Are you living a double life?

 They say it’s best to find a job that ticks all the boxes of all the things you like doing.  And then you’ll get paid for doing what you like best.  And if its your hobby horse, you have fun in the process.

1. Sadly most people land up all their life working at a job they hate, just because it brings home `the bread’ and pays the rent!
2. Some people live a double life, working at a job and also working on their hobby in their leisure time.
3. Others started out young, doing their thing and turning it into a business by the time their leave school.
4. The others put all their time into making their hobby work for them, no matter the opposition.

Most of us live a double life, when we write blogs. If it isn’t an 8-5 job, we also have commitments to do, to our home and family, etc.

Writing content for your blogs:

Whatever you do, you must know more yourself. Because people aren’t just interesting in your topic, they want to know more about you too! How you tick and what’s your world like. So your personality does count.

Something I’ve learnt:

• Things like, how you talk and what type of language and jargon you use. Are you a fun person to be with? What’s your sense of humour like? Can you laugh at yourself? Do you mind if people laugh about what you say and do too?
• It’s about what you know. Do you know something that others don’t know about? Is it interesting stuff? Do you have enough data and experience to rely on, from blog to blog, to put out creditable stuff on a continuous basis?
• What extraordinary stuff you’ve experienced or done in your life? Are you adventurist enough to go beyond the norm and share your experiences? Not only how you did or do things, but how you feel about those experiences? Other people may have had those same experiences or feelings and will value your spin on it or learn from your experiences.
• Can you tell a good story? How do you string your words and sentences along? Can you add a dynamic twist to your story that makes it exciting? People are more likely to participate in what you’re presenting, if you impart practical info and express yourself with enthusiasm.

Creating within the moment:

 If an artist wants to be successful, they can’t be a ‘Sunday-artist’ and work only when you feel like it or when the mood moves you. You must `move the moment’, create the time and stimulate and build up a mood, no matter how you feel, if you are going to `move’ people!

• To get things going and happening, start by doing something... anything, as long as you start somewhere. Once you have written something, you have something to work on and adjust. Even discard some of it, if necessary, until the story has `meat’ in it. The brain has to be stirred somehow, to become active.
• Scribble if necessary, it doesn’t matter how your first attempt turns out. The point is to loosen up your hand and imagination. Imagination needs stirring before it starts to flow. Once you mood is right move on and paint that all important assignment.
• Your best work is done when you work within the moment of creating. Like a time warp, live within that moment, with what you are actually doing. Your state of your mind and mood is important while you’re in that mode of creating, in that moment of creating.

Suggestions:

People love to read between the lines and gossip. Suggestions make people think.

• They tend to judge something you have written by their own personal needs, in the hope you’ll have answers for them.
• When a painting has less detail, people tend to surmise what the painting is about. Just like gossip, they like adding their own conclusions and make up their own stories of what the painting is all about.
• Give people something to think about. Stir their imagination, when you’re writing content for your blog.

I must say artists live a double life!

Not only do we have to find time to paint pictures and make up illustrations, but also produce content for our websites, because our websites are our galleries. Working at full tilt all through the day doesn’t get you anywhere. At the end of the day you are all pooped out.

So how do we cope then?

To get the most out of yourself, means knowing yourself and working according to your energy levels. For example:

• Best to do heavy intellectual things when you’re at your freshest. Perhaps early in the morning after a good night’s sleep.
• And do less stressful jobs in between hardcore stuff or mind boggling activities.
• Work in time capsules: Work on one project for 1-2 hours. And when you feel you’re losing concentration, take short breaks in between, doing less stressful things. Like going for a walk or a few household tasks. This way we keep our bodies and minds fresh and get more things get done in the process.
• Setting time aside to dream up new concepts or looking at stuff that inspires you. Fiddle with the research you’ve done.

Attitude counts:

I must say it's important that you  have fun while you are working or doing your thing. I play soft music or watch TV while working and painting. Ideas flow and things happen and go smoothly when you are in a good mood.