How To Make Time For Your Art Practice
Occasionally people come to me and say something along the lines of “I want to make art, I just don’t have the time for it” or “My life is so busy I cant get any artwork done.” or “I haven’t drawn anything for weeks and don’t have the energy to get back to it.”
This is really common and I hear it more often that I like. It makes me sad to hear that people don’t have time to do things that make them happy. That brings them relaxation or joy.
An alternate title for this episode is “How to prioritize your hobbies- a crash course with Stevie”
In todays episode I’m going to show you how, whether you are a professional or hobbyist, to make time for art in your daily life. This sort of thinking that I’m going to introduce you to, applies to any sort of goal ambition, hobby, or desire to do that you might have.
We are going to use the force of practicality to do good in your life.
First I want you to do a visualization exercise with me. Get yourself a pen and paper, or pull out your notes app. I want you to imagine what the ideal art making session looks like: what is the dreamiest, most romantic version of that art making. Get granular about the whole thing, and for now, ignore the reality of your life and trying to fit this in.
What time of day is the best time to make art?
How is the light?
What are you wearing when you craft?
What does the desk you creating on look like?
What does the room you make in feel like?
Are you drinking anything while you make? Having a snack?
What is the temperature? Is it warm? Are you on the cold side and wearing a sweater?
What sounds are happening in your studio space? Silence? Ambient music? Something else?
What is it that you are making? What materials are you surrounded with?
Do you have a specific project you are tackling?
How clean/cluttered is your space?
How did you spend the earlier part of your day?
How much time do you want to spend on your art work?
Go ahead and pause the episode and answer all those questions or write a description. Be detailed!
Let me tell you my making fantasy:
It’s early afternoon, about 1 or 2 pm. I’ve spent the morning talking to clients and doing the administrative work of my business. I’ve got a fresh pot of Earl Grey tea and a salty snack on the table by my computer. On my wall is a mid size painting in progress. My pallet is clean and there are the brushes I’m using on my table. The floors are swept but the rest of the studio is a little cluttered with art supplies (this is comforting, as I don’t like perfection)
I’m wearing a light sweater and comfortable pants, I’ve got my studio shoes on and fuzzy socks. I’m warm enough that my hands don’t ache but not so warm I feel sleepy. The lights in my studio are on and the colorful lights by my shelves are in a soft yellow color. The light coming from the windows is adequate and calm.
I’ve got an audiobook playing from the speaker on my shelves and it’s a fantasy book. Nothing too complicated. I have 2 hours to work on my painting and no other deadlines pressing on my time.
Alternatively I might be streaming my artwork and not listening to the audio book. I’ll be chatting with my friends and showing them my artwork. I have stories to tell them and they are encouraging me as I work.
My hobby is different than my art making job.
So for the sake of the podcast I’m going to tell you about my cross stitching hobby. This is something I love to do with my hands. I don’t show people my cross stitches, I don’t sell them or post about them online. Truly a hobby.
My fantasy is to do the cross stitching around 6 pm, after I’m done with work for the day. I’ve got a decaf pot of tea or hot cocoa by my side and I’m sitting on the couch with a really great album on the radio. I’ll have all my supplies out on a clean coffee table and my pretty thread cutting sheers right next to me. I’m either alone or with a friend who decided to come hang out with me. The cross stitch I’m making is to be a patch on a denim jacket I’ve been decorating for the last 3 years. My clothing is cozy and I have the worlds best socks on. There is great lighting in the room and I’ll probably work on this project for about 30 min, maybe longer depending on my mood.
If you feel comfortable with it, I’d love to hear your fantasy that you’ve written out. Send me it on Insta or as a comment on my website 😀
Ok so now you’ve got the Vision! And that’s nice and pretty sounding, but how do we make this a reality?
The advice you don’t want to hear but I’m going to tell you anyways: you MUST make it a priority.
When you tell me “I don’t have time to make art” I’m hearing “I have not allocated time in my schedule to make art. I want to do it, but it’s less important to me than other things in my life.”
Look. That’s ok. You’ve got responsibilities and other things you want to do- so you do those instead. But since you are listening to this podcast episode, you probably want to change this. Right?
Here’s the second part of the exercise. I want you to think about your art making, and categorize how it feels to do. No wrong answers here, this is to help you put artmaking onto your calendar in a way that makes sense.
Is your art something that is relaxing to make?
Is it a learning experience (a time of study?)
Is it a social thing that happens only with other people?
Is it anxiety reducing?
Does it make you feel energized?
Describe it more:
If you said it’s relaxing, reduces anxiety, makes you feel calm, or similar feelings. Then art making should go into a relaxation period of your schedule.
If you said it’s a studious time or is HIGH focus, this should go into a learning period in your schedule.
If you said it happens with other people, then it’s a social thing.
If it’s energizing, then keep that in mind for when you plan it in your days.
If you feel like your art making is a cross of these things, categorize it as the biggest feeling.
Now, I’m a professional artist, so for me this is a job. But I also have a creative hobby- the cross stitching. I don’t sell this art work or promote it on social media. It’s just for me.
So this is how I would categorize it:
Cross stitching is a relaxing hobby that I can do alone, but prefer to do while chatting with friends over coffee or listening to an audio book. It goes into the Relaxing category over the social one.
