The Law of Least Effort: When It Can Transform (& Backfire) In Your Art

“Work smarter, not harder,” they say about enhancing your artistic productivity. (Sometimes “they” is that annoying voice in your head, I know.)

But what about taking this a step further… with a law? The Law of Least Effort is here to be your little reminder that there are times to be your perfectionistic self, and other times that you should embrace imperfection and messy action, instead.

What is the “Law of Least Effort?”

The Law of Least Effort is a principle derived from physics and later adopted in various fields, aiming to boost creative efficiency and productivity.

It states that nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease, with least effort and maximum efficiency. In essence, it’s about achieving more by doing less.

It might sound a little backwards from what you’re used to — the harder you work, the more you get, and the less you work, the less you’ll get.

The Law of Least Effort obviously has nuances, but it’s kind of a curious thought to think if this principle can be applied to our often intense and passionate world of artistry.

On one hand, embracing minimal effort techniques could lead to increased productivity, reduced stress, and a more sustainable creative practice. On the other hand, art often requires dedication, perseverance, and often lots of sweat and tears (hopefully not blood).

If you like productivity and are a creative girlie, check out some of my favorites in my Productivity Pack for Creatives

When the Law of Least Effort Works in Your Artistry

Breaking the Seal

“Breaking the seal” in artistic work refers to overcoming initial resistance through minimal effort art techniques. It’s often the hardest part of the creative process — “just do it!” – but sometimes, getting good at ripping the bandaid off can save our creativity.

The idea is to make starting so easy that you can’t say no.

Instead of putting pressure on yourself to create a masterpiece, create mini-goals to help you see your progress. For example, instead of:

❥ Start a blog for my artwork

I would say…

❥ Do 2 hours of research on the best website platforms

❥ Purchase a website template (or choose a free one)

❥ Draft up website content

❥ Make 4 key pages (I’d even break these up into 1 task per page)

Etc, etc, etc.

I believe Asana is one of the best productivity apps to help start organizing projects and life! It can be as simple or as complex as you need it, and I’ve used it for both.

So, back to the law. When you’re just getting started, you need to just keep going, no matter how small it might be. 

For a writer, it might be writing just one sentence. For a painter, it could be making a single brushstroke. The key is to lower the bar so much that it becomes almost impossible not to take action.

Here are some actionable tips for using minimal effort to start a new project:

❥ Set a timer for just 5 minutes and commit to working on your art for that time.

❥ Give yourself permission to create something “bad” or unfinished – embrace imperfection in your art!

❥ Start with a small, manageable part of the project rather than tackling it all at once.

Overcoming Perfectionism

Let’s talk a little more about this perfectionism, because really, it could be the make-or-break from you doing what you love.

Many creatives struggle to maintain momentum due to self-imposed rules that hinder a streamlined creative process.

I should be able to get this done like this.

I need to have at least x number of units to get started.

Sometimes, that’s true. Other times, we make it up. And I’m sure you know well enough when it’s justified and when it’s imaginary.

Perfectionism can be a major roadblock in artistic productivity. It often leads to procrastination, self-doubt, and creative paralysis. Minimal effort techniques can be a powerful tool in combating these perfectionist tendencies!

By focusing on quantity over quality, at least initially, you can bypass the critical voice in your head that demands perfection. This approach allows you to produce more work, which paradoxically often leads to higher quality output over time.

Strategies for letting go of perfectionism in the creative process include:

❥ Implementing effective artist time management techniques, such as setting time limits for work sessions, can prevent endless tweaking.

❥ Embracing the concept of “good enough” for first drafts or sketches.

❥ Focusing on the process of creating rather than the end result.

Maintaining a Consistent Flow Through a Streamlined Home Studio

When we talk about minimal effort and ease, it’s not just about tools on your computer — but about making a creative flow state out of your space, too. It’s in what I call your home studio. This is the concept that your home should be the three Cs – cozy, curated and conducive – so you can make your art and creativity easy.

Having a home studio that encompasses all of this should help cultivate the Law of Least Effort. In order to create, you need a space to let you do so.

Let’s put this into real examples:

❥ A cozy space is the space will alleviate the most tension from your body and mind. Tension is what gets us in creative blocks and funks.

❥ A curated space will spark joy at every turn, because it’s designed with you in mind. You’re surrounding yourself by colors, decor, shapes, and styles that you love. When you’re in a curated space, you’ll naturally feel more inspired, because your space is speaking back to you.

❥ A conducive space facilitates effortless art creation by having your tools and processes readily available. There’s no dragging equipment out or spending 20 minutes to get set up. Your tools (microphone, brushes, canvas, iPad, etc.) is right there, ready for you to lead the way.

When the Law of Least Effort Don’t Work in Your Artistry

While minimal effort techniques can be incredible in many scenarios, there are times when they’re definitely not right in your path to become a full-time artist.

Training

Sure, those quick and easy techniques are great for keeping our creative juices flowing, but when it comes to really leveling up our skills? That’s where the real work begins, and you can’t half-a$$ it.

This part of your artistic journey is all about putting in the hours. This is where our love for strategically mindful creativity really comes into play. Scales, studies, chords, techniques, this is all about work, work, work and not taking the lazy way out.

You don’t want to live in a home with a foundation that’s done with half-focused, lackluster mediocrity. You owe it to your artist self to live on a strong, solid foundation full of technique and training that’ll let you be cozy, joyful, and free-flowing during your career.

Solidifying Your Niche/Genre/Brand

Notice I say “solidifying” and not “developing.”

Finding your niche/genre/brand is part of your process (hint hint: it’s you, watch the video below), but solidifying it requires you to be all in and not cut any corners.

This can feel a little abstract, so the best example I can give is my process of developing my band/brand of She Sees Faeries. She’s currently still in development, but currently, I’m at a point of solidifying it where I can’t be watering anything down.

Here’s what I’ve done (from the direction of STATiC, who is amazing at this stuff from his time in Ours):

❥ Worn all black lace onstage for a darker feel

❥ Consistently have the stage light colors be reds, pinks and purples

❥ Adopt a specific stage presence and energy that’s consistent with the feminine, dark, ethereal vibes of the music

❥ Have everyone playing onstage with us wearing all black

Of course, this starts with a trial and error process. For many years I was wearing lots of different colors, and was exploring how I was even writing and speaking in between songs (however, I wasn’t writing music at this time).

As your artistic intuition grows, you’ll see what fits, and when you do, you’ll need to be a bit of a perfectionist (and that’s okay).

This also makes me think about visual branding and messaging. Social media and digital marketing when it comes to your art is everything, especially if you’re looking to reach a worldwide audience.

Larger, Complex Projects

This is about those massive, complex projects that need more specificity in them. You don’t want to invest thousands of dollars creating an okay music video.

These bigger projects that have more riding on them, like money or potential collaborators, and need a lot of thought put in them.

Find Your Balance: Subscribe On YouTube!

The Law of Least Effort is great, but it’s not the only tool in your artistic toolbox if you want to maintain a balanced artistic approach.

The key is finding that sweet spot between easy-breezy techniques and nose-to-the-grindstone work — because your art is worth being able to ebb and flow through different techniques when you need to.

If you’re looking for more tips and love video content to soothe your creative soul, join our community of ethereal, intentional artists over on YouTube.