challenging task—creating. Why? Because creating is hard work. Surfing the net or reorganizing your work space doesn’t require risk, courage or persistence. Self-doubt can also lead you to postpone your most important work.  Doing an art-related task is seductive. It feels like you’re being productive while you’re doing it, but at the end of the day you may feel disappointed because you didn’t paint.  Busy-ness is not effectiveness.  Doing the wrong things won’t move you closer to your goal.

A different to-do list strategy might work. I found this tip in Timothy Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Work Week. He recommends two to-do lists for every day. One list has the most important task for the day such as “PAINT.” This list has only ONE THING on it.  The second to-do list could list other tasks you could do, if you have time. Do the ONE THING first, and then choose a task from your second list.

Two key questions can help you make to-do lists more effective.

Ask yourself, “What is the one thing I must accomplish today in order to feel satisfied with my day? (This is the one item on your ONE THING to-do list.)

What are three other activities I could do today that would contribute to my goal? (These items go on your second list.)

Use your work time wisely.  Create art first. Accomplish this ONE THING and it will make a difference in the way you feel at the end of the day.

Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and author of Secrets From a Creativity Coach.  She welcomes your comments and questions at romneynesbitt@gmail.com. Book her to speak to your group through OVAC’s ARTiculate Speakers Bureau.


This article originally appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of Art Focus Oklahoma.

Ask a Creativity Coach: Procrastination

Plan to attend the May 18, 2013 Artist Survival Kit workshop "Artistic Practice: Motivation, Discipline and Busting Creative Blocks," at the Multi Arts Center in Stillwater, OK. Romney Nesbitt will be one of the presenters. More information and registration available at www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org.

Dear Romney,

Everyone I know struggles with procrastination.   What’s the logical explanation for this common problem?

Looking for answers



Dear Looking,

Piers Steel’s new book The Procrastination Equation, gives the best explanation for why humans procrastinate.  Procrastination is an unwillingness to endure short-term pain for long-term gain combined with impulsiveness. A short quiz in the opening chapter will help you identify your procrastination behavior. Steel lists three reasons we procrastinate: expectancy, value and time. 

EXPECTANCY: you delay starting because you fear the worst.  Why put forth the effort when it will probably fail? 

VALUE: the less you value a task, the harder it is for you to start it. This is why the post office is open until midnight on April 15!

TIME: the task will “take too much time” and can be done “anytime.” Motivation happens only at the last minute.

Here are the solutions.

To solve an EXPECTANCY problem: remember your past successes, surround yourself with people who are reaching their goals, be specific about your goals, see the gap between where you are and where you want to be and develop a daily plan of action steps to get you from here to there.

To solve a VALUE problem: reframe the way you view the task (from no value to some value), reward yourself when you complete an unpleasant task, check to see if you have truly overcommitted your available hours, create a pleasing work environment and use your high energy times for your most valuable work.

To solve a TIME problem: see your future as concretely as you see the present, define the steps of a task so you won’t blow things out of proportion, create a series of short term deadlines to keep your motivation high, reward yourself with small treats to curb your impulsiveness and log in output (what have you completed in an hour) rather than input (time spent). 

Take the test in the book to see whether your problem is expectancy, value or time then put these solutions to work in your life. Try one tip per week. You’ll see your output increase and your stress levels decrease.


Romney Nesbitt is a Creativity Coach and author of Secrets From a Creativity Coach (available on amazon.com).  She welcomes your comments and questions at romneynesbitt@gmail.com. Book her to speak to your group through OVAC’s ARTiculate Speakers Bureau.

This column originally appeared in the May/June 2013 issue of Art Focus Oklahoma.

Where does your creativity come from?

Where does your creativity come from?

I was asked this question recently, and I haven’t really stopped thinking about the question and the many answers since. On Facebook, I posed a similar question to my artist friends, “What are some specific triggers that inspire your creative practice?” [Read all the answers posted on 4/29/2013 at https://www.facebook.com/romyowens]

The answers were as varied as the artists: some are inspired by other people’s art, some by emotional experience, some by environment, and some by materials. There were three answers that I was particularly able to relate to and for the purposes of this post about creative blocks; I am going to comment on each.

Sarah Atlee, You Can Go Back to Camp, Ink and Colored Pencil on Paper, 6.5"x6.5"

Sarah Atlee commented, “Learning about something I didn't know before.”

