Maintaining motivation and energy for showing up to various ideas, projects, applications, and pitches does not happen without game planning.
In truth, it requires a hefty amount of margin in life to work through the bull shit that gets thrown ones way.
Expectations of oneself, from others and those bred through any industry create a complex air space for the creative mind.
What I have and continue to learn to put into practice is the art of finding fun amidst the chaos.
Protect your favourite work and create times.
For me, this is from 6am until about 1-2pm for administrative, editing, hard thinking work. This is where the craft is honed. For the creative side, I work best from 6pm - 10pm, as long as I've kept my day calm, paced out with not much going on. My energy builds up over the day, and everything pours out naturally.
I have learned that I become highly resentful when I cannot honour these times.
Find and cultivate a handful of routines that works for you.
I have learned that I work best breaking it up into four sections of four hours each on days that need the most structure (mostly Monday - Thursday). 6am-10am desk work, 10am-2pm exercise & shower etc. These sections can change in their intention but help me stay on task. Four hours of hard concentration can produce higher quality work than picking at something over a whole day.
That being said, I have also learned that there are days when I need to spread out the work for personal reasons (possibly having a child homesick that I need to attend to or, knowing that if I spread out editing, for example, I will see things with a clearer mind). On days like this, I usually lay out my tasks at my desk and on my laptop with a book or list of other things I can do in-between and allow myself to work through these things as I go about my day. In my head, this form of work and living is called "Creative Rounds."
Keep track of your musings, quotes, ideas, anything that inspires you.
Always have a notebook or list on your phone that you write things in. It sounds cliché or just plain obvious, but the truth is, inspiration hits at the oddest times, and I am learning to never discount a tiny small revelation. They can be the thread that leads to something bigger.
Don't judge your ideas.
You don't have to have it all sorted in your head at first. Odds are, if you have an idea, someone else would like that idea too. Let yourself mull it over, write about it, try it out. Over time it will form itself into something tangible.
Be okay having many projects/stories in various stages.
I was asked how many projects I have on the go or at least in fuller states in files. I was surprised to realize the number was higher than just a handful. In fact, if I was even more honest, I probably have about 15-20 well-thought ideas sitting around. That can seem daunting, lazy or even shocking, but the truth is, everything has its purpose and time. Some projects occur to teach you something, some occur to hone a craft, and others arise waiting for just the right moment and pop out and say, "Hey, it's time." let's do this.
Get comfortable revisiting your various ideas and projects every season and year to see which one needs to see more light or have more tended to.
The best books, movies, television series often have taken decades to make.
Find the incentive/challenge.
I am the queen of making a new game out of a goal. Games are best played if you want to play them. Find a goal that excites you, feels reasonable and has some challenge to it. If it excites you.
For me, this is Pitching / Applying once a month. This equals a total of twelve pitches/applications a year. In truth, this seems small to me. But in actuality, it pushes me to stay attentive, finding the next suitable opportunity, the next proper challenge and the next right exciting thing.
Treat Yourself
Always treat yourself. I have champagne in the house reserved for when I sell an idea or get a contract. Every time I get an agreement, we pop the champagne. I intentionally invest back into my business and work once a season (outside of memberships and maintenance purchases). One of those purchases this year was a screenwriting software of higher quality than the one I was using. This past season, it was a camera.
The truth is, the wind is not always going to be in your sails at any given moment, but how we position ourselves when it isn't is how successful we will be when it does hit.
Harness what works for you.
And celebrate the wins along the way.
