Afraid of Making Mistakes? - Productive Block & Perfectionism: 2 Strategies to Break Free! (Predators 8h Video + File)

Hey, guys!

We have been discussing how we can overcome the creative block, but how about the productive block? This is kind of like the total opposite. Instead of having no idea what to do, assuming you've overcome your creative block with a nice set of points to address in your art, the "productive block" is actually the thing that stopped you.

Picture this: You have so many possible ways to do something that you don't even know where to start, and worse than that, you're afraid because every road you pick eventually raises the awareness that it might be the wrong one, kind of like predicting something that hasn't happened yet! Overthinking, worrying, and perfectionism creep in right when you need to produce the actual thing.

Often, I've noticed the best results come after 2 or 3 hours of me fighting against the canvas trying to achieve something "perfect" that addresses these abstract ideas I have in mind. I need to RELAX.

So, my solution for now would be to spend the first hour on anything random that popped into my mind, with loose lines as an approach, kind of like a meditation phase, but instead of doing breathing exercises, a simple round of meaningless lines to relax and then slowly segue into something similar to what I planned to create in the first place.

Shortcut Exercise:

If you're in the same place I am, a nice way to try this at home is what I mentioned about the warm-up approach but also setting a limited amount of time to finish the sketch phase (which is the one that gives me more issues).

It sounds like a contradiction. You need to relax in order to deliver those ideas, but if you set a time limit, the probability you'll get more stressed out and anxious would be high, but here's the funny part: overthinking is basically the issue, so you either relax and downplay the importance of the final product, or just take an approach in which you cannot waste time thinking.

In my experience, when I have no time to think is when I break this "productive block" the fastest, I need results, so I just do whatever pops into my head, not caring too much about the perfect outcome.

Set a 30/15 min (maybe less) window to sketch random things, one new sketch per window. It can be a reference study or just things on your desk, maybe try to draw that nice meal you had yesterday or the face of someone you know. Just focus on "low-quality" drawings, for the sake of avoiding perfection. One, two, or more of these would be great to set that mood and get in tune with the actual challenge.

Conclusion:

The productive block is basically trying to cover as much as I have planned, but not knowing how, and sometimes the process is the answer, like a self-discovery journey. What I'm offering is creative solutions based on my experience, but try to put your brain to work on different ways to tackle this issue. This is a subjective problem with multiple phases, so it makes sense that everyone has slightly different ways to solve it. You can do it!

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