Time Management For The Busy Artist

Time is the enemy of art. No matter what you do, you can’t stop the hours in the day from marching on. And that means you have to be smart about how you choose your projects, execute your ideas, and manage the limited time you have at your workbench.

We all have responsibilities that have to be taken care of before we can focus on our art. And when you look at the time left in your day (or week) to devote to creative pursuits, it can feel like you don’t have enough. What can you do to change that? What can you do to squeeze more art out of your art time?

1. Keep a Project List Ideas are fleeting. If you don’t record them when they come to you, you might lose a few really good ones over time. I keep my ideas in a small leather notebook. It’s just the right size to take with me when I leave the house or travel, and I’m always scratching cryptic notes and doodles in it about possible projects to explore. Why is this important? Well, if you have ideas on-hand, you don’t have to spend time coming up with new projects to work on. Something is always waiting for you to start.
2. Set a Schedule I like to print off a monthly calendar at the beginning of each month and write down what projects I need to tackle. Seeing the days, workload, and hours available in one place helps me better allocate my energies. I’m less likely to cut my studio time short or commit to distractions when I can clearly see what I have to do and how much time I have to get it done.
3. Work on Multiple Projects I tend to keep three projects going at the same time. When I finish one, I cycle a new project into the mix. The reason for this is that some projects need time for the clay to harden, the mold to cure, the paint to dry, or the smoothing solvents to evaporate. Rather than knock off early, I’ll pick up the next project and get to work for the remainder of my studio time.
4. Don’t Fight Your Craft Sometimes success comes from being willing to let go. If a project isn’t working out right, set it aside and move onto the next. If you don’t feel like creating one night, spend your studio time researching future projects, reading tutorials, or looking at the work of others for inspiration. Pushing yourself to work when you’re not ready has the tendency to breed problems (or flaws) into your projects. As long as you make a commitment to use your studio time for your art in some way, you’ll continue to use your time wisely.

King Unicorn is a guest blogger here at Grimvisions. You can see more of his work at http://kingunicorn.blogspot.com/