Chase Jarvis Blog: Clean Your Room and Do the Dishes

Clean Your Room and Do the Dishes

10/16/2009 11:18:00 PM

Is it just me, or are we all a bit more creative when we have some distance between ourselves and our chaos?

Living life - be it adventure, struggle, conflict or resolution - gives us the bedrock of artistic inspiration. But if you're anything like me, actualizing that inspiration requires moments of calm.

Case in point: Just sitting here working my ass off in the studio, 10pm on a Friday night...the last few weeks have been a doozie. Crazy schedule, travel, media, Best Camera, assignments, work, deluge, family, not enough hours. Needing. Inspiration. Struggling. To come up with. Some creative inspiration for an upcoming project. Kept indulging, pushing. Longer hours. Nothing. Creatively parched.

So I went to my old college habit. The grown-up version of cleaning your room during finals before you begin to study...[click 'continue reading' link below]
--

I temporarily dug outta my life's clutter. I cleaned out my inbox, cleared off my desktop, returned some voicemails, I made lists. It gave me a moment. A breath. I went for a walk in the rain, carefree for the first time in weeks. And sipped a glass of wine.

And it happened. 2 hours of calm is all it took, and whammo. Best ideas I've had in weeks.

It's often hard to see the forest through the trees, but the next time you're struggling creatively, go clean your room and do the dishes. Pay your bills and then take a walk. Get some distance from your mayhem, even if it's for an hour. I'll bet you 10 bucks you'll be better off--and more creative--because of it.

Have a great weekend. I know I will.
--

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Labels: how to, inspiration

48 Comments:

Kate said...: So true, like spring cleaning, clear out the attic and see what happens. :); 11:32 PM
Sonnydelight said...: 10 whole dollars?!

Great advice! :D; 11:33 PM
Kensai said...: I temporarily dug outta my life's clutter. I cleaned out my inbox, cleared off my desktop, returned some voicemails, I made lists. It gave me a moment. A breath. I went for a walk in the rain, carefree for the first time in weeks. And sipped a glass of wine.

I promised to myself to do this every weekend. It's really important for my sanity. :)

Also, making folders and cataloguing my hundreds of photos/videos is paramount as well. For me Sunday is Backupday. For everything!; 11:34 PM
Cesar said...: Yeah, sometimes to to something totally different relax us and we can focus issues in a different way.
BTW I like the photo of the couple of cups and the pizza?; 11:44 PM
Greg said...: I'm in the middle of doing exactly what you describe -- returning tons of email, packing for a trip (sort of similar I think), and reading through unread blogs (which is how I'm reading this actually). Funny how timing works sometimes. Completely agree for the record.; 11:48 PM
harry said...: You have to let the brain work it's self. Probably the walk in the rain worked rather than the tidying (though a tidy studio is a happy studio) That's why jogging or taking the dog for a walk or going on a long drive with the radio off are good creative moments.; 11:53 PM
Ramina said...: Chase, that picture is awesome!; 11:56 PM
Travis said...: I noticed today that I'm controlled by my stuff. I spend my life managing, sorting, moving, guarding and hordeing stuff. I feel like at times I can't find stuff because it's under other stuff. Yeah- too much?
As my computer desk gets enveloped with this stuff, occasionally I'll just spend time and clean it up- put everything where it all belongs, and it really helps me become more productive. Weird, but it works.; 12:00 AM
Amy said...: Well said.; 12:26 AM
Tom Scott said...: Breathe

Pick a moment
Pick a day
Fill it
Squeeze it
Don't delay
Make the most
Of a bad situation
Run and hide
From a dissolving creation.
Hoard and collect
Never recollect
The days once spent
In den and tent
The times that formed
The years that bound
Enabled you
To surface
Be found.
And only now
In spaces sought
Can you still know
As best you ought
The truth, the light
The capacity to thrive
Take a minute
Breathe
Now life
(Hold tight).

- peace, Tom; 12:45 AM
Matt said...: Thanks Chase, well written.; 12:54 AM
rushcapture said...: Yep defiantly, what I find annoying though is that others tell you that your just procrastinating, it is not that i just need a clean space to work sometimes.; 1:29 AM
Christopher said...: I couldn't agree more! Thanks for making me feel slightly more normal!; 4:17 AM
Alvah said...: Wise words- it's easy to get swept up in life and lose sight of the basics. A walk by yourself is always top notch therapy, and a sip of wine never hurts!; 4:32 AM
Amber said...: Wow, it's so insightful. Thank you Chase Jarvis of Chase Jarvis dot com, lead photographer at Chase Jarvis Photography, creator of Best Camera by Chase Jarvis, copying everyone else's camera apps but making out that Chase Jarvis is the only one that knows how to do it best: without you I'd be stuck in a rut and surrounded by dirty dishes.

You are my God, Chase Jarvis.

