Creative Focus--do you have limits?

[Far North]

I believe this summer was the first time that I ever had the opportunity to take all day art workshops.  They were intensive with lots of new learning and a quick time to implement each step.  After the 1st three-four hours I could tell a major difference in my brain not focusing as well and nor could I maintain the pace and achieve the results I desired. During my professional career my work was always multiple layers of tasks with constant multi-tasking which is so different from the single focus I experienced in the workshops. 

Just wondering if anyone has had this all day workshop issue.  Do you have any tips for handling it most effectively?

[howdyheidi]

I think that is a good question. I am not sure, but as it relates to other all-day things, I think taking a real break at lunchtime, maybe with a change in scenery (like a walk outside, or a bit of a drive around) could really be helpful.  I wonder if those of the Inkers who have done All Day Crops might have any advice.  Good topic.

[Far North]

Thanks for some good ideas Heidi.  Yes, I too was thinking some others might have had a similar experience.

[Looser]

Boy does your topic take me back a few decades, Jan. TY for starting the conversation!

I've been both an attendee & a teacher for day-long seminars. Most of my attendee ones were ones my (then) craft store employer sent me to & ranged from painting thru florals. My stints as the conductor of daylongs was always on behalf of manufacturers.

One of the many things I learned on both sides of the classroom was that the ability to sustain 'focus' was always best when the instructor was able to 'read' the class/audience. Spurts of intense doing/learning with a short breather were part & parcel of the best ones I attended. And most of the daylongs I attended/taught were open to crafters of all levels--from know-nothing to know-everything. . A good instructor can handle the range. He/she learns to work with the wanna-learn & smile @ the experts who (often) want to be the teacher.

For me, a 'good' teacher determines what the focus needs to be every step of the way & assists both the individual student & the entire class in sustaining the focus of the moment.

As a fellow 'multi-tasker', Jan, I can definitely understand where you're coming from. That said, however, I'm less inclined to multi-task as I've gotten older. I'm trying to remind myself to be involved in the 'now' in learning--rather than letting my still fertile brain lead me off from the at-hand task.

[yellowcherrios]

This is a good question.  The only workshop I have done in my adult life that was an extended length of time was a Navajo rug weaving class I did that lasted all day and for a week.  The thing that slowed me down in that class was my back started killing me b/c of the chairs the museum provided.  I had to bring cushions from home or I do not know how I'd make it a week and I started taking breaks ever so often.  So I would suggest to make sure to take breaks for your body/mind, b/c both will definitely effect  your focus. 

I was going to suggest to multi-task your painting (paint the sky first then go work on the trees then back to the sky etc) but I know that is not always possible with watercolor unless you want to get water spots and leaching!  Now if you had several paintings that were at different stages (for example, drying), then you could work on one then go to the next, then the next while they dried, etc.

For some reason I keep thinking about this suggestion----having a scrap watercolor paper on the side of the board to practice on first before painting on the "real" painting.  I have done this to check colors and to see how the brush with behave. I will use real cheap "watercolor" paper--student grade for example that I got at Target one year before I knew there was a difference in paper     …now if you were wanting to see how the paint reacts with the paper instead of just practicing strokes or color blending etc, then using student grade WC paper will not help.  But I keep thinking of this b/c I can see how using a practice sheet would be like you are working on two things at once---practicing and then also adding to the "real" painting. 

Finally I too am like Daniel -- I like to do watercolor b/c it challenges me to slow down.  I also don't have as much control with this craft as I'd like and it helps me practice "losing control"!   :laugh hard:

HTH!