That’s a question I hear all the time. . . and it reveals a common misperception about artists. It's often imagined that we sit around, waiting for a muse of some sort to drop creative ideas into our brains.
Even many artists have this misperception, if not consciously, then subconsciously. And while it would be awesome if that was how art was made, it rarely works that way.
If structuring your creative time seems daunting, that’s OK! I'm going to share a couple of tips for getting started. Keep in mind, these are all just ideas, and you can definitely "tweak" them so they fit your personality, artistic process, and goals:
1. Examine your day-to-day obligations
We are not just business owners and creatives. . . we are also parents, spouses, family and community members and we often have many non-art related time commitments. So it is important to look at your current daily schedule and fit the art around it. I look for consistent open spots to know where the art activities can fit. As an example, here's how my current schedule looks now:
If your current schedule is packed and there is no room for art, perhaps it’s time to take a hard look at your priorities and start eliminating some things.
2. Make a list of any recurring business tasks
This list will probably include studio time, but it also needs to include things such as marketing (social media, blogging, website updating), accounting (taking care of invoices, bills, inventory), and opportunity chasing (show applications, gallery visits, cold calls, proposals, etc).
What business aspects do you need to tackle consistently to move your creative business forward? Be sure to include ALL the stuff. Not just the fun stuff!
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