Creative Director: Slow-focus

I Create: Creative Director of My Life.

Slow-focus.

A term I’ve coined about myself. There’s been a lot of things I’ve done slowly. Pondered and percolated.

I see all the time this advice on ‘don’t wait until you’re ready.’ Or ‘don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you start.’ And I do agree with that. Someone would likely never start or keep procrastinating if we waited for the ‘perfect time.’ There have been times I’ve heeded that advice. I know I want to go ahead with a plan, so I just have to find a way. Get as much as I can think of prepared in some way, but also have the awareness that I won’t know everything that I might need to be ready, therefore I’ve just gotta jump in, learn along the way. This was me when I started this blog at the same time as my Instagram page, in 2018.

There’s also the advice that successful people move faster. Because they move fast, they’ve figured out what works and what doesn’t while most of us are still in the planning stage.

In general though, the characteristic that has defined me more has been slow-focus. I observe, and pay attention to how people do things, how they do their art. I’ve watched many artists over the years advance their style and work. Some have gone the route of teaching through online courses or getting their work into galleries. The book projects that have come up. I’ve been guilty of comparison. Seeing them with their work on Instagram for a shorter time than I have but quickly have success with selling or teaching or projects like commissions and books.

And as I follow along and see their journeys, I know that my unique speed and approach is authentic to ‘me.’ So the comparison quickly stops. I enjoy seeing the work, but their journey isn’t my journey. I’ve loved the work I’ve created. I’ve enjoyed the journey I’ve been on.

My slow-focus is my genuine approach to my own work. I’ve done two things that have felt have gone fast for my nature. The website shop launch: which was great! I had to pick a date that the site would be live, which forced me to swing into action checking things off that needed doing. Because the list felt large at times, I just had to work through everything and get them done. It did push me out of my comfort zone enough. I doubted. I was thinking, ‘what the heck am I doing?’ And I continued and loved the outcome. The Newsletter this summer: I had to have a timeline of when my old method of sending blogs would be turned off, and my new Newsletter could begin, which also forced me again out of my comfort zone. A blog and the watercolour originals had to be ready to go on the specified date! And decisions made around all of it.

With all of this, and my art work over the years, it’s unfolded now what I want to do. And with the site and Newsletter now in place, it sets me up for the work going forward. With slow, reflective focus comes a plan. The art I’ll do on a regular basis ~ daily work and prints and cards which come from it. Then art projects as they come up, but more specialized such as book projects. And then also what you will see next week. My new thing that will be available this time each year, and will carry on over the winter months. I consider it to be 3 different ‘tiers’ of my art work and the focus associated with each.

Slow-focus brings confidence. That now, after years, I have more of a clear intention and direction. And it’s advanced beyond simply building a portfolio and style. Building the style and the portfolio was how it started. And now, the work (and intention with the work) is more aligned, more authentically me. With confidence, I’m not just talking about confidence in the work itself, but with me having a level of audacity. That this is what I want to do whether people like it or not, whether anyone else is interested or not.

The era of my Newsletter brings this to you.

Until next time,

Devon