Creatively nocturnal?
polycounter lvl 18
So I have this problem. When working on any given project, I really dont seem to be able to get totally stuck into it until the evenings. I've actually taken a couple of days off work to do some of my own work. And whaddo I do? Fuck about all day, drive around for a bit, come back and play videogames, surf the web, watch crap TV. Basically *anything* but actually sit down and get any work done. I try, and then I realise I've just got up and wandered away from the workstation without even really thinking about it. Come 8 or 9 pm though, and Im totally into it, and really pick up steam at about midnight. By that point Im normally so into it I dont down tools til 3 or 4am.
Anyone else suffer from this? It can be an issue when people pay you to work for them during the day ;-). I'm wondering why on earth this would be, but I definitely work harder and more enthusiastically at night. Odd.
Anyone else suffer from this? It can be an issue when people pay you to work for them during the day ;-). I'm wondering why on earth this would be, but I definitely work harder and more enthusiastically at night. Odd.
Replies
i've theorized before that i tend to get more into it around midnight like you do because by that time of the day there's not much left to distract, no tv, probably played enough games by that point, no people, no stores open, etc. i tend to keep picking up steam as well since the later into the night i go, the more true the things i stated become until i eventually collapse from exhaustion.
I agree with what everyone has said about the "less distractions" thing... although sometimes it works if you just ignore everyone
But I don't want it to be this way! I've dabbled in keeping a normal human schedule, and have found that it makes for a fuller-feeling life. I feel that I don't work as well, but things are certainly more sociable when I get up early. There is more overlap with people at work, and it's more likely that I go out for lunch or dinner, or play some games on the LAN, because I've worked a full day by then and don't feel bad about taking a break. It's generally just less lonely. I dunno how to crowbar my Circadian rhythms into accepting such a schedule full-time, but hope there's a way.
Thats what I am tempted to do anyway. I have found that if I just buckle down and force myself to get "into the groove" I can start being productive at any point in the day. I am reading this great book right now called "Creative Sparks" and the author talks about how the best artists are those who are good at starting things. Getting into that "groove" is fairly easy if you just sit, stay, and work.
He also talks about Focusing. Don't think about lunch till lunchtime, don't think about going home till its quitting time. Keep your mind on the task at hand.
Lately my motto has been "Talk less, Deliver More". I have more problems with distracting myself with people, than with anything else. I can ignore food, videogames, checking email, or exercise; but have someone start up a conversation, and I'm out of the groove.
I think art, the creative process in general, only hits pleasing notes after long hours of studied and focussed concentration. I think it is the length of hours awake rather than the time of day at which we settle down to work that is the key factor.
Certainly , I also feel there's an element of conditioning present, we are conditioned to expect less or no interuptions to our workflow at night as everyone else is done with their day, so no visitors or cold callers.
I am most creative at night, I had to give up both the silly hours and the late hours soon after my daughter was born though.
Due to necessity I have found that getting up early and getting to work early allows me to capitalise on the same 'quiet time' that working at night used to afford me. Noone but a rare few come in to work before 11pm here and I get in around 7.30 to 8.30 in general so I'm in the zone by the time they arrive.
Getting up early enough still allows me enough time to be awake long enough for my mind to get up to higher speeds so I don't lose out on that aspect as much either.
I still find night work more fun and easier. I think the trick is discipline, it is hard to discipline the mind , first thing in the morning, but by the evening, it happens in a more natural way.
Of course, its just my theory. I have thought about this to an unhealthy degree though as giving up the 'pure' artist passion above all else was the hardest thing I had to give up to be a parent and those long hours of uninterupted thought are the one loss that continues to sting me pretty heavily still. I expect this loss always will.
I agree with Dave Sim's writings about the 'Male Light'. He talks about how it's our nature, creatively, to aspire toward a light within ourselves. There is, if you will, a gigantic spire of light within our minds and many long and forked roads leading toward that light that take hours to journey along before reaching that true light, the light of genuine inspiration and creativity.
There are many false roads and fake lights and experience should slowly inform us of how to discern the difference and make the journey more expedient.
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Of course, I may just be a fucking freakoid lame ass geek boy afraid of my own shadow so much that I'm only relaxed enough to draw right at night when NOONE CAN SEE ME!
Who can say?
You're right though, I think it's just discipline, I guess if you got used to waking up early, going to sleep early, then you'd probably eventually get to the same level of productivity and creativity, just shifted back a few hours?
Rooster: Heh, I'm 2nd year and I still find myself up working at 4am, when I have 9am classes...
[Rorshach]
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the hardest thing I had to give up to be a parent and those long hours of uninterupted thought are the one loss that continues to sting me pretty heavily still. I expect this loss always will.
