Painting is not only about making you relax, improving your creativity but it also helps you have a deeper understanding of life. Moreover, it can even help you become a talented project manager.
That is the sincere sharing of Daniel Herman – a product manager at ironSource after he attended an art class. “Painting for a beginner who does not know a little bit about painting like me is like a dream. However, whenever I have the opportunity to visit an art exhibition, I often stay for a long time to admire the masterpiece and be attracted to that world” he said.
1. Take a step back to get a panoramic view
Daniel said: “When I started painting, I usually focused on small details. In one study of the human body, instead of sketching the body first, I only concentrated on drawing a beautiful hand. I know that if I continue to do so, it will be difficult for me to draw better. Only when I took a step back, looking at the whole picture, I have realized what I needed to do. I started sketching the body frame before going into the small details. Then, it took me less time to finish the painting and I paint more efficiently.”
It’s just like when you manage a project. If you are too focused on the detail, you can hardly complete the project by the deadline. The painting also teaches us that the details are easy to change but the big picture is not. Take a step back, look at the whole picture and recalculate the importance of the small details against the larger parts of the project. This will make your project as perfect as possible.
2. Be patient: Good things take time
When you start painting, it’s hard to imagine how a perfect picture would look. The painting process will be very time-consuming. Only when it’s over can you see how everything is connected. Maybe at the beginning, when the picture is not complete, you feel quite uncomfortable. It seems that something is missing. Therefore, you want to speed up the completion of the picture. As a result, you have ruined your work.
A project with multiple parts can also lead to the same disappointment. Lack of predictability can make you and your groups omit many important components to accomplish a project. If you want to become a good project manager, you need to be patient and understand that everything takes time.
3. Re-evaluate the work
Painting takes a lot of time, effort and creativity. After completing the picture, you will probably realize that the result does not meet your expectation. It is important to stay objective and consider whether the cost of a new painting is lower or higher than fixing this picture. It is hard to draw a new picture when you have put a lot of effort into the old one, though you know it’s hard to fix it. However, in some cases, this choice is necessary for you.
Similarly, in project management, sometimes you need to remove some components that are no longer important or the benefits they bring are negligible but the cost is too high.
Painting is like managing a project. You have got the idea while planning thinks that art is just art and not related to the real world. In fact, the process of drawing can help you get a deeper insight into different aspects of life.
