Kitten and other ways to be productive.

We just adopted a kitten.

She's cute and sometimes tries to clean my face while I'm asleep. I'm also more productive because of her.

Recipe: Ways to be more productive with your art
Materials needed:
1. Self control
2. Kitten  (can substitute bum glue)
3. Freedom


Step 1: Use three or more scoops of self control and face the silence.
Sometimes when I sit down to create art I am afraid of thinking. Sometimes I do everything I can to block out the silence. (and not I am not talking about those crazy aliens on Dr Who) This is the silence where my mind can think of awesome new stuff. The place in your brain that takes a little work and some quiet to get to.

But it's hard to to get there. It's easier to turn on Netflix or hulu and "listen" to movies while I make good enough stuff from my surface ideas.

When I turn off the noise all together, or turn on some good think-to-able music, then sit and work, I have more ideas, get more done in less time, and feel more refreshed when I'm done.

It's Great! But only after I get past the noise.

Suppose you don't have that many scoops of self control. Don't worry I highly reccommend getting your Freedom this way.

Freedom is software that you can use to block yourself from the internet. Just pick the  amount of time you want to make yourself work and tell it to go. Then when you would normally choose to take a little break check twitter, or browse Facebook and play bejeweled blitz etc, you can't. "Oh well", you say, "I guess I'll just keep sitting with this silence until something happens."

Sometimes I use it. Sometimes I just found self control at Sam's Club in bulk and have plenty of it. 

Step 2: Put the cat to bed
(if you are allergic or for some unknown reason don't like cats, bum glue will also work for this step. Please follow package directions.)

We got a kitten. She likes to sleep in my lap while I work. When she is asleep there I have to keep on sitting. I can't get up and eat, nap, go to the restroom, check the mail, read, go to the library, check facebook or twitter or my email, I just have to sit, and draw and think.

Kitten Variation:
We got a kitten. She likes to run around on my desk and chew my erasers, chase my pencils, and eat my snacks, while I work.

Because I this I have to keep my work area cleaner than I normally do and I can't distract myself from the silence with food as easily. In fact I usually end up hiding my trail mix, or chocolate chips from the cat and forgetting all about them. And a cleaner work space is just well... easier to work in. So it's a possibility I'll get more done AND loose some weight.

Who knew a kitten could do so much for your life. Who knew. (probably people who own cats I guess)


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