How Do You Do a Bad Day?

DaVinci's Dream, mixed media piece by Liz Kalloch

We all have them. You know, those days when you are just not feeling it, and there is no option to change the deadline, put off the client or otherwise arrange your schedule to accommodate the “I’ve got nothing” feel of the day.

People – I can’t call them friends, exactly – who know that I work from home as a freelance designer and artist, say things to me like: “OH, you have it made, if you don’t feel like doing something, you don’t have to. If you worked in the {fill in the blank} world like I do, you wouldn’t be able to just go for a walk at 3 in the afternoon or meet friends for a long lunch.”

Well, no, and actually no.

The misconception that we freelancers are footloose and fancy free, able to do as we please when we please, is just not the case.

I could do as I please, when I please, but my hunch is I wouldn’t have a whole lot of clients left at the end of a week.

True, we do have more freedom in how we schedule our time, and for that I am endlessly and more than endlessly grateful. Sometimes when stuck on a design problem, and all the wheels in my head are spinning, I WILL go out at 3 pm for a long walk in the hills near my house, but the flip side of that, is that when I return – energised and ready to solve that design problem – I am at my computer till 8 or 9 at night, and sometimes (more often than not), later.

So the question posed: Some days are full of beauty and ease and there is a flow that meanders and weaves through the hours. Those are the days when creativity and inspiration abound, when ideas are flying and stuff is Happening. Though we love them when they are here, those kind of days don’t happen all the time.

What is your method for dealing with the days when you are stuck in the muck, nothing is going where you want it to, but you have a deadline, or someone is waiting on your work, and there isn’t the luxury of “I’ll do this later.”

I’m going to start with the no-nonesense, nuts and bolts response from Kristen Fischer. It’s straight shooting at it’s best:

Days when you’re not feeling motivated, I think, are what separates freelancers that make it and those that don’t. Quite honestly, there’s nothing you can do if you have to get something done—you just have to do it. If not, you’re just a statistic and your clients will find other people to do the work. We have to work just as hard as anyone else—being creative or being self-employed is not an excuse. Forget finding your muse or whatever, just get to work. You can take breaks and try some brainstorming methods that work for you—I put on music and find an optimal setting—but otherwise, I just get to it. I also prioritize my work and don’t procrastinate so I’m hardly ever in a last-minute rush.

Kristen Fischer is a copywriter, journlist, author, and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) from NJ.

* * * * * * *

I think she’s got that totally spot on, and totally covered. And now some tips and tricks from some more folks, that encompass moving your body, tunes to choose, and even a hairstyle that might work for you:

On days when I’m finding it tough to get going, but I need to get things done, I have a couple tricks I use. First, I try to boost my energy through some movement, whether that be a walk in the woods or a little shimmy in my studio. I always feel more awake and ready to take action after moving my body. If I’m still struggling, I’ll seek out some accountability through telling a friend (by email or phone) what my goals are for the day or by simply saying what I’m working on on Twitter. Just by putting it out there and knowing that someone else knows what I’m working on, I feel more motivated to get it done.

Leah Piken Kolidas is a mixed-media artist and creativity guide living near Boston with her four cats, husband, and their new baby.

* * * * * * *

My tried and true method for getting unstuck is going outside and taking a walk. Being in nature gets my creative juices flowing, and even when my brain tells me I don’t have time for a walk, whenever I listen to my gut and take a break to get some fresh air, it always helps. My brain is usually spinning out of control when I’m stuck in a rut, telling me I’m not good enough and all that fun stuff, and being outside helps calm me down and focus on other things. Trees are my muse!

Jessica Swift is a full-time surface designer and artist living in Atlanta, GA, and my work is vibrant, colorful, and quirky.

* * * * * * *

Well when I have the days that SUCK, I first go for a walk, a photo walk especially.  Where I can see things from another perspective. It might only be a 15 min walk but it makes all the difference in the world.  OR I might go and take 15 minutes to play with my kids to get out of my head. Both seem to work or at the very least give me a different mind set when I go back to whatever it is I need to get done.