Whether actively pursuing knowledge or whether learning about something new comes more haphazardly, new information fires synapses in your brain and can inspire a train of ideas worth exploring. For example, I heard a story on the radio recently about an anthology of Willa Cather’s letters being published. Before she died, Willa Cather expressly forbade the publication of her personal letters. She even went so far as to burn some so they could never be seen again. Her family respected her wishes and kept them safe, but upon the death of the last executor of her will, the decision was made to publish selected letters. The book comes out soon. On the radio, one of the editors was being interviewed and said he believed she really would want the letters to be seen and that many of the letters were informative of her literature that they put her work in context.

While I am a fan of Willa Cather, and I am intrigued by the idea that there is more writing of hers to read now, I must admit it makes me terribly sad to know her wishes are not being followed. And it makes me angry to think that a male editor would say that he thought Cather would have really wanted them to be published. This story has me thinking about privacy, sexism, and legacy, which are all topics I don’t often think about. I am not currently making work that is directly about any of these subjects, but I write down my thoughts on the matter and when I am thinking about the next body of work or installation I might want to create, the exploitation of Willa Cather after her death might be something I would pursue.

Michael Hoffner commented, “A problem to solve.”

Oh, how I love problem solving. Granted, not everyone does, and some problems are far easier to solve than others, but the challenges posed by a problem force your brain to work in new ways. Solving problems instantly sends my mind into brainstorming mode where no ideas are bad ideas. Come up with ten ideas that could solve a problem, good or bad, in ten minutes, and certainly there is some nugget of awesome in there that could inspire new art. And if not, then there is your new problem to solve. Sometimes, a quiet place to meditate and visualize solutions will work. Sometimes, consulting a trusted council of advisors does the trick.

Here’s a problem I currently facing: my right arm hurts from fingertips to elbow from repetitive motion injury due caused by the art I am currently making. I need to keep working because I am on a tight deadline, but I don’t want to risk serious injury because I know I will be working for weeks. Here are ten possible solutions: stretch more often, change position of tools, quit this project and start something else less physically taxing, have someone else make the work, get an arm transplant, develop telekinesis skills, take pain killers to dull the pain, work through the pain, use left hand, and schedule more rest time. Of these ideas, I am not sure which combination I will use to solve my problem with carpal tunnel. However, I am certainly intrigued by the ideas of using my left hand which would produce a totally different kind of art.

More than that though, the idea to use telekinesis makes me think of the 1975 movie Escape to Witch Mountain in which Tony plays harmonica to move objects via telekinesis. Even the words in the previous sentence could be a launching point of creativity: escape, witch, mountain, and harmonica. What if I made a drawing of a mountain of harmonicas? Or a photocollage of an exodus of witches escaping the tyrannical rule of a harmonica playing Tony Soprano?

Finally, Zachary Presley commented, "I get a lot of thinking done while driving."

So do I. Whether I am listening to something on the radio or not, if I am in a car driving long enough, my brain will develop some crazy ideas about concepts to explore, media to combine, compositions, color schemes, and entire exhibitions. I imagine chewing gum or exercising could produce the same kinds of results because your body is preoccupied with a task that is routine enough and that allows your brain to float.

…Floating brains.

Thanks to Romy Owens for this article, posted in part eagerly anticipating the May 18 Artist Survival Kit workshop on Artistic Practice: Motivation, Discipline & Busting Creative Blocks.

OVAC Annual Artist Survey: Report: COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS PART 1

This post is the sixth in the series of posts (see the series here) examining the feedback and concerns expressed in the OVAC artist survey. We received over 250 responses from artists around the state.

The state of Oklahoma has a LOT of artists living in it. Currently, the OVAC database includes over 5,000 visual artists. These are just the people we know about, meaning they’ve participated in our programs or had contact with us in some way.

One of the core values of OVAC is the belief that every artist pursues a unique path. We know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for artistic success. Artists must define success for themselves and pave their own way. This is the joy and challenge of life as an artist.

As such, we strive to offer programs that can help artists at various stages of their artistic path. We know we can’t be everything to every artist, but we do try to offer resources to help artists move forward, no matter what their goals may be.

In our efforts to meet the needs of such a wide variety of artists, we can occasionally be unclear or misunderstood. Some of the most common misconceptions about OVAC surfaced in our artist survey and we’d like to take this opportunity to clarify.

If your questions aren’t answered here, please leave them as a comment to this blog post so we can respond. Or, email your questions to office@ovac-ok.org.

Momentum OKC 2012. Photo by Carl Shortt.

Misunderstanding #1: Artist selections are skewed towards artists who volunteer with OVAC or who “know people” involved with OVAC.

Or: The same artists are selected too often.

