Deadlines, Details And The Battle Between Excellence And "Done"

There comes a point in almost every long-term art project of mine when enthusiasm begins to fade. The excitement that fueled those first pencil strokes slowly gives way to repetition, fatigue, and a growing desire to simply move on. What started as a labor of love can begin to feel more like a chore. At the beginning of the illustration I obsessed over every detail, but the longer time ticks on I find myself asking a different question: "Is this good enough?"  

I've discovered that, sometimes the more time it takes scribbling color on paper, the more tempting it becomes to cut corners. Maybe it's skipping subtle textures that no one else would notice, or perhaps it's simplifying a complicated area of the drawing or convincing myself that a section is "finished" when deep down I know it could be stronger. After spending days, or weeks staring at the same piece, it's easy to become impatient and eager to call it complete.

The danger is that artistic laziness rarely arrives all at once. It sneaks in quietly. One overlooked detail becomes two. One shortcut becomes a habit. Before long, the artwork may no longer reflect the vision that inspired it in the beginning.

“The challenge for me is recognizing when I’m making intentional artistic decisions and when I’m simply looking for the quickest path to the finish line”.

Sometimes the problem isn't laziness at all—it's the pressure of a deadline.

When you're producing artwork on a schedule, like I do for my monthly postcard club, there isn't always the luxury of endless refinement. As the deadline to completion and upload approaches, the temptation grows to rush through difficult sections, simplify details, or convince myself that a drawing is finished simply because time has run out. I've experienced moments where I wasn't necessarily tired of a drawing, but I knew the calendar wasn't going to wait for me. I find myself rushing through sections I would normally spend more time developing. Instead of asking, "How can I make this better?" the question becomes, "Can I finish this by Friday?" or "Will I get this done before the end of the month?" In those situations, settling becomes a very real temptation, and the challenge is finding the balance between completing the work on time and giving the artwork the attention it deserves.

I've also discovered that deadlines can create a different kind of artistic compromise. Perhaps artistic laziness isn't really about being lazy at all. Maybe it's a combination of fatigue, impatience, and the desire to move on to the next exciting idea. Whatever the cause, it presents a choice every artist must make: settle for "good enough" or push a little further.  

How Not To Make Artistic Laziness a Permanent Problem: A checklist for my own  improvement,...use it if you need it!

• Tell yourself that somebody will notice the missing details.
• Don’t focus on only finishing, rather create your best work every time.
• Don’t rush through the final 10% of the drawing.
• Don’t compare your unfinished work to someone else’s finished piece and become discouraged.
• Don’t work for long stretches without taking breaks, leading to burnout.
• Step away from the artwork and view it with fresh eyes.
• Don’t convince yourself that improvement can happen on the next drawing instead of this one.
• Don’t ignore reference photos once you’ve reached the halfway point.
• Don’t accept “close enough” whenever a challenging section appears.
• Don’t set unrealistic deadlines that force speed over quality.
• Explore learning new techniques.
• Don’t let boredom dictate your artistic standards.
  

I don't always make the right choice. There are drawings where I've rushed, others where I've left details on the table and a few I’ve simply never finished (and probably will never finish). But each illustration teaches me something about my habits, my discipline, and my willingness to stay engaged when the excitement wears off.

After all, the measure of an artist isn't how they work when inspiration is overflowing. It's how they work when they're tired, bored, pressed for time, and still committed to creating their best work.