When do you feel most creative?
I usually feel most creative in the mornings and evenings. These are the times when my mind is in its most relaxed state, so creating new ideas feels easier.
Tell me a little about your relationship to deadlines? Do you meet them easily? And do you need them to motivate you?
I don’t think that I have any particular relationship with deadlines. I get things done by the time they have to be done. Sometimes it’s good to have a deadline as a structure for my workflow, but I wouldn’t say that I need deadlines to motivate me.
I draw every single day
Do you need routine?
I do. When it comes to drawing, I do it every single day, and I have been drawing every day for the last 10 years. I couldn’t live without it at this point and it has become very ingrained in my day-to-day life.
Do you work better in the morning or the evening?
Both work fine for me.
Do you work on the weekends? Do you try to draw a clear line between ‘life’ and ‘work’ or does it all blend into one?
I don’t take days off, and for me there is no separation. I’m not saying that I’m sitting at my desk 24/7, there definitely has to be leisure time, but creativity doesn’t stop when I put my pencil down. For me, inspiration and ideas can strike at every point throughout the day, on any day.
I was aimless in the beginning
On days when you hit a creative block, what do you do to get past it?
That’s the beauty of having a routine. Drawing every day for such a long time, it simply became a habit. Even when I’m not in the mood, I draw. And a lot of times I might not like what I have created, but I always know that there’s a new day to try again. For me the challenge isn’t to get into the flow, it’s not to get out of the flow.
How has your relationship with your practice evolved over the years?
I think in the beginning there were so many styles and directions to explore. Everything was exciting and fascinating, and though I knew that this would be the passion of my life once it clicked, I was aimless in the beginning. It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve gotten a deeper sense of what it is I want to express through my works, and where I want to take my practice in the long term. The depth of the connection I have with my work these days and how much it enriches my life is hard to put into words.
Read More: Creative Living: Teemu Keisteri
