There’s a tension that exists in doing a daily post. The obvious one is the constant looming deadline of creating new artwork every day. And while there certainly are days I felt crunched for time, overall, there is a benefit to the challenge of needing to produce every day.
I am someone who works better with a deadline and I know I’m not alone in that. I’ve had many animated discussions with people who know that to be true for them as well.
Something about that pressure results in ideas sparking that otherwise wouldn’t have ignited.
However, inevitably there are ideas that don’t feel finished, even after the work is done, printed and posted.
Always leave time and space to improve on an idea or to build off of what was started.
The first example of this is the print “We’re All Mad Here.” The concept of this playful piece lends itself to endless possibilities, which is why I initially put off working on this phrase.
However, when the day came that I felt ready to tackle this one I pulled all of my ideas together to see what would work.
The first pass had many of the characters represented (the pocketwatch of the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter’s Hat, the tea cup, the crown of the Queen of Hearts, and the Cheshire cat’s tail as the curve of the “e”).
However, I was also trying to work in the Cheshire cat eyes on the letter “M” and just wasn’t convinced I had landed on the right solution.
Everything else was working well, so I decided to pull the trigger and post the art. It wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t quite right.
The funny thing was the moment I posted I knew what needed to change. The side-by-side shapes for the “M” was the perfect place for TweedleDee & TweedleDum.
It bothered me so much I reworked it that week, also adding the flamingo head to the “h.”
Once the artwork was revised I placed it in my shop and it is one of my best-sellers. Seeing how I have made sales with the revised product, it makes sense to have taken time to rework the piece. But, what about cases when it isn’t tied to a specific product?
I was completely happy with it when I posted,“The elephant in the room.” However, after a few days I saw the potential for making an adjustment. The “n” next to the elephant head would work perfectly as the back of its body.
In order to satisfy my curiosity, I decided to continue playing with the art. This is the reworked solution.
So, why would I rework something after the post is done and there wasn’t really a need to do anything with it?
Creativity is a muscle, you have to use it in order to make it stronger.
While I’m not currently doing anything with that solution, the fact that I worked it out may help me to see that solution sooner in other places.
Think of it as digging for treasure. If you don’t clear out what is in front of you you’ll never find the hidden gem.
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