4 Feb 2012

Eyes on the Screen, Ass in the Chair

by | posted in: SETI, The Film | 12

I thought of this post the other day. It seems as relevant now as it was then, so I thought I’d repost it.

I had spent the previous days working on a grant proposal, and now that that was done and out, I was ready to sit down and think about editing A Life’s Work again. But I was having one of those days. I slept later than I wanted, dawdled a bit more than usual, and so by the time I sat down in front of the monitor my head wasn’t in it. I was frustrated. I started to employ my usual procrastination techniques: more coffee, perusing notebooks, guitar playing, but somewhere in the middle of my rendition of Prince’s “When You Were Mine,” I put the guitar down and decided I needed to plow ahead.

This chair belongs in the Observer Room at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory. Please don't remove it.

So I started looking at the SETI sequence I had been struggling with the week before, re-watched related footage, reread the transcript, and started shuffling things around. Then I re-watched more footage, stuff seemingly unrelated to the sequence I was working on and then the a-ha moment: a solution to a problem was found, and joy upon joy, one that visually reinforced a major theme. (There’s really no point in writing about it in detail; perhaps I’ll put up the sequence and explicate it as I did with the recent Soleri clip.)

And after that rush, it re-occurred to me: if I want to get something done, I need to keep my eyes on the screen and my ass in the chair.

That’s obvious, right? But sometimes I need reminding of the obvious.

12 Responses

  1. Haroon
    |

    Does it also help to write about your accomplishments? I’ve always thought to start a blog, private even, just so I could write down and quantify my progress versus things I still have to do, and perhaps create a psychological momentum. Unfortunately, the blog is something that can only be done if I get my ass in the chair and eyes on the screen.

  2. Haroon
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    Oh I always read your posts, just haven’t had time to respond. But will start responding more, I just dropped a shift of work to make some more time.

    • David Licata
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      Thanks, man. Glad you still enjoy the blog. Posting comments is gravy.

      FYI, I use a paragraph from your guest post in my some of my grant proposals.

      D.

  3. Haroon
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    Nice! Hopefully now you get that grant. It’s also a complement I guess, so thanks for that too!

  4. Jennifer Chen
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    I am the mutual friend! Happy that you’re getting your butt in the chair, David. It’s so easy to wander around. For me, I clean random things up. Or use the Internet to look up shoes. Some times I even check IMDB, if you know what that is.

  6. Jane Rashdan
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    II’m a big procrastinator also, but I think sometimes procrastination helps clear the mind of other minor things so you can come back and focus on your task and find success. Did I put a good spin on the whole procrastination thing, or what? Seriously, it sounds like you’re having a very productive time and really benefiting from your surroundings.

    • David Licata
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      There is some truth to what you say, Jane R. I clean as a way of procrastinating. Sometimes good ideas come to mind when I’m doing that.

      So far, I think I’ve been fairly productive here. I always feel like I could do more, or at least take fewer walks and spend even less time on the internet. I always feel like I could do more. One day I’ll learn how to cut myself some slack.

  7. Jane Deschner
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    David, even I knew that IMDB was Internet Movie Data Base.

    I think it’s about showing up at the studio. Some days that means just going through piles and sorting stuff. Being there, in and with the artist side of you, can activate subconscious channels that allow those random thoughts floating around to bubble up as ideas. Or, so I hope!

    • David Licata
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      Oh, “What’s IMDB?” was an inside joke–one of the other commenters on this post was surprised to learn that I knew what it was. Heck, not only do I know what it is, I’m in it!

      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0508950/

      It’s not big shakes.

      And I agree, it’s about being in the studio (or the equivalent) and looking over stuff, recombining stuff, and sometimes just sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee and letting your mind wander. But you have to be there and ACTIVE in it, in some way. As always, thanks for the comment. And, are you planning on visiting NYC or what?

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