F*ck being productive: A proposal for productivity and art

I catch myself thinking often about being productive. I was productive today, I tell myself as I sit down to stream some gay hockey again as reward. I need to be productive this morning, I say as I sit on the couch on a Saturday morning with a book. Look how much I got done last week / last month / last year, I say as I measure and analyze and do all the things for a biz.

This, despite years of unlearning so much bullshit about work, real life, and living in our society. And despite committing to making art as resistance.

The truth is: Productivity is a trap. It's a sneaky, insidious fucker, and I'm trying my hardest to get free.

Because productivity, and all the associated pomodoro methods and focus apps and rewards systems, is the antithesis to being creative. To making art. And especially to make art as resistance.

Productivity is not power

So here's the thing. I think we feel powerless a lot of the time. We can't control much in our society, especially right now.

And when we can't control the outside, we turn inward. We become obsessed with our bodies and how they look and operate. Obsessed with new ways of understanding ourselves, like astrology, enneagram, and everything about identity. Obsessed with finding the key to money, and therefore happiness.

Productivity, then, feels like power when we otherwise feel powerless. If we just work hard enough, productivity says, we'll find success. We'll look good and feel right and have enough money to feel safe.

But productivity ignores reality. Our culture of work work work skips over rigged systems that reward already-moneyed folks and punishes everyone else. Productivity says we alone are responsible for our success or failure, and not systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, etc etc. And it tells lies that we then internalize:

• I'm not reaching my goals, so I'm a failure

• I can't monetize my art, so I'm a fraud

• I'm struggling to create right now, so I'm broken

• My body won't let me work as much as others, so I'm useless

• My brain works differently, so I'm worthless

Art is power

When it comes down to it, productivity is a tool that keeps us distracted and feeling small, while keeping the assholes in power.

Art, though. Art is different.

Art is about building something strange. Maybe beautiful, maybe ugly. Shocking. That strange and shocking work could be relatively simple, like telling a love story in our seemingly shitty loveless world. It can be fantastical, or dark, or any matter of thing. But it tells a truth, one that people want and need to hear.

Art has the power of speaking things unsaid, of calling out the fuckery, of showing the ways we could be.

Art vs Productivity

Our world tries to turn art into something bought, sold, and processed. And it convinces us to buy into that, equating success with box office returns, bestselling book lists, art auctions.

With those metrics, productivity becomes important once again. Our goals become numbers, hype, dollars, and anything we need to do to get there. More more more, churned out fast.

Creativity doesn't give a shit about any of that. Inspiration, imagination, analysis and curiosity and delight: none of these give a fuck about our productivity markers. Productivity and art don't mesh.

Art & Productivity in Real Life

Now, if I'm suggesting something other than productivity as our goal, I have to remember reality, right? That our culture has made that the barometer and reinforces rigged systems.

So maybe you're reading this as a career writer / maker / artist, and you have to keep to the grind for your income. You can't afford to turn your back on the world of being productive for quantitative success. That is absolutely valid.

But if you're feeling a little stuck, a little uninspired, a little repetitive, maybe there's one project you can carve out apart from the grind. One where you can experiment and say what you want to say. And maybe with that project, your measures can become different. Maybe you work towards milestones, rather than just general productivity. Maybe you set yourself deadlines only because you know you work better with that. Maybe your goal becomes simply reaching a few people who really need it. And maybe that can start to free you.

If you're a side hustle writer / maker / artist, or just starting out, you might have the flexibility to try something other than productivity. And this is where you can get weird and wild, and find the parameters and measures of success that work for you, apart from what society tells us.

No matter where you, the Creative Review and Reframe Workbook might help. It's a free guide and workbook where you can think through what matters to you, how you work, and more. Sign up at the form below and get the workbook free.

Art and You

I don't have all the answers. I'm working to find my way to something different and new. So I'm curious: how have you defied the demands of productivity culture? How do you measure your success outside of our rigged systems? Drop a comment, or send me your thoughts! You could be featured in an upcoming post and newsletter 🔥