Issue 3: Creativity, Productivity, and the Illusion of Doing More
While making a meme for a client, yes really, I stumbled upon a symbol that caught my attention.
Many people have seen Baroque paintings featuring skulls and dying flowers, and it is not difficult to understand the message that the artist wants to convey. These artworks are known as vanitas, a Latin word that translates to "vanity" or "emptiness" in English. In both art and philosophy, a vanitas is a symbolic work that serves as a reminder of the temporary nature of life and the futility of worldly pursuits. These artworks often include symbols such as skulls, decaying flowers, and hourglasses, which represent the inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of human existence.
Detail from an 18th-century Memento mori created by a guild in Stary Sącz, Poland – Source.
But what caught my eye were soap bubbles. I had not noticed this before. In the mid-18th century artists turned away from skulls to focus more on “technique, melancholy, physics, and politics”. During this time soap bubbles were being marketed as lasting longer. So they stepped in to replace the symbols of the Baroque.
I immediately thought, what a perfect way to show how fleeting time is. And in particular, our time is. It isn't grim or macabre. It is, in fact, often beautiful and moves on a light breeze. It is brought to life by a breath, with no guarantees of how long it will survive.
Jean Baptiste Chardin, Les Bulles de Savon (Soap Bubbles), ca. 1734 – Source.
What does this have to do with being a creative or an artist? Well, it turns out as Oliver Burkeman wrote, “we've been granted the mental capacities to make almost infinitely ambitious plans, yet practically no time at all to put them into action.”
Yet, we often act as if we are capable of doing everything ourselves. In reality, there is a thriving industry of products and influencers who claim that by simply reading their book or watching their video, anyone can achieve mastery in all areas.
And technology is not helping. Despite finding ways to do things faster, one would expect that we would work less. According to a famous prediction by John Maynard Keynes, due to advances in technology, we should currently only be working 15 hours a week.
I track my hours and I definitely work more than 15 hours a week. However, when I work excessively, it starts to feel wrong to me. I believe there should be more to life than just working overtime. I don't want to look back and realize that my biggest contribution was simply putting in extra hours. I believe many people share this desire for more meaning, contemplating their legacy, and feeling weary of hearing about yet another productivity hack.
It turns out that when people make enough money to meet their needs, they just find new things to need and new lifestyles to aspire to; they never quite manage to keep up with the Joneses, because whenever they're in danger of getting close, they nominate new and better Joneses with whom to try to keep up. —Oliver Burkeman
So, where does this drive to keep up or do more come from? I believe it can be deeply personal and individualistic. However, we can also take a step back and consider the Western culture that many of us are a part of.
My father has been living in Brazil for years now, which has given him the time and distance to reflect on his life while living in Canada. As an immigrant who arrived without speaking English, he was a workaholic. Both of my parents were. They didn't have a safety net, so they did whatever it took to create a secure life for my brother and me.
Now, this mindset has been ingrained in me, combined with our society's general drive to be productive. As a result, I too became a workaholic.
Anonymous (Dutch), A Boy Blowing Smoke Bubbles, ca. 1750 – Source
In fact, society often tells us that we can achieve anything if we work hard enough. This belief can be comforting. Rather than being told that our aspirations are impossible, we are encouraged to believe that we can accomplish anything we dream of. However, the caveat is that our lack of success is attributed solely to not trying hard enough.
With this mindset, I can easily convince myself that I am choosing to become better, to improve, and to be more efficient and productive. But am I choosing, or am I simply falling for a clever trick?
This style of rhetoric often leads to burnout, and it is partly “your fault” as well. According to Instagram and YouTube, if you had only woken up at 5am and had a green smoothie instead of 6am with a coffee, you wouldn't be experiencing fatigue and having cortisol pumping through your body.
Why am I not in love with the mindset that is often seen on social media and online? In fact, I may sound a little bitter, and you wouldn't be wrong. It's because I used to be the exact audience that wanted to believe in these ideas and tried all the hacks. I still talk about being productive and I have my own little focus hacks. However, things have changed for me because I have experienced burnout. In fact, I stopped doing design for years because I despised the workload and the lifestyle.
I quit being a creative because it was an awful experience.
But here I am, back at it again. The difference now is that I have more experience, perspective, and an overall unwillingness to think that there is something wrong with me.
I am honest about the fact that I cannot work like a robot endlessly all day. Instead of billing clients by the hour, I am now responsible for deliverables. I use a timer to remind me to focus for short bursts, rather than forcing myself to work longer hours. I also clock my hours to track how much I work and ensure that I am not slipping back into my old burnout habits.
However, one aspect that I continue to struggle with and am actively addressing is the need to do less overall. I believe many can relate to the sense of personal responsibility for our own success, the absence of a family safety net, and the challenge of determining what is truly sufficient.
My experience of burnout is shaped by the perspective of being part of an immigrant family, but it is not exclusive to individuals born and raised in this country. It is important to recognize that this pressure is unique to each person and should be considered within the broader context of our culture.
I can only speak from my experience, and right now, it means that when I think about productivity, creativity, and the illusion of doing more, I want to understand what is enough money, enough time, and enough work for me.
Perhaps that is why those bubbles captivaited me.
Jacques de Gheyn II, Vanitas Still Life, 1603 – Source
Read & Resources
Book
If you enjoyed this topic, "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman is likely to be the last 'productivity' book you'll ever feel the need to read. It was for me. I still flip through its pages to remind myself that time is precious.
Podcast
Even if you don't consider yourself someone interested in philosophy, I think you will appreciate this episode if you have ever felt like you are trying to do more, optimize your work, or simply be more productive. Just get past the first couple of minutes, as the host does reference a past episode, and get ready to listen to some ideas that may articulate your feelings of "this can't be it.”
Podcast
The New Gurus: Fitter, Happier, More Productive
Wondering about those gurus who keep selling your their time hack? Listen to this podcast.
This series was great, but episode 3, in particular, explores the theme of time and productivity. It includes an interview with Oliver Burkeman, the author of Four Thousand Weeks.
Video
How to stop fighting against time.
Nobody has enough time these days – but our efforts to cope with busyness just leave us feeling busier. Ancient philosophers and cutting-edge research agree on the surprising solution: learn to love your limits. Oliver Burkeman is a columnist for The Guardian, based in Brooklyn, and author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking and Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
In My Cup
Wylie’s Coffee
This bag was sent to me by Des Iles, and I must say, receiving someone's favorite bag of beans feels like its own love language. It provides insight into what they choose when they need a break.
Wylie's Coffee, established in 2021 by Freddie & Stef, is an independently owned coffee brand driven by sustainability. Their mission is clear: to inspire moments of calm with a great cup of coffee.
Their coffee journey started in Sydney, where they embraced a different coffee culture compared to the UK. They were enthralled by how people valued their daily coffee as a moment of enjoyment and reflection, whether alone or with others.
While traveling in Japan, they fully immersed themselves in a culture that deeply respects and ritualizes coffee. They explored roasters and coffee shops across the country, adopting the locals' reverence for the beverage.
Wylie's Coffee represents more than just coffee; it encapsulates a moment in time, an opportunity for self-care, shared moments with friends, focused concentration, or simply an appreciation of time itself.
If you are in London, make sure to pay them a visit.
