#3: Making Space for Your Creative Goals: A Guide to Staying Focused and Overriding distractions

In this episode of The Jeweler's View titled "Making Space for Your Creative Goals: A Guide to Staying Focused and Overriding Distractions," host Courtney Gray dives into the common issue of distractions and how they impact our ability to stay focused on creative goals. Drawing from her vast experience in the jewelry industry, Courtney shares personal stories and practical techniques to help creatives carve out productive, distraction-free spaces. Whether you're working from home, a shared studio, or the kitchen table, this episode explores strategies such as establishing a designated workspace, staying organized, and implementing time management techniques like the Pomodoro Technique. Tune in to learn how to create mental and physical environments that foster creativity and productivity, and hear real-life examples and insights that can help you maintain focus and consistency in your creative practice.

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– Courtney
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Transcript

Episode 3: "Making Space for Your Creative Goals: A Guide to Staying Focused and Overriding distractions

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Jeweler's View. I'm Courtney Gray, and after 25 years in the jewelry industry, 15 of those running one of the most elite schools in the country, and working with masters and aspiring makers from across the globe, I've experienced the highs, the lows, and everything in between. I've consulted for organizations both large and small, And I work one on one with makers who are building their own creative businesses.

In this podcast, I'm here to help you do the same. Whether you're just starting out, maybe you're dusting off the bench after a year or so, or looking to elevate your craft to the next level, we'll explore topics that build confidence, tackle challenges, and help you achieve your goals. So, what's holding you back?

Let's dive in together.

Hi there. Welcome back to the Jewelers View, Courtney Gray here. [00:01:00] Welcome to this episode. We are going to talk about the D word distractions, making space for your creative goals. And I want to talk about some techniques that we can use to stay focused and override internal and external distractions. I pretty sure they come up for all of us. those distractions that can pull us off topic, pull us out of the zone or the work flow. And how do we make space for our creative goals? So when I sold CreativeSide in 2019, with that went my studio space.

I moved home and it was during COVID, great time to come home and just be here. My kids are homeschooling, It made a lot of sense, but I began sharing a studio wall with my very own bedroom I share with my husband, There were so many challenges that arose with this. I'm literally right next door to the laundry baskets, to my two teenage boys [00:02:00] There's dishes to do, there's organizing, there's keeping them on task. How? The heck are we going to get anything done with all these distractions and have tos around us?

let's dig into this today. That transition has, is still a challenge. I'm still figuring it out. I'm not ever going to pretend to know more than any of you about how to work through some of these things. But I do want to share some insights and some ways that have worked for me to understand the emotional and logistical challenges of maintaining this focus in a home environment that's filled, literally filled with distractions, if we let them be distractions.

For me, I started saying, It has to wait. Everything else is on pause. This is my creative space. I'm going in and I'm going to get my butt at the bench and really get something done. 

Let me give you an example.

I was sitting here outlining this episode and my 14 year old Tristan came in [00:03:00] with a laser pointer and began beaming it near my eyes, 

Courtney: So how are these distractions pulling us out of what I like to call the flow state? It's that place where you get where you're, On a roll, you have momentum going, you're excited.

 You're not really thinking about the clock and you're creating. massive moves creating momentum in your work, whatever that looks like. Experts say it can take up to 20 minutes to fully enter this flow. Okay, so what happens when the phone pings or your studio mate comes in and wants to talk about their weekend or the night before?

How is this impacting our productivity when we're constantly interrupted? So I got curious, I started looking into distractions. And it turns out that 50 percent of distractions, this is what research shows, are self inflicted. not the ping, not the [00:04:00] doorbell, not the dog, not the kids, not the studio mate, but they're in our minds, they're internal.

Our brains are literally triggering us to pull out of that workflow. I don't know if you can relate to that voice that's I need to just check my email. I need to jump on my phone really quick. Oh, let me just check this. Let me do some research on this before I start. This also leads into that p word, the procrastination habit that we all can relate to.

How are we putting things off? One of the things I wanted to talk to you about today is If you don't have it already, and you may have this all set up and be ready to work and have a space, but we've gotta have some sort of designated space, your happy place, if you will, so that you can mentally shift into this work mode. I recently caught up with an old student of mine and dear friend hadn't talked to her in a couple of years. And I'm so grateful that we caught up George and Valentine I love how she [00:05:00] describes her studio space.

She's, she calls it her happy place that's her space. It's what she's doing. She's making things. She's creating a custom project for somebody. Everybody around her knows exactly what's going on when she goes into her happy place. I love this idea and you may Be working at the kitchen table right now. I totally get it. I met with tons of students That's the only place they had to work We may not all be lucky to share a wall with our studio or have a space to go. That's A collaborative, interactive space where you can also get that mental focus time that you need.

To get into a good flow and work mode. 

I think another big one is keeping your tools organized. I laugh at this because I think most of us probably don't do this daily. but I do believe like resetting the tone and. Resetting that space each time that you leave it and maybe it's in the evening before you close down.