Stefanie Reneé ~ a photographer, mother and joy seeker

* * * * * * *

I keep very regular studio hours, even if it means sweeping the floor when I feel unmotivated. By standing next to work that needs to be done, I’m more likely to deal with it. When I have a specific deadline, to do lists keep me going and give me little boosts of motivation every time I can check something off.

I have very specific listening needs to push my productivity depending on what I’m doing: Framing = classical; painting = classic rock; sewing = audio books and podcasts. If all else fails, I head into my garden for a few minutes of fresh air. I always come up with solutions when I step away for a few minutes.

Kathryn Clark is a San Francisco fiber artist whose work revolves around the wabi-sabi principles of simplicity, imperfection and awareness of time.

* * * * * * *

Although I do not have this issue on shoot days, I do find myself in this situation back in my studio when it’s time to post-process and to get a job delivered. When I feel the crunch, I go into “flip it!” mode: this entails double buns in my hair (I refer to this as my “happy hair”), a swath of red lipstick, a rapid ten minute walk around the block to get oxygenated and, upon return, a perfectly chosen playlist of music flowing from my speakers.

It is amazing the lift and enduring energy you can get from these few simple things. A bit of laughter, oxygen and spunk goes a long way. As far as music choices, this is up to you – I’d say any tunes that make you happy will be perfect! I’m a big fan of Pandora because there is no need to gobble up precious time building your own playlist. My standard working playlist is the ‘Mumford and Sons’ station but on days when I REALLY need a boost I crank up the ‘Opera, Classical Period’ station and immediately feel immersed in what feels like my very own movie.

Oh, and don’t forget to close your internet browser and even your email if you can! Nothing sucks away ones time and energy more than online procrastinating. I know this for a fact!

Leslie Lindell is a food, travel and lifestyle Photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area who is all about natural light, creating atmosphere and happy clients.

* * * * * * *

When I’m feeling stuck I change my environment. If there’s time I’ll go for a quick walk in the park, but if there isn’t I’ll take my laptop and go work in a different part of my home—my home is a small one-bedroom flat, so this usually means moving from the living room to the bedroom or vice versa. Even moving from my desk to the sofa can help—I need to have something different in front of me. I occasionally try working in a cafe, but inevitably I find it too noisy and slink back home. Taking plenty of breaks to make a coffee or snack helps too—just standing up and stretching helps to break the panic.

Susannah Conway is a photographer, writer and creator of the Unravelling e-courses.

* * * * * * *

The first thing I do is unplug from the internet and grab one of my guaranteed ‘to move me into creative action’ books. I plop down with a beautiful cup of coffee with lots of cream (even whipped cream) and read for 30 minutes. When I’m stuck it’s usually because I’m putting to much out — I find reading is a receptive and nourishing activity that stimulates ideas. It puts me in touch with the larger picture of why I do what I do. This perspective helps me gather up the day as’ just another day in the life’ and get back to work with a sense of larger purpose. If this doesn’t work, I drink whiskey and let the big mama in the sky do the creating through me.

Niya C Sisk is a writer, illustrator and brand consultant who lives in Northern CA with her macho rabbit Dakota, and his female harem of admirers. She is the founder and editor of the online flash fiction magazine, Curly Red Stories and is currently completing an illustrated children’s book.

* * * * * * *

My tried and true method starts with the simple act of showing up.
For creative writing specifically I do three things:

1. Show up at the page (I hand write my first drafts)
2. Give myself permission to do it badly, to write the crappiest crap possible.
3. Set a timer for 15 minutes and write as quickly as I can without taking the pen off the page.

Then I call my collaborator and friend Jen and read the piece to her. I am lucky because she can see the important nuggets in my fledgling pieces and encourages me to expand on those. She is the first person I have ever trusted to listen to my unfinished work. Such a gift!

Andrea Scher dreams big and is co-creator at Mondo Beyondo.

* * * * * * *

So, what do you do when you are stuck on something, and there’s no getting out of the work ahead? Any tips to share, stories to tell or advice to lend, you can post it here!