There's a question that keeps coming back to me...

"Do you think one day we'll all look back and wonder why we spent so much time on our phones?"

I don't know whether it's because I subconsciously want to turn the phrase into a piece of artwork one day, or because I find myself asking this question every time I realise I've lost another twenty minutes to my iPhone. Either way, I can't seem to shake the phrase away.

This week I did something radical, I went to my studio for four uninterrupted days in a row and I didn’t take my phone with me. I didn’t just leave it in my bag, I didn’t have it on the other side of the room switched to silent mode, I actually left it in a totally separate building adjacent to my studio space, and guess what? I was really quite productive as a result.

I also didn’t use it on my tripod to film myself working for Instagram content, something most of us creatives have to do now in order to ‘create content’. The thing is that when I do this, I really notice a difference in how I’m painting. I become conscious of the brush strokes, I'm super aware of my movements and gestures which inevitably leads me to make a mistake. I just end up feeling frustrated as I’ve not done something ‘perfect’ in my eyes AND I’ve also still not captured the content. But who even cares!? It’s a sad state of affairs that we are so glued to our phones now that filming everything has become a way of life. I get it – social media is a huge part of my business and I’d be lost without it. But it’s also become a crutch...and most of the time I feel like I’m trying to break free from it rather than enjoy it.

I find it difficult not to become distracted by my phone, even if I am doing something else, the pull to just scroll aimlessly can become a habit I can’t seem to get myself out of sometimes - even when I am being incredibly mindful of this. This has become such a coping mechanism for times when I have creative block, I’m tired, or when I am feeling low or anxious, yet it’s actually a catalyst that tends to leave me feeling even worse. But that’s the design of big tech and social media - these platforms are designed to keep our attention for as long as possible and I don't think any of us are immune to that.

I love the idea of being in a flow state, being so consumed by something creative and enjoyable that you lost track of all time. During the past few days I have been able to find this flow state again and it’s felt liberating and exciting! I've been able to hyper focus on what I'm doing, meaning I'm concentrating more and not making mistakes. I've had new ideas as well as painting so many new floral and botanical paintings. I've felt relaxed and calm and I've been able to tune into the next phase of my work. Instead of having a quick phone catch up in between tasks, I’ve just moved onto the next task without a pause or second thought.

The constant pressure to film stuff seems to have gone and it’s been replaced by the actual thrill of creating work and seeing it evolve quickly. There’s no procrastination and no wasting twenty minutes looking at 'nothing in particular'. Don’t get me wrong, I have thought several times to myself ‘oh that would be cool to film’ but then I soon move past the thought and just continue with what I’m doing and let me tell you, it’s felt so good!

Phones are such an engrained part of modern society but I loathe how they’ve literally become like a third limb, constantly in one hand during most tasks. I become irritated if I’m talking to someone and they’re on their phone and seem distracted, and so therefore I’m committing to spending less time on mine.

I’m not sure whether it’s the impending school holidays which is making me frantically become super productive, or the lure of a studio space not governed by a small screen, but either way I’m really enjoying my new found freedom and flow. I don't think I'll ever stop using social media. It's an important part of my business and it's helped me connect with collectors all over the world as well as other artists and creatives. But I've realised it works best when it's a way of sharing the work, not interrupting the work. For now, my phone will be staying outside the studio door!

If you'd like to see what came out of those four uninterrupted days then be sure you sign up to my mailing list for studio updates on new releases and paintings.