*sigh*; 4:46 AM
laanba said...: This is so true. I usually feel trapped like I can't get out and explore my world when my apartment is a shambles (as it is now). I feel so much better about everything when my home life is in order. I'll work on it this weekend.; 5:08 AM
stephen hunton said...: this is sooo true. have a project that requires concepting, vs just showing up and shooting but I've been so busy that I haven't been able to create any ideas. definitely going to try to pause this week...and maybe sip some wine too. :); 6:12 AM
Nathan Clendenin said...: awesome advice. I am about to go on a nice walk by myself before shooting a wedding this afternoon; 7:29 AM
Ed Z said...: this is *so* true. Any type of clutter is psychologically stressful - whether it's physical (room/desk filled with junk) or mental (disorganized "to do" lists etc...)

I also find that when I am able to de-clutter and de-stress my environment my productivity and creativity skyrocket.; 7:51 AM
fas said...: awesome advice, very handly for most.; 8:52 AM
Isabella said...: This post has been removed by the author.; 11:07 AM
Zachary said...: Amazing advice. As usual.; 11:33 AM
bruceh said...: I start backups as part of the list. Then I can relax...; 11:54 AM
Tommy Ellingsen said...: Really good tip!! Works for me to :-); 12:21 PM
Joseph said...: “Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
Gustave Flaubert; 3:26 PM
Joseph said...: This post has been removed by the author.; 3:35 PM
Linda van Rosmalen said...: you owe me 10 bucks!; 5:52 PM
throughHislens said...: Really need to do this after non stop shooting since Friday.

The bad part is I still need to do school work.

Am going to take the advice though!

Thanks for keeping us on our toes Chase.; 10:19 PM
petermcdonagh said...: Take a look at "A Technique For Producing Ideas" by James Webb Young. His premise is that an idea is simply a new connection between 2 known facts and describes the creative process to create these connections or ideas. Sometimes we go through this process subconsciously, but it sure helps to know what the steps are when we're exhausted and having a block. Only costs a few quid...

http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Advertising-Classics-Library/dp/0071410945/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255860095&sr=8-1; 3:06 AM
stefan said...: thank you chase for the post.
I'm a press photog making a transition to comercial photography. I openend a studio. The good thing is, it's a 20 min walk from where I live. I have made it a habbit to park the car at the studio and walk home. You would not belive how much that helps me. Not only will I generate Ideas but it also alows me to get all the stuff out of my head thats bogging me down. My personal life has improved along with my photography.
Smoetimes we just forget how important all the other stuff is.
a glass of wine (well for me it's a beer) and some food can make a difference too. Sometimes you just need a break. Do something you wouldn't do. It doesn't matter what you do, just kill the routine.; 6:29 AM
jeremy earl mayhew said...: sitting here looking at my desk..that maybe be just what i need..yikes.

thanks for this..and thanks for the mental image of you walking down the street in the rain drinking a glass of wine, that put a smile on my face.; 4:27 AM
Sascha said...: I think Chase just won my 10 bucks... :-); 6:13 AM
Boston Photographer | MWynne said...: Great advise. I think I might actually take it now. Thanks for the post.; 7:11 AM
Otto Rascon said...: Nicely said and perfectly expressed. M do believe my messy desk is calling me... no... yelling at me to come and clean it up. Rock on dude!!!; 8:17 AM
Wedding Photographer Italy said...: I have a small office inside my home.
When I start to work I really like to have all clean and in order. It relax me and also clean my mind...
I can work freely think and new ideas grow...; 7:28 PM
Aimee Greeblemonkey said...: This is so me right now.; 10:49 PM
Marissa Rodriguez said...: This is great! Totally what I needed today! Thank you!; 8:11 AM
lizsong said...: completely agreed. wrote a recent post on that. http://thebarnloft.tumblr.com/; 8:47 AM
John Tucker said...: A walk in the rain. Perfect day for that here.; 9:12 AM
Dawn said...: When I used to paint I always had to straighten up the house as part of my pre-painting ritual. Now that my focus is photography, the house suffers.; 10:02 AM
Erika Lindroth said...: Funny you say that, Chase ... I read a Scientific American article on the same thing, except they call it "psychological distance".

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=an-easy-way-to-increase-c&sc=SA_20090818

It works!; 12:35 PM
Dentist Sunnyvale said...: Certainly true...sometimes working in a clean environment can be helpful. It feels refreshing...; 11:17 PM
Sebastian said...: Thanks Chase,
that´s just what I needed. Exactly how I felt...Went out and boom...there´s the idea...good stuff...; 3:40 AM
T. C. Knight said...: I thought I was the only one who cleaned house before studying for finals. Gald I'm not wierd after all.; 1:23 PM
mikiss said...: true true..; 2:14 PM
Todd said...: Aw man, how true is that. It works whether you're trying to think of your next photo concept or even just a simple topic to blog about. Sometimes the brain just needs a rest :); 10:41 AM
Amy Ralston said...: ha, ha so true ...the chaos and cleaning the room. I don't think I have met an artist who gets in the moments of 'huh'. When I travel and shake up my everyday life, it is there, but it was probably always here! Thanks again Chase ...; 11:42 PM
Carol @ Carol Lundeen Photography, Boston said...: It's normal for us to take things for granted, even what our work space normally looks like. I've found that just by cleaning up a corner it stimulates me to make other changes, too.; 6:31 AM

Clean Your Room and Do the Dishes

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