Journal With Impact: Vocation Production

Workshop: Six Conversations for Writing Creative Journals

“Goals give you a sense of meaning and purpose. Goals give you a sense of direction.” 

                                                                                                                            Brian Tracy

How well do you know your “product”? And what is required to keep a steady flow going according to your purpose? Or what complications might you need to work around? Time? Weather? Costs? Deadlines?

For a Christmas tree farmer one key to their productivity is that the average tree requires six to eight years to grow to maturity. How do they factor that in along with trees per acre? And it is a labor intensive commitment. Could there be a physical deterrent to the long haul?

A landscape artist juggles a broad variety of plants and trees both indoor and outdoor from seedlings to full growth. Each one may have its own unique growing cycle that will need to be calculated into each overall project. How to set up the seedlings for multiple projects to meet deadlines?

Prolific author Karen S. Wiesner shares in her book, First Draft in 30 Days, a multiyear goal sheet that includes contracted releases, uncontracted projects, and uncontracted project (optional). She says, “Your multiyear goal sheet will include accurate predictions as to when you’ll be working on outlines, writing books, researching upcoming projects, and allowing shelf-time for each stage of the writing process.” She is not working on only one project at a time from start to finish, but several possibilities in different stages of development.

Or, if just beginning to discover how long your projects might take to reach productivity, try beginning with Shona Cole’s art action plan for a creative life. “When you start out try committing to an hour of art a day. If you think you can get two things done in sixty minutes, for each day pick two things to put on your weekly action plan.”

So what do you want your production to look like? Using Shona Cole’s suggestions over the next week daily set up your design to become one like Karen S. Wiesner’s, regardless of how long it might take to get there. Dream big!

Action Steps:

1. First write down your long-term production aim.

2. Next write down every possible facet needed to get there. For example: time, cost, energy, complications, associates, materials, family commitments etc.

3. Then right down two beginning steps to apply or investigate for each area on your list.

4. Take the first two key components and set up a time frame to address them over the next week. Then assess any positive and negative adjustments you need to make.

5. Take a calendar and choose your end date.

6. Then work backwards filling in all the time factors required to meet that deadline. Adjust as needed.

7. Start!

Share: Which area of your production surprised you?

Read deep, marcy