Artists are always looking to be in a flow state. We know that when we are in the “Flow Zone” some of our best work gets done. We aren’t quite sure how it got done, but we know when we’re there, it’s a good place to be.

Flow is the experience of being so engaged in a task that mental awareness of time, pain, and distractions are minimized. Flow is an optimal state of mind between boredom and anxiety where you perform your best and feel your best. All focus and attention are given over to creating your painting.

There are four flow factors that lead to more flow while painting.

Focus

To access flow, “a person must concentrate attention on the task at hand and momentarily forget everything else…Flow-producing activities require an initial investment of attention before (they) begin to be enjoyable.” ‐ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Author of the book “Flow.”

Enter flow at your easel by starting each task with a focus exercise to cultivate single‐pointed attention. Close your eyes and pay attention to music or your breathing for a minute. When you open your eyes, direct that focus on the task at hand.

Think of your focus exercise like a warm‐up routine before a workout. The purpose is to make a smooth transition from scattered focus to single‐pointed focus. “Flow‐producing activities require an initial investment of attention before (they) begin to be enjoyable.” ‐ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Feedback

“The climber inching up a vertical wall of rock has a very simple goal in mind: to complete the climb without falling. Every second, hour after hour, he receives information that he is meeting that basic goal.” ‐ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Chess players in flow have the clear objective to mate the opponent’s king before his king is mated. “With each move, he can calculate whether he has come closer to this objective.”

To determine if your actions at work are moving you closer to your objective, you must give yourself feedback throughout your time painting. I do this by setting an hour alarm. When the alarm goes off I ask myself, “What did I accomplish in the last hour?” and “What can I accomplish in the next hour?” This hourly check‐in helps me clarify my goals and determine if my actions align with my goals. Another practice that works for me is to say out loud my three words that help me focus – Connection, Story, Discovery. These three words trigger for me a child-like wonder for adventure. 

Freedom

“In flow there is no room for self‐scrutiny.” ‐ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. A rock climber Csikszentmihalyi interviewed said, “You can get your ego mixed up with climbing in all sorts of ways…But when things become automatic, it’s like an egoless thing…Somehow the right thing is done without you ever thinking about it…”

I find the best way to activate an egoless, judgment‐free state of mind is to set permission timers. At the start of a painting I give myself 10 minutes to work out the design in a childlike freedom where colors and values flow freely, and where marks are made in response to the feelings I’m experiencing while I’m in that state of being present. After 10 minutes, I’ll step back and assess the work. Make sure you do this from a distance. Some folks like to look in a mirror. Either way, get a new perspective. Ask, “What’s working? What’s not working?” And ask, “What if…?” The goal of this freedom is to ultimately trust. Trust first in using your unlimited freedom of imagination before using your freedom of choice. Imagine what could be done before limiting your decision-making based on what is. And to do this in this Zen‐like state… Wow! Just watch yourself produce remarkable results in an almost automatic state.

Four % Challenge

If your painting goal is to get better, you should paint with artists who are slightly better than you. In chess, if you play a weaker player, you’ll win too easily and be bored. If

you play a Grandmaster you’ll get crushed and find the experience frustrating and hopeless. But if you compete against people who are just slightly better than you (rated 4% higher than you), you know you can win if you dig deep, dedicate your attention to the task at hand, and experience flow.

In Plein Air Painting Events, if you adjust the difficulty of your painting subjects and tasks to be slightly harder than what you can do comfortably, you will find an optimal state of mind between boredom and anxiety where you perform and feel your best.