How do YOU focus?
polycounter lvl 18
I really need help with this at the moment, as I'm incapable of focusing on anything, much less learning 3d modelling (Which has been an interest of mine for years)
I'm not sure, but today I tried to learn 3dsmax and fell asleep at my computer for half an hour.
Suggestions?
I'm not sure, but today I tried to learn 3dsmax and fell asleep at my computer for half an hour.
Suggestions?
Replies
I like your thinking
Seriously though, helps me to have a focus for learning new tools, like I want to replicate an effect I saw elsewhere. Been learning volume rendering a bit, playing with animated 3d procedurals in fog projected by a light. Helps to have something inspiring to keep me moving.
Also non-computer breaks help.
-setup rewards for yourself. ie "if I can model a decent head today, I'll smoke the premium crack tonight"
-turn off your IM programs
-dont surf the internet
-force yourself to start doing whatever it is you do, no matter how little inspiration or drive you have. No matter how shitty the work is, after 15 or 20 mins of forced practice, I'll usually get in the groove.
-drink insane amounts of coffee and listen to good metal
I'll buy a four pack of energy this weekend and pray that friends don't come over to play rockband, and if they do i'll simply shut them out with some good music, etc...
Wish I could do such tonight but school has a way of sneaking up on me
People who spend a little less time other than for work in front of the computer would be able to concentrate better.
other than that, regular sleep, good habits and routines, etc etc etc
-unplug your tv immediately, it is useless
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my TV is my computer
I find that the buzz of creating something is enough to get back into the groove. Although in saying that, under extreme pressure to get things done (freelance deadlines etc) I find myself doing the washing or playing with objects in my house, or even finding bits of interesting software to install. Anything but doing the actual work I'm meant to be doing until time runs out.
My solution is just fucking do it. Give your work space a clean first, get all the potential clutter out of the way, then stick some music on (headphones are best) and just pile into your project. If you don't have a project, browse art forums, go to the zoo, jot down ideas in your moleskin.
It's not always about turning the internet off as it's an integral part of modeling / design research, although this helps, what more important is breaking your browsing habits. Train yourself to do something else - when you feel the need to browse facebook for 8 hours, or just check your email for the 1000th time that hour, break the habit by doing something else.
We have an underlying need to feel connected and it can by addictive and is certainly destructive to artists of all genres. I've seen some of the best programmers and musicians I know reduced to incompetent useless fools by counter-strike and WoW. In those cases, connectivity becomes a drug. fine if you work in a super market stacking shelves, the internet is just "playstation generation" of the late naughties, let those people waste their lives, but don't wate your natural talent and drive to create.
Good luck. The only way to beat this is to "just fucking do it", as the famous Creek philosopher Nike once said. Then creativity will be the drug and you won't give a damn about the internet. Of course everything would be easier if the internets came with one of these:
I check the same damn forums and web pages about 10 times a minute.
FUCNKLDSFJLKSFHlksjadfhklasdhri9pw34urop;erutfilujdfuhgolieqyu
The number one thing that distracts the shit out of me is random internet sites like digg, polycount, smashboards, etc. I was honestly thinking about making a Firefox extension that will totally disable the entire browser for a certain amount of time and you can't re-enable it until the time is up. It would really help me out.
I'll buy a four pack of energy this weekend and pray that friends don't come over to play rockband, and if they do i'll simply shut them out with some good music, etc...
Wish I could do such tonight but school has a way of sneaking up on me
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Skip the coffee and/or energy drinks, it's not good for you, and you don't need it if you eat right in the first place. If you don't eat right, then start eating right, just stay away from quick energy. They're not good in the long run.
Don't let your friends come over to play Rock Band if you need to focus. Just say no to them, and reserve some time for them.
On the topic of reserving time. Schedule your free time, your learning time. Get a timer and work in 15 minute bursts, and every 15 minutes you take a minute or two to review how you've spent those 15 minutes and rub your temples with your eyes closed for a few seconds. If you are procrastinating instead of working/learning, it will be more noticable at the end of each 15-minute burst and you won't have wasted 20 minutes on the latest episode of 30 Rock.
It's a lot of work involved in being productive. At least in the beginning it is. Once you've learned to discipline yourself, you won't need to stop every 15 minutes for self-scrutiny. But every professional needs to take a break in regular intervals and review how the time has been spent.
if, at that point, you find 3D art to be a bit of a chore, it's probably not fo you and you should go out and do something less boring instead.
Oh yeah and rooster said it!
Alex
Just gotta find something related to it that your really interested in. No need to force yourself to sit down and do it if your not completely excited about it. You'll get no where like that.