[00:06:00] Kind of just giving it a little bit of love, even five minutes of I'm just going to organize or sweep this area, . So that when you come in the next day, you're set up for success and you're feeling like, Wow, this is definitely my happy place. I know where everything is.

I can immediately get into a work mode and feel good and energized. I love, Georgianne reminded me too that she's not necessarily doing that. She, I love her post she put out, about, I can't find my eyeglasses. But somehow I know where every single tool and piece of metal is in my studio, even though it's a total disaster.

Of course, the glasses were sitting on her head the whole time. Maybe you can relate. somehow we know where those tools are, but , re energizing the space can really make a big difference. So if you're not doing that, or you feel a little chaos when you come into the space, maybe try it on, take three to five minutes.

at the end of your day or end of a project and reset a little bit, whatever that looks [00:07:00] like to you. Another big one that I'm trying to learn and practice is breaking tasks down into small steps. So like these big projects that we get and how do we break them down? So we're working on one step at a time.

And essentially reducing that overwhelm that can really, be a distraction. My goodness, that can pull us right out of the flow and prevent us from following through and finishing tasks. Let's break things down into small attainable steps. So we're doing one thing at a time instead of thinking, okay, I have to do all 800 of these tasks at once to get it done and to move forward or move to the next or take a break.

Or, close it down for the day. When I fell down the rabbit hole, of course pomodoro techniques came up. And I don't know if you're familiar with this concept, but a pomodoro technique is Basically working with a simple timer, putting simple [00:08:00] timers around how we work. the idea is to create consistency and retrain our brains to not allow those internal and external distractions pull us from our happy place. The idea of working and creating focused work sprints and designated breaks, making this easier, to.

Manage those internal urges like procrastination and external interruptions like notifications or someone needing your attention or the dog barking or begging you for that walk, whatever is going on. So the idea is to use timers and focus blocks like focusing certain time periods for uninterrupted focus.

Now, I'm not saying let's set a four hour pomodoro. Start small. And I'm a big believer in this. I'm seeing this work for myself. If I just begin and just start trying on [00:09:00] a new practice each day, small little habits, then they really start to stick after time.

It's really working. So I'm inviting you, just start with a ten minute. Or a 15, or a 25 minute pomodoro, you could even try a 50 minute block, maybe you're familiar with this approach and you want to dig a little deeper. Depends on what you're trying to do. I think when we get at the bench, that's a different feel.

 We may need a little longer, to get into a good creative state and to get organized and then actually begin the work that we're doing in front of us. especially those tasks that are, we're putting off or procrastinating. Try this on and see if it works for you. See if it resonates with you.

Start with 10 minutes. Those things that I really don't want to do. I have to trick myself with this technique and say, okay, I'm just going to do it for 15 minutes. I'm just going to do it for five minutes. 

If you can get started, the rest starts to work itself out. It's a great way to battle [00:10:00] procrastination. I'm only going to do this for much time, there's a timer, and when it goes off, I can get up and I'm going to move around again. Or shift gears, take a break, et cetera. I think the idea here too, is to train our brains for consistency, tasks can we put into place during that time? So try this on, just get started and see if it works for you. experiment with different time links. It may be different for, I'm sure it's different for all of us. We're all so unique in how we work.

And if you can stay away from screens during this break, great. I think that the screen is like another rabbit hole. Getting on the phone, getting distracted, and before you know it, 30 minutes have gone by. so maybe try a five minute break, but without the use of a screen. Get up, move around, walk around, do a chore.

I like to go clean the kitchen sometimes. It's gotta be done. It's something totally different. It gives me a No, it sounds boring, but it's [00:11:00] gotta happen, and it gives me a different mental state. It puts me in a, it refreshes me mentally. Go get another task done. Also, then I'm not thinking about that stuff as another internal distraction.

 Practice piano. I'm a musician as well. I like the idea of, let me hit the bongos for a minute. Go outside, take a walk, stretch, exercise, play with your dog, whatever this looks like to you, try it on and then go back to work and. Let's see how we feel. Let's, practice this consistent movement and perhaps finding ways to keep ourselves focused for longer periods of time.

So get curious, as I always say. What's working best? How is your brain operating? I love understanding this more. It helps me be less hard on myself. It helps me to stay focused and it's just good practice. 

Want to tell you a story about Megan. So Megan was a volunteer at Creative Side [00:12:00] who came in and we had a work trade situation where you could come in and you could spend a few hours helping Creative Side organize tools,, do social media, things that needed to happen. In exchange, you got to use the studio or take classes and learn new techniques, use the tools, etc.

So we decided as a team at one point, man, Megan's doing a really good job. We really need somebody to take care of X, Y, Z in this department. And we decided to hire her on as a part time employee. This happened a lot. A lot of our volunteers became employees of creative side she was very efficient. I remember it was like, Oh my goodness, this girl's getting a lot done.

