The title says it all. I’m writing this post for those without patience… including myself. You should always use your time wisely, especially when working creatively. You see something great in your head and you’re ready to immediately transfer it to your camera, monitor, film, canvas, etc, but we all know there’s a process to get to that final product. Take your time and get it done right initially. Whether it’s setting the stage and wardrobe for a photoshoot or sketching a concept to be illustrated, put in the effort and the time to create a product you’ll love forever that will live beyond your years.
Regardless of the given deadline, set a timeline to achieve certain steps in the process. For instance, in a nutshell my workflow for creative imagery consists of: 1. Conceptualizing the theme 2. Creating the storyboard frame by frame 3. Pulling scraps to provide the staff with in the form of a Concept Sheet 4. Casting the staff 5. Securing the location, wardrobe, props, if any, etc 6. Production day, where it all comes to life 7. Post-production (retouching and manipulation if necessary) In order to achieve a story similar to or better than I imagined, I must include all of these steps. I must be prepared to at least capture the bare minimums outlined in the storyboard and then I can implement improvising.
Of course there’s always exceptions to the rule such as those who work better under pressure. The concept may be phenomenal because all of your adrenaline formulated a master-piece, but that typically backfires and the project suffers in one of two ways. Your end product is flawless, but you missed the deadline by a few hours (or a few days) at the cost of creating it exactly how you envisioned or you made your deadline by 5 seconds but your execution was flawed because you didn’t have enough time to complete it as you envisioned, hence haste makes waste. For you pressure cookers I recommend pushing up your deadline to emulate the same adrenaline response you would have otherwise. Mark your calendar and fool your mind, then breathe easy later when you have an awesome concept and the time to complete it. For some this will be easier said than done, but it’s definitely doable.
All in all, preparation is key! Whether you take the whole span of the time given or a teeny portion of time before it’s due, know the steps it will take to complete the task and schedule them accordingly. Only you control your actions and your schedule. You can always make time to do what you need, even if it means adjusting your habits.
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