Reclaiming Your Attention: Why Creativity Requires Deep Focus
Fine Art Friday #50
I sat down, brush in hand, ready to create. I had an idea—something I’d been mulling over for days—but as soon as I sat down, my brain felt like a browser with 47 tabs open.
I was being pummeled with notifications.
Brain notifications.
Which is literally the worst notification bc I CAN’T TURN IT OFF.
Did I respond to that email? Yes.
Should I check Instagram real quick? No.
What was that thing I needed from Costco? Hmm… Dishwasher Pods maybe?
Before I knew it, I was halfway through a cup of coffee I didn’t remember making, scrolling through my phone, and my blank page was still blank.
Sound familiar?
We live in an era of constant consumption. Every day, we scroll past thousands of images, videos, captions, and opinions—each one demanding a sliver of our attention. But instead of fueling our creativity, all this input leaves us drained, distracted, and creatively stuck.
I’m not saying that’s you.
But it’s definitely me.
More Input ≠ More Inspiration
We tell ourselves we need more inspiration. More Pinterest boards, more tutorials, more behind-the-scenes peeks into how other creatives work. But the truth? Most of us don’t need more input—we need less.
Creativity doesn’t happen when we’re overloaded. It happens in the stillness, in the space between distractions, when our minds have the chance to sink into deep focus.
But focus is becoming a lost art.
The Cost of Fragmented Attention
Every notification, every dopamine hit from social media, every “quick check” pulls us out of the deep, immersive work where true creativity happens. Studies show it takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction. And yet, we live in a world where we rarely go 23 minutes without checking something.
We don’t even realize how much we’re splintering our own creativity until we sit down to make something—and feel empty.
So how do we reclaim our attention?
ART TIP: 3 Ways to Protect Your Creative Focus
Create Before You Consume
Start your day with your own creativity before taking in someone else’s. Write, paint, brainstorm—whatever your art is—before checking social media, emails, or messages. Give yourself space to create from your mind, not the noise of the world. Personally I’ve been doing this whole “prayer before phone” thing which has been a wonderful rhythm to start my day NOT on my phone and in overdrive.Set Boundaries with Consumption
We don’t need to be constantly absorbing information. We were not meant to have all this coming at us at 3204982309 times a minute. Try setting a limit on how much content you take in daily—whether it’s social media, podcasts, or even books. Inspiration is powerful, but endless input leads to mental clutter. And here’s the hardest part: don’t click “ignore” and instead actually follow it.Train Your Brain for Deep Work
Focus is a muscle. Start small: 20 minutes of uninterrupted creative time, no distractions. Work your way up. The more you practice deep work, the easier it becomes to drop into that immersive state where creativity flourishes. It’s in this deep work state that the magic happens. «It’s one of the reasons I love live painting so much because I’m in my FLOW STATE and it’s amazing.
Creativity Needs Depth, Not Distraction
If you’ve been feeling uninspired, stuck, or creatively exhausted, the problem isn’t a lack of inspiration. It’s the overwhelming flood of input stealing your focus.
So this week, try giving your attention back to yourself. Turn down the noise. Let your mind settle. And watch what happens when you create from a place of depth instead of distraction.
How do you protect your focus in a world that constantly pulls you away? Have you noticed a difference in your creativity when you limit distractions? Hit reply or drop a comment—I’d love to hear how you’re reclaiming your attention.
Happy creating,
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Thanks for reading today's edition of the Stories I Only Tell My Friends newsletter! & if you're new here—hi! I'm Courtney, fine artist and live wedding painter, honored to paint beautiful celebrations around the 🌎. I'd love for you to stick around and subscribe to keep reading one art tip, once a week. :)