How do you make life and work a work of art?

Posted on October 05, 2012 by Linda Naiman, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

How we choose what we do, and how we approach it…will determine whether the sum of our days adds up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Art is more than painting, music, and sculpture, it also applies to how you live and work. Here are a few artful practices to help you get started.

Intention

Artists begin their work with intention and purpose. They have some idea about the end product they want to create, whether it is a song, a poem, a painting or a movie. A student filmmaker I know made the mistake of shooting a film with cast and crew before he had worked out his script. What happened? Endless re-shoots, wasted time and effort, and a mess of film to edit into some kind of cohesion. He learned clarity of purpose keeps creativity on track.

Focused Attention

Dr Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist best known for his research on creativity, and Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, says Flow is characterized by effortless concentration and enjoyment. We are completely absorbed in an activity and time disappears.

To achieve flow, we need the right balance of skill and challenge. If a task is too challenging we experience fear, and if its not challenging enough, we experience boredom.

In my experience, being in the flow includes the natural oscillation between action and reflection, or as Frank Sinatra put it so eloquently: “Do, be, do, be do.” Reflection and contemplation might involve meditation, journal writing and day dreaming.

Artistry

Artistry can be defined as having mastered a skill sufficiently enough so that you don’t have to think about it. Artistry is the bridge between concept and craft. Once you have mastered a skill you can transcend technicalities and focus on creating, inventing and innovating. Artists constantly work their craft by developing their skills. In order to take on more challenge and stay in the flow, you may need to learn new skills.

Mastery is what separates the virtuoso from the technician, in music, dance, theatre, and art. Don’t get caught up in creating a masterpiece. Focus instead on developing your craft in whatever art form appeals to you. Slow down and become absorbed in the process. When you relax and enter that place of flow, you will notice your mind quiet down, and creative imagination start to bubble up.

Take the lessons you learn through the arts, and apply them to leadership at work. Are you a technician or a virtuoso?

Artful Reflection

Artistic qualities such as: Seeing with new eyes, sensing and perceiving, mastery, finding beauty, meaning, elegance, rhythm, melody, harmony, and composition — can be applied any aspect of your life.
Reflect on these qualities and ask yourself which ones are present in your life and which ones are missing. How would you describe the rhythm of your life and work? How could you achieve more elegance in your work? How can you enhance the aesthetic experience of your customers?

When I coach people undergoing a transition in their lives, I encourage them to be imaginative. Rather than focusing on problems, we focus on possibilities, and finding artful solutions.

If you could design your future, what would it look like? How would you compose the different elements? What does it take to lead an artful life?

Leading a Creative Life Requires Action

Creative expression is one of the keys to living and working artfully. Imagination without action doesn’t make you creative; it only makes you imaginative. Action brings ideas to life. With imagination, observation, reflection and practice, you can transform the mundane into the artful.