Too many Fires

You into  “Buzz Words?”  What is it that everyone in the world is trying to be a master of anymore?

Multitasking!

In these days and times if you are not proficient at doing many things at once it seems like you are being left behind, or at least I feel that way.

In this rat race of world we live in, who is it that comes through in the end? The multitasker, or the… hmmm, what is the word for someone who does not “multi-task”? They are all kind of crass, so nevermind that.

It may seem like you are accomplishing so much more with your ability to burn the candle at both ends, but probably in actuality, you are doing a disservice to whom ever you are working with, or for. And I am as guilty as sin at this. How in the world can you give 100 % of yourself when doing 3, 4, even 5 things at once? I can’t, though I kid myself that I can, but I am writing down notes here and there from different plans, events, activities, checking emails and flagging, tagging, and logging things in their different folders. There is just no way in the world I can do as well at something when even before I’m completed with it, that I’m already thinking about the next project, or where I’m supposed to be at 8:15.

Trying to organize things into groups is helpful, there are many ways to do this, whether separating and working on things that are related in geography, or subject matter, or medium. But still we are watering down the quality of work that we, or I provide. Is 85% of something good enough?

Well you might just be shortchanging someone here, like yourself! I’ve seen some of the art I’ve created when my attention is not fully there, vs when I’m giving it my all. There IS a difference!

Maybe it’s the adult form of “attention deficit disorder”? Could it be that all the children we pumped full of ritalin would be the ultimate multi-taskers? Maybe.

I find that there is just so much to get done that I have to be going 110 mph just to keep up, and if I slow down to catch a breath, I then have to double time it just to get back to where I was. I’ve found the world does not stop or slow down when I take a break.

It could be that I spent over 2 decades spinning my wheels in a self made trough of booze, and now that I’ve sobered up I feel the need to “overachieve” to make up for this.

Could be.

Whatever the reason, I find myself with 3-4 easels with different paintings being worked on simultaneously. Working on blogs, and webpages, spreadsheets, and schedules all at the same time. How about driving, eating, photographing, taking notes, and talking on the phone? Have you tried that? When I’m painting in competitions or events, I paint, I run around and photograph, and socialize, then go back to painting, munch on an apple. I mean it’s fun, but at what expense?

I love keeping busy, that’s really who I am. To get up and work hard all day. I like to have that feeling of accomplishment before I sit back and relax at the end of the day.

I want to be good at what I do, and I work very hard at it, and will continue to do so, but I believe cutting out the self imagined need to multi-task just to keep up with the Jones’s is important. I’ve found when I compare myself, my deeds, or my art to others is a recipe for heartache and disaster. It is myself that I must stack my work up against. What have I learned since my last piece? What will I do differently? Also I have quit jumping back and forth in mediums and am focusing on becoming proficient in landscape oil painting. That’s what I love, that’s what I need to focus on. I really don’t see a need to be good at everything, I am starting much too late in life for this. Just 1 thing, be good at that, and enjoy the process.

I can still keep busy, and get much accomplished, but save the multi-tasking for the quad-core 24 bazillion megabyte processing units.

I’m sure the world will keep on.