And what seems like a short amount of time. I think it's going to be worth it. Let's put her on payroll and try it on. So of course, there's something that shifts for boss lady when that change happens and immediately you're thinking, okay, payroll, I've got to make sure this is, a [00:13:00] legitimate decision that it's makes sense for the company that we are getting lots of things done and it's, creating revenue.

So I remember walking by and that little ping and the helicopter boss in me was like, why is Megan on her phone? And it felt like every time I walked by, she was on her phone. So I thought about it for a day or so. Always think before you act and I said, let me talk to her about this. Maybe there's something personal going on or, something I don't know about and I just need to understand better.

So we sat down in my office and Megan taught me a really great lesson. , this is a Pomodoro. She was working for 45 minutes stents of time, and then taking a 10 minute break. And she was doing that on her phone, which I'm not suggesting, but I think it's all she had right there.

And so she would jump on her phone, do something like a game or research something that was, of interest [00:14:00] to her that was non related to the task at hand, and she explained, she goes, my, I work more efficiently this way, I'm getting more done and this is how my brain operates it was matter of fact.

And I said, you know what, this girl is freaking productive. She's getting stuff done. It. Who am I to say this isn't working for her? So I said, cool, I get it. And what it did for me was it helped me and it invited me to get curious. Wow, how am I working? how am I using my brain?

And is it working for me? This go mentality of I've got so much to do and so little time. And I, get as much as we can done each day. Instead of taking those scheduled. breaks to prevent overwhelm or going home on an empty tank, feeling like I've exhausted my brain and my body and my emotional.

And I didn't have anything left for my family. I was like, huh, [00:15:00] let's get curious about this. What's working with your body's energy cycle? Pay attention. Where are you most productive? When are you feeling most energized and creative? Let's schedule our hands on or marketing or business development time during these peak times so that we are using our energetic cycles and brains in the best way possible.

I teach my coaching clients to think about incorporating a creative ritual. This is one of the things that I'm practicing is It's the idea to just take a breath before you enter the next situation, before you transition from the car to the house, from the studio to the home, from, work to picking up kids at school, so we can really be present more.

I think that's one of the reasons that I like to do this, so that I'm really present with, you what I'm [00:16:00] doing at the time, I'm not thinking about the other stuff, I'm segmenting that energy. Now, this ritual could look like something simple, like organizing your tools at the end of the day, or when you go in the morning, resetting the space for three to five minutes.

I'm not talking about a big commitment here, just something small. In fact, I think the idea is keep it small, I have these little chimes that are by my door. I Like to hit them when I walk in. Something that's going to shift your brain into that idea. I'm entering the creative zone. This is what I'm doing.

I'm here to work. This is my happy place. So something that works for you. Maybe you're lighting a candle. Maybe there's a certain song you put on to listen to. Something that signals your brain. Okay, this is what we're doing. I'm headed in. And essentially the idea is let's train our brains to work with us, not against us.

One of the biggest things that my clients have mentioned is [00:17:00] helpful Working with me is the idea of consistency and follow through I can't stress this enough the importance of a consistent practice and I do love the saying it's not mine I can't take it but practice makes progress Not perfection. Showing up each day or each week is huge and doing it consistently, you will start to see results.

We all have different lives. Some of you have regular jobs, young kids at home. I can't stress enough the importance of carving out time for our jewelry practice or our business development. You guys, that's part of it too. We're going to dig into that in this podcast. So aim for consistency. If you could do one hour a day, Do it.

That's great. If you maybe it's four hours a week. Maybe it's Saturday Afternoon at three to five is like all you have I'm telling you [00:18:00] show up for that time and do it as often as you can It's going to become a lot easier. It's really going to create ease in the situation and you'll start seeing things happening like, Oh, I showed up for that last week.

And this week this popped up huh, you're going to start seeing results of a consistent practice. So practice this too, this week, I always like to give you a little homework. I remember, let me give you an example of balancing. Life and the idea of moving forward with a creative goal. I can't emphasize enough the importance of utilizing that time more efficiently and the free space on your calendar.

 I want to hear from you guys. I want to hear after. each episode that has some sort of impact on you, what's working for you and what's not, what's getting in the way of creating me time, happy time, make time, business development time, what's going on there. I want to address as [00:19:00] many things as we can here on this platform.

So today we talked about staying focused, consistent practice on how to overcome distractions, both internal and external. Keep moving forward, . Test drive some of these little techniques that we're talking about. And again, share with me your experiences. I want to hear how you're progressing.

You can email me at hi@courtneygrayarts. com. Reach out to me on social media @CourtneyGrayArts. Let me know what's going on with you. And next week, join me. We're going to be talking about some of my struggles with habits, and the just begin mentality.

 How we can start building the habit and momentum that work for us. I wish you a productive week. Lots of love. Onward and upward. . [00:20:00]