Amassment Message Board

Oh gosh so much to reply to!

@Destinie: Yeah makes sense! I'm really into FFXIV right now so the only shrine I want to work on is Y'shtola but I think I need to do some questing with her or rewatch some old cinematics to get myself pumped again. I hope it works for you! <3

@Robin: Ahh so many things! I do find cleaning helps motivate me too. Hmm I have a bunch of cleaning I need to do so maybe I should do that and hopefully get motivated. If not at least I'd have gotten some cleaning done hehe.

I do keep my computer on when I'm awake so no problems there. I spend basically all my time on it eheh...

I can't actually drive (well I can but I'm on a learner's license and so need a licensed driver with me) and I don't own a phone so that doesn't work for me.

@Emma: Makes sense! I did that with Linkle when I read a bunch of comments talking about how she's just a female version of Link and I had to write about why I thought that was not true. Ahhh must figure something out!

I should probably clean up my desk. It's a mess lol. xD

I'm not so good with lists but I think I should try it anyway. I'm prone to forgetting things easily so keeping some notes might help me remember things I want to do.

Aww you can do it Emma! :D

@Dubs: Ahaha nothing wrong with that! You are totally right though. If I can't seem to focus at that moment I shouldn't force myself. It's supposed to be fun not work. Something I've been doing is keeping notepad open and if I find an idea popping up in my head I'll quickly write it down before I forget. I've gotten a lot done because of that. :D

@Laura: I think right now it's her personality, her voice, and her eyes in Heavensward that is so interesting to me. I guess I should try working on something for those right now. :O Ahhh thanks Laura! <3

Crystal wrote:@Laura: I think right now it's her personality, her voice, and her eyes in Heavensward that is so interesting to me. I guess I should try working on something for those right now. :O Ahhh thanks Laura! <3

What's different about her eyes in Heavensward?? Don't tel me here of course, but I want to read about it on your shrine! I'd love to know more about what makes her different between the original game and Heavensward in general, actually! (If you haven't already written about that.) :D But her personality, her voice... those are really good points to start with, esp since you said they changed her voice actress (I think?). Which do you like more? I want to find out! x3

I swear I could have started this topic, because I'm just like you, Crystal! I seem to just lack motivation to do anything. But now look at this topic!! So much useful advice from everyone! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.

I'm going to try a combination of what everyone has suggested! Thank you so much Aku, Emma, Robin, Laura and Dubs! If I do develop any "tricks" of my own to keep my motivation up, I'll share them in the future! :)

Totally agreed with @Chibi regarding how glad I am that this is being discussed - I haven't been doing this very long, but after the fiery burst of I CAN DO IT, I have had some tired moments of 'can I? -flops-'. This is chock full of good advice. Thank you @Crystal for posting it!

No problem Chibi and Sophia! :D

I too lack the motivation to work on a shrine unless it hits me randomly at 3AM (I rarely stay up that late... lmfao), so seeing all the replies has been very insightful. That said, I do have a few methods to try and keep me motivated that I should really start doing in 2017.

• i. Music / Background Noise. I have a set playlist for getting inspired to write and that tends to get me in the mood if I'm not feeling anxious! Though even if I am anxious, focusing on the sound of the music can sometimes help calm me down and get me in the mood for writing. If not music, having some kind of background noise really helps to calm me down and get me in the mood. I usually put on old episodes of Game Grumps or a nature documentary I've already seen on Netflix as some kind of sound in the background. Even just the blowing of a fan in the summer can help. I'm the kind of person that can't stand silence or sitting still for very long, but background noise and instrumental music can really help with that. If the subject I'm writing about has a soundtrack I like to listen to that, as well.
  
  ii. Getting involved with the content [again]. Whether that means re-watching an anime, TV show, or movie, or re-playing a video game, or even reading summaries off of Wikipedia/Wikia. Getting involved with the content again gets really motivated. For example, I just re-watched Macross Frontier and now I want to get started on all the shrines I have wanted to make from it for years.
  
  iii. Friends. Talking about the content with friends, usually on Twitter, is a great way for me to get really pumped up about making a shrine. Even better if said friend also wants to make something of the same subject. Anathema was really easy to be inspired for because I knew a few people were also shrining from the same game! It also helps to tell someone, or multiple people even, so that you have some people to keep you accountable, or just a general feeling of excitment from folks that are looking forward to seeing what you make.

Question! Are you having more difficulty with inspiration or productivity? While one generally follows the other, I find that there are different ways to remedy each of them.

@Tara: All are very great points! I find I often have to be listening to something when working on a project although I'm finding lately silence is working too. It's kinda weird. xD I'm learning talking to friends is really helping too. It has helped me so much with my Yrel shrine. It's awesome!

@Stefi: I had to think on this for a minute because I never really thought about that. I think it's more of productivity. I'll look at something, have no idea what to do for it, and then just give up on it or get distracted by something else. I doubt myself a lot when trying to work on something so I think that tends to kill my productivity some.

Gotcha! I think since you're not meeting any deadlines, it might be a good idea to purposely step away from your computer rather than to try and tunnel into it and overwhelm yourself. Changing up the environment has worked for a lot of people, like cleaning up or rearranging their room. I work on a laptop, so I often go to coffee shops to get work done. And since I'm in public, I'm less likely to get distracted by social media or pop open YouTube.

This seems to work for me, not sure if it'll work for you, but I try to pick up a good book or a poetry collection right before I get a jump start on ideas for writing. Also, some content from my shrines come started from conversations with friends. If you've got someone to talk to about the subject you're shrining, ask if they're willing to listen or help give you ideas!

Stefi wrote:Gotcha! I think since you're not meeting any deadlines, it might be a good idea to purposely step away from your computer rather than to try and tunnel into it and overwhelm yourself. Changing up the environment has worked for a lot of people, like cleaning up or rearranging their room. I work on a laptop, so I often go to coffee shops to get work done. And since I'm in public, I'm less likely to get distracted by social media or pop open YouTube.:

Yes, changing up the environment works for me too! Going for walk often works great for me. Pop on some music and goooo. It often seems to get my imagination going and ideas pop into my head that just doesn't come in the same way when I'm at my computer. So I just make a note on my phone as I'm walking so I don't forget.