Dueling the Motivation Monster

I have found that one of the hardest parts of being married and in my twenties is the constant lack of motivation or even fear to accomplish personal goal outside my relationship. I am employeed at a full time job, but part time I am an artist. I constantly battle myself to get together not only the drive, but the courage to put the stuff out there to be subjected to critizism. Perhaps that is where the fear comes in. Also, being married adds to the overwhelming doubt because its not just my livelihood I am risking any more. Now you may say I could be using my relationship as a scapegoat for not chasing down that dream whole-heartedly and perhaps you are right. However, what makes a person just say one day, "Yes, I am going for it." And throw your cautions to the wind.

One book that helped me through the barrier was Art and Fear. It pretty much lays it out staight for you when it comes to all the reasons you may or may not be producing the work. Something that I really found motivating was planning an actual event that gives me an actual due date. Not only does this give you ambition, but it also gives you something to look forward to. Without an end, there is no real beginning. Another obstacle is the laziness you feel when you get home from that full time job that somehow stops you just short of the canvas. The couch is so inviting, the tv is the mind numbing bliss you've been hoping for all day and the projects that you had planned on tackling are anything but desirable. One way I have been battling this problem is putting music on instead of the tv, or putting in a movie you've seen a thousand times in for background sound instead of something you are going to be drawn to constantly. These are some of the things I have tried and found that worked, if you have any ideas on beating the motivation monster feel free to comment. LKB