At this point we have all the information that we need to get art into our calendars, except for one.
Where on the priority list of our lives does art making go?
I am a professional artist, this is my main job, so for me making art is a significant chunk of time in my day.
But for my cross stitching hobby, I spend a fraction of my time on it.
Part three of this exercise is to write out a list of all the things you MUST do in your normal week. Don’t worry about the order right now, you can rearrange later. Feel free to pull out your calendar and look at the last two weeks to give you the real details.
Here are mine:
Art work
Podcasting
Art Cleaning
Administrative work
Networking/social media
Open box
House cleaning
Cooking/groceries
House management
Errand time
Relaxation/Hobby
Date night with partner
Social/friend time
Family time
Working out/yoga
(p.s. If you don’t have relaxation on your list, write that down)
Next you are going to get a new piece of paper and write out a sunday-monday schedule.
Jot down everything on that list that goes in your weekly schedule. If your days are wildly inconsistent, do your best to estimate where things go. I plan my days in blocks, rather than by the hour. Do what works for you.
My blocks are Morning 8-11, Afternoon noon-5, Evening, 6-bed
Mine looks like this:
Sunday
Morning is off, nothing happens till noon
Noon- yoga/go on a walk
3pm - Stream games on Twitch (social media/networking)
6pm- Dinner with boyfriend
Relaxing
Monday
Morning block (8-11am) Record and edit a podcast episode
Get it uploaded to the website
Make a promotional image for it
12- Lunch hour
1pm Go on a walk (excercise)
2-5 Social media, emails, website work.
6pm Dinner& relax
7pm- Social time with friends or partner
Tuesday-
Morning block
Post to social media, admin work, New podcast gets launched
Afternoon, Stream on Twitch/Painting time
Evening- reading/hobby
Wednesday Day off
Errands
Groceries
House management work
Hobbies and games/ relaxing
Thursday
Morning block
Post to social media, admin work, New podcast gets launched
Afternoon, Stream on Twitch/Painting time
Evening- reading/hobby/relaxing
Friday
Open box time.
Post to social media
Yoga
Finance friday hour (check accounts and examin budget
Afternoon Streaming on Twitch and painting
Evening- Social time OR relaxing
Saturday
Chores/house management
Family time
yoga/go on a walk
Relaxing
You’ll notice that I have relaxation time written into my schedule EVERY DAY. This was a big move for my life, I used to really struggle with making time to relax. Now I’ve trained myself to have a dedicated time each day just to being chill. Just for lowering my anxiety and doing my hobbies.
This is what i want for you. I want you to have time to relax and do your art in your schedule.
Look at your calendar now and see if there is any time EACH DAY where you can have time to relax or possibly, to make art. This could be 10 min. It could be an hour. Some of you have much busier lives than I do. But we all have the same 24 hours.
Where in your life can you move things so that you have time to make some artwork? That you can begin to make your idea vision of art making happen?
Before I implemented the daily hobby time, I used to spend 30 min or more on my social media work- every day.
To make more time for my cross stitching and reading, I took out 3 days a week of intense social media work. I consolidated the time I was working in the mornings on it and now will do a 10 min ‘top up’ on the days I’m not writing up posts. I respond to comments, answer dms, post a story, and then I’m out of there. This one change allowed me to have 20 mins back to my afternoons to read my audiobooks and do a cross stitch.
Now, let’s say you are making art and it’s something you are studying. I want you to write in your calender where art is going to go as ‘study drawing/painting/printmaking’ and claim that time as such. Same for if your artwork time is social time.
Having time to make art is possible, if you prioritize it and plan it in your schedule. If you say to your self, ‘making art is important to me, and I’m willing to automate or replace something else in my schedule to make time for it.’
Making time for art is making time for your well being. When you are creative, you are nourishing yourself. Relaxation will bring you energy.
By declaring you need art in your life, you set yourself up for success.
Last thing, now you need to protect your art time. You’ve found a place for the art work in your schedule, and now it’s time to keep it as your art time.
Treat your art making time as holy. Do not schedule a coffee date or a doctors appointment over your art time. Do not let people interrupt your art making time. Tell your family, Hi, i’m making art now and will be available for whatever you might need AFTER (enter time period here) is over. Set a timer. Turn off your wifi. Be ferociously protective ovre this time you’ve made for your art work.
If people want to be a part of your art making time, that’s super cute! Tell them yes or no, if you like- but make them understand that this time has a purpose. That it’s dedicated to the spirit of art making and you aren’t just going to be messing around.
If you need a little more umph on making your art time yours, I love an affirmation.
“I am making art now. The world can wait until I’m done. I need to be here in this creative space. My worries can wait for my future self. I have everything I need to succeed.”
Good luck my art making friends and let me know if this advice helped! If you want a further dive into the calendar system I just laid out, Nicole Baker did a great episode on it recently that’s more in depth and a little different.
Host and artist Stephanie Scott breaks down the practicality of the art career with topics including: sustainable creative practices, social media skills, and the mindsets that keep it all together. New episodes every Tuesday!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniescott.art/
Website: http://www.stephaniescott.art/brushwork
Music by @winepot https://www.instagram.com/thewinepot/
Podcast Cover photo by Maryna Holovanova https://instagram.com/picturemaryna