In our previous blog post (see Suggestion #4), we outlined how and why we choose guest curators for our exhibition and award programs. Inviting guest curators, often from outside the state of Oklahoma, gives fresh and informed perspectives for each program. It also allows for a diversity of opinions to be represented, with the added benefit of introducing many Oklahoma artists to curators outside the state who may not have seen these artists otherwise.

OVAC staff is never involved in the selection of artists for our exhibitions or awards, and we never ask our guest curators to give preferential treatment to artists who are involved with the organization in some way. We purposely avoid discussions with the curators that might even imply a preference from the organization.  

If there is a concern that artists who volunteer with OVAC are also those that are selected for many things, it is likely because those people tend to be more actively involved in other parts of the organization – including artistic submissions. Certainly, their involvement helps them to keep informed about opportunities and the network developed through their volunteer activities creates a community that encourages each other to apply.  Moreover, OVAC volunteers frequently do not get chosen for exhibitions or awards. The percentages getting rejected are big and depend on the odds of the program.  For instance, we’ve admired many Momentum Committee members over the years who continued to promote Momentum even after they did not get selected for the show. Through their involvement, many are encouraged to apply again, keep making art, and try harder.

Misunderstanding #2: OVAC mainly supports young artists.

OVAC is open to artists of all ages and career levels. One of our most visible programs, Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still, is also the only program that has an age limit and most other programs are for artists over the age of 21. Momentum was created in 2002 specifically to promote and bring together young artists (read more about the how and why in the FAQ here). Because it has been successful and seen tremendous growth since its inception, the media pays attention to the event and we have large audiences.  But, please don’t confuse this with thinking young artists are our main focus. In reality, this program is only one small part of a myriad of programs and services we offer. This program is still unduplicated in the state.  It’s been quite effective at helping young artists bridge into showing in professional venues.

Many OVAC programs serve older artists. OVAC does not track ages (except on Momentum), so we do not know the age demographics of who applies or participates. Anecdotally, we know  artists of many ages participate in our exhibitions, workshops, grants, publications and resources regularly.  We encourage artists of all ages to pursue their artwork how they think best fits their work and preferences.  We hope OVAC resources help along the way. 

Better Together in the Arts

Individual artists enrich our communities, which is why the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition works to support artists throughout the state.

At the same time, OVAC seeks to connect artists actively because we recognize artists need supportive relationships with other artists and should engage with their communities. 

We know flourishing artists and cultural organizations do not work in isolation.

Oklahoma’s 2nd Arts Advocacy Day takes over the State Capitol next Wednesday, May 8, 2013. On that day, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and many other cultural organizations, individual artists and community leaders strive to remind our elected officials that the arts are important in our state. 

You too can sign up to participate in person or follow the Oklahomans for the Arts so you can send letters, make calls or write emails to support the campaign.

I learned (or relearned!) a few things at National Arts Advocacy Day that I think make our work in Oklahoma super relevant and timely. 

Oklahoma representatives at Arts Advocacy Day:
Julia Kirt & Ken Fergeson

1. Advocacy is about solidarity.

As we decide on our shared agenda, we define what we are working for and the scope of shared outcomes we’re seeking. Maybe we can only agree on one issue, but even one issue of agreement helps us have a bigger impact on our communities.

At National Arts Advocacy Day, the tent is large.  Americans for the Arts convenes many types of national, regional and local groups-- from statewide associations of arts organizations to groups of lawyers that support the arts.

An outsider might think these groups all have the same interests, but within the field we know there are many different facets to arts and culture. While the American Art Therapy Association may be focused on healthcare-related issues, the League of American Orchestras may prioritize   visas for international musicians and The Association of American Cultures may speak out to encourage multicultural leadership.

Together, they can agree to advocate for focused things. This year’s priorities at Arts Advocacy Day were growing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, encouraging charitable gifts to arts and culture, increasing arts in education through grants and curriculum and more. These issues provided some of the shared vision that make advocacy stronger.

Cheering by state at the energetic kick off to
Arts Advocacy Day in DC

2. Advocacy is about strengthening networks.

Yes, expressing the importance of art to our society to our elected officials is important. Perhaps it is even more important that we align our work and collaborate more. Heck, if we can’t get along or know what each other are doing, why should public policy favor us?

At Arts Advocacy Day, the big, vocal groups had a lot of fun and built teamwork and confidence together. The Minnesotans cheered loudly when their Representative Rep. Betty McCollum spoke about the importance of the arts. The educators clapped extra when Yo Yo Ma talked about art education as essential. 

Meanwhile, all the advocates were getting to know each other, talking about their work and encouraging each other. That kind of supportive network cannot be underestimated.

The official advocacy with political leaders certainly is important, but just the process of advocating moves us much closer to our desired result: a better society with and through the arts.