Working Conditions

Where, how, and under what conditions I work have been mentioned a time or two, but I wanted to circle back around to this topic again since I have been doing a lot of atypical work lately. That atypical work is, of course, all the writing I have been doing on The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia.

When I am drawing, painting, or visually designing, I must have some sort of exterior stimulus to keep the distracting bits of my brain occupied. This consists of listening to music, podcasts, a television program, or movie. If it is a podcast I can be something new to me, but if it is any of the other options I must love it, and I must know it like the back of my hand. Otherwise, it will become an instant distraction. At my drawing table, I will usually have my phone off to one side with the media playing on it. Headphones or earbuds are a must. At my computer, I will have media playing on the computer or again on my phone, which will be directly under my Cintiq. In both situations, my phone is close another for me to glance at without it becoming a distraction. I have worked this way for many years, and I find it beneficial to my productivity.

When I am writing, I have learned I need the complete opposite. If I am working up one of these blog posts, I need to have all of the media silenced so that I can focus on writing. My need for silence when I am working on the book has increased to the point I need to wear earplugs as I am writing. I must block out any and all audio distractions so that I can completely concentrate on the writing. I am not sure why this is the case, I am simply glad to have discovered this that this works best for me. It is rather funny that I will be working in a completely empty house with no ambient sound, and I will still need to put in earplugs. As long as it ensures I make it to the end of the book, I am happy to wear them.

What are your working conditions? What do you need to do or not do while you are working? Leave them in the comments! 

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. With a hurricane approaching, I am not sure what next week will be like yet, but hopefully, I will be back here on Wednesday after the holiday weekend. Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com