Organizing your time as an artist...

If you could do ANYTHING you wanted in a day, what would you do?


How exciting! Right?


ANYTHING you want!


For me, it's creating. More specifically, painting.

Everyday, I wake up with so many ideas of what I want to do. Time is all mine! My days are whatever I want them to be. The new absence of structure in my life is something I’ve never really had.  Even prior to being an adult with a career - I was a student with at least some kind of expectations or agenda to follow for the day. So! I find myself making lists upon lists.

My ideas are like popcorn.

Pop!

There’s one idea, then...pop!

Pop!
   Pop!
     Pop!

Each idea leads to another...until I have to consolidate my lists into subjects. Hahahaa! Okay, it might sound a little overwhelming. Even so, I don’t want to lose any of these ideas no matter how grandiose or seemingly silly they may be.


Ideas are exciting!


They can lead to bigger and bolder challenges. And, who knows? Perhaps I’ll do HALF of them! *smirks* 

One things I've found with creating to do lists is - they DO get overwhelming. I decided instead of following a to do list - I'll write down what I accomplished at the end of my day. I've found it much easier to focus on the THREE things I want to spend most of my time doing.

1. Paint
2. Vlog
   
3. Write

I'm less distracted with my GINORMOUS popcorn bowl of ideas.

I get so much more accomplished and I have more energy at the end of my day. Surprisingly enough, a lot of times I'll end up working on projects through to the end of the evening. 

About 50% of my time is spent researching, marketing, and learning about what to do with my art once it's complete. In the last three months I've literally spent hours on artist websites, hours watching youtube videos (on topics from video editing software to a day in the life of a full time artist), hours organizing my creation station and seriously - DAYS of trying to get my mind to settle down so I can JUST PAINT. 

The other 50% of my time is spent actually painting. 

I have a personal agreement with myself to be in my creation station by 10:00 am. Sometimes I paint for 7-8 hours (with small breaks), and sometimes I paint for a couple hours and work on the technical or personal pieces of my art. 

So far, this works for me!

What do YOU do to stay focused on the things that are most important to you?

I'd love to hear any tips or tricks that you've used that have worked.



I'm off to paint!


Until next time...enjoy your space! 




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