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This was tough for me too, although for me the fulfillment of raising my kids and sharing that with my wife are a strong tonic for it.
There's definitely a creative catalyst in the isolation and mystery of the late hours.
I wonder how this changes if you're at the polar latitudes, during the time of the year when daylight is short?
Eric: Sure sure, but we all want our cake and eat it too, to a certain degree!
I expect also the polar latitudes people are in the same cycle we are, they are still conditioned to certain times being the quiet times, I think thats the key factor rather than darkness.
DaZ, good topic.
I really wish it wasn't this way. I wish I could be 'on' all the time. Another thought is that I need a set amount of time of procrastination before I get down to it.
Is it that we are slightly telepathic and we don't know it? Do we need all the other brains around us to shut down so we can have clarity?
On the Apollo missions they conducted experiments when the astronauts were on the dark-side of the moon to see if their telepathic abilities would be enhanced when they were away from the noise of humanity.
Glad to see its not only me who doesn't feel like getting around to art things until everyone else is asleep...
I didn't do anything 3D all day, just some sketching that was necessary for a class project...then for some damn reason at around 2:00 am I felt compelled to boot up Max and went and unwrapped a head I'm working on for the Head sdk thread...still got to lay everything out, but its unwrapped at least...
/jzero
Unless I have a deadline close at hand I do the same thing, I dink around with leisurely things, dabbling a bit in the work here or there, but not truly hitting my stride before evening, and building up until midnight.
If no one is pestering me and I'm not distracted, then once I get in the groove I can stay there, regardless of the time of day.
We have a loose rule around here, don't disturb anyone who's in "the zone," unless you really need to. Try to avoid walking in with some casual conversation, unless that person's obviously open. The programmers totally dig this.
Headphones really help too, people understand at a glance that you're difficult to interrupt, so naturally they do it less.
So does ANYONE work better during the daytime???
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Sometimes I work better during the daytime. If I'm coming to work a couple of hours before most folks show up I tend to be at my most productive during that period. For me I think it has more to do with distractions than my internal clock.
So does ANYONE work better during the daytime???
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I've witnessed how damaging a late schedule can have on my mental and physical health. I used to stay up til 3 or 4 am, but my mind would be too lost in a haze to do anything productive. The next morning, I would feel the after effects and have no motivation to do anything. And so on... It's bad for you, and a difficult habit to break.
Since last July I've taken courses related to health, anatomy, and alternative medicine. Now I know the importance a good nights sleep has on our whole body system, so I sleep early, and comfortably. I find myself more refreshed in the morning. I eat well, and my mind is working at its best. I have more energy to complete all my daily tasks quickly. I'm lucky because I run my own business that requires me to work outside, so I stay close to nature. After 4 or 5, my day is finished and I'm ready to sit down for a good 7 hours relaxed. The phone never rings, and no one interupts. I can still focus completely on my studying and art and still get to bed on time for the next day. The less you sleep, the less your mind retains. Some people I believe are hiding themselves from their true potential. But, life gets in the way.
I now work nine to five texturing heads, then come home and chat to the missus, go for a meal sometimes.
I stil work at home, though I do do the all nighters anymore.
I found that although I felt more creative at night I mainly spent time 'fiddling' with 3dsmax or not being as productive as I should have.
Just gimme Max , photoshop or a pencil. and Ill do art, anytime of the day or night.
I am sorta allowed to come into the office as late as 10ish, but everybody else gets here between 8-9:30 or so.
I absolutely CAN NOT fall asleep before 2am without chemical assistance.
Sadly, to make matters worse, Im in a new housing development. For the last 4 months, every morning at 6am, bulldozers & jackhammers and loud mexican music blast through my walls as the construction begins for the day... 12 feet from my head. The new homes are just over the wall.
I drink WAY too many Mt. Dew's at work, just to stay awake.
There was a news item I saw a couple years ago that showed that the brains of late night workers eventually get smaller than their daylight counterparts. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?
I wonder if this all has something to do with light? Meaning since monitors shed light, we can work on them during times when it is dark. (Also they are easier to see when there isnt as much reflected light around). While drawing or using more natural tools working during the day is easier and funner.
I'm just going to chime in here and say "me too".
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There was a news item I saw a couple years ago that showed that the brains of late night workers eventually get smaller than their daylight counterparts. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?
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That's an interesting theory.
So far everyone seems to think they're creative at late hours. But, are you creative, or just more productive? Creativity means to create without imitation. Many of you are using examples of how long you work. So how is your creativity affected by time of day?
My latest observation is that it takes a lot longer to get to 100% attention if its cold outside or bad weather in general. But iam a weather freak and cant stand quick falling or raised temperature (from one day to another).
So i work a little longer and - its early morning
PS: jepp -
PPs: Pignore spelling errors, iam tired