One of the most frequent comments I hear from those who’ve viewed my solo exhibition, Virgin Land: Myths & Narratives, is: “do you ever sleep?!”
The answer is: Yes. Every night.
It’s a fair question, I suppose, given the fact that there are over 75 pieces of original artwork on display, only one of which is over a year old (and barely, at that), and the majority of which were produced in a period of about six months. Some can’t quite wrap their head around those numbers and immediately resort to a mental calculus to try and figure out how I could have pulled it off. A number of visitors have named me ‘prolific’, which I suppose, is also fair, given the numbers. I did indeed create a fairly large body of work in a fairly short amount of time. That is true.
But still, I become uncomfortable when people place so much emphasis on the amount of work I was able to produce. I squirm when I hear someone gush over my productivity. The reason is this: I don’t think there is anything odd or admirable about the quantity of work I was able to produce. There is nothing magical or spectacular about what I was able to do. It was simply the result of consistent disciplined and directed effort over a span of time. It was dedication, not divination, that allowed me to do what I did.
And here’s the thing…
Anyone can apply those same principles to their own life and work.
Anyone.
If you want to be more productive there’s no need to go without sleep. Instead, turn your pursuit into a consistent daily habit. It can begin small, at a few minutes per day, but remain consistent in your practice even if you don’t feel like it. Turn each day’s pursuit into a micro-goal and repeat. Slowly, those daily achievements will begin to stack up, and before long people will be raving about your productivity.
And you won’t have to miss out on a minute of sleep.
Stay creative.