I used to find the online tuts. that were related to stuff I was really interested in most to learn with first. After i got past that hump of being bored with some of the learning material I eventually got ahold of different areas of 3d and played around with that.
And working on stuff I like..
Regardless of anything I try, I just find it excruciatingly difficult to work on something I hate.
get a shit ton of beer
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this kills me.. If I drink any more than a few tins, any motivation evaporates and I play games or go to the pub, anything except what I was supposed to be working on. Use with caution..
grab a beer, put up some music, and let it flow. <not the beerz>
I am sorry but if you are really passionate about something then, you shouldn't have any trouble getting motivated to do it. Simple. Stop making excuses. Post more art.
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I second that. Art is work. You either have the drive or you don't. No one here has a magic bullet. The more 'woe is me' you believe the more everyone passes you up.
Inspiration when attempting to learn production art is bullshit. Learn it, do it, or try something else. Your television's set in relation to the outlet has absolutely nothing to do with it.
I'm not being intentionally harsh, just honest.
I do 3d all day at work and then go home and usually do more at home.
When I am feeling burnt out I take a break at home and work on sculptures, play video games, watch movies, play with my son, get out of the house.
Not one person has the routine that will work for everyone. Joe Schmoe might jack off 4 times before he can crank out a crazy high poly model and be done. That might work for him but that's not gonna work for everyone.
So you just gotta keep messing around until you find something that works but it's like working out. When it becomes routine and all the same then it becomes boring.
Learn how to liven and spice things up.
The 'habit' side is where you have to train yourself to be focused, get a system..calendars with x's or some sort of reward system. For me, I have 3 main things that I feel I need to work on: Art, exercise, relationships, and every now and then I'll throw a 4th in. I bought a year calendar and every day that I work on the 3 or 4 things...I get an X for each. Each X = $1. So, whenever I want something that is completely a luxury, such as a game, or ridiculous toy..I have to 'trade in' my X's...and so this way, I also train myself to spend my money better and it motivates me to work. I don't think this system would work for everyone...but it's important to have SOME system of training yourself.
The second half of 'focusing' has to do with the mental aspect. There are two main ways for me to come to a mental state of being focused. The first way is inspiration, but if you look at our psychological 'needs', in order for us to be inspired, we pretty much have to have other parts of our well being taken care of...so, no worrying about your safety or obsessing over a girlfriend...when you're at a good place in life, it's much easier to get inspired. The second way I see people getting focused is when they feel like they NEED to do work. For me, I think of where I want to go in life and what I'll NEED to do to get there. I also think of the fact that I'm competing with people who have been in the industry for 10 or more years...etc. People who have put the time in and dedication...so, for me, I always feel like I'm behind and so that usually motivates me into working harder.
Just find what motivates you. Is it money? Fame? Love? Being comfortable? and be honest to yourself about it. Also realize that anything worth having, isn't obtained without sacrifice.
Also on a side note, I think 'knowing yourself' and knowing exactly what you want out of life is a very important thing when trying to motivate yourself...because if you're not sure what you want...then how much effort would you put into something you're not sure about...you know. So maybe, take some time to really think about what you want in life...and then think of how you would obtain it.
And 3d modelling is much the same, but i'll sit and the dark and work at it as long as it takes because I do enjoy it...
Getting better is the annoying part
KTHNX
i've been thinking bout just buying a hookah and sitting down and reading ....
and spend time studying/copying by drawing other peoples work, find out what you like,
and what you don't like about their work, and spend time with looking at the world around you.
spend time doing a lot of real-life drawing as well,
mostly to learn about light and shadows.
you have to crawl around a bit sometimes to get better.
the laptop + coffee shop thing works. Thats where I write my blog
I think i'm getting too far ahead of myself At the moment, as I don't even have a concrete drawing style or anything right now.
I'll get to the modelling part only to realize I have nothing to work from, and when I attempt to make something to work from i realize I can't draw the same thing from multiple angles...
So back to improving drawing.
sit quietly with my eyes closed and quiet myself a bit. let go of any expectations of what i should or shouldn't do. consider what i know is important and focus on what it is that i want. get a clear mental image in my head of the thing that I want to do. make the picture bigger and brighter, move it closer, turn it into a movie, feel how happy I feel when I look at it and intensify that feeling.
here's a page about a seemingly good motivation strategy:
http://www.nlpweekly.com/?p=1044
(the ve, vI, and AD means external visual, internal visual image, and internal diologe, respectively)
if you get good at manipulating your mind on this level you can get leverage on yourself to stick your cock in a termite's nest if you want to. well.. probably not.
Best to get that "creative time" out of the way before sitting down to something creative.