Lately I often get revisited by that old thought pattern again, that everything is more important than my art. That I have to take care of everything and everyone else first, before I'm allowed to sit down and paint.
It's an old view on making art from back then when I thought it was supposed to be only a hobby and something I just do when I come back from work.
But I changed my life and made some big decisions in order to be able to focus more on art and find out how to maybe even make a living from it.
Sometimes I think I still can't quite believe this ^^
I know it is just a matter of organization, which I'm still learning.
Maybe I just want to remind myself with this post to give my art a higher priority again. At least the same priority like all the other things I'm doing.
Then I can learn how to organize everything, find a healthy balance and finally grow further as an artist.
Because there is so much I have to learn still! I'm at the beginning of my life as an artist and there's so much I want to do!
I want to evolve, to experiment, to find my own style, to get better!
But I need to make time for it and space in my head and allow myself to give it the appropriate importance in my life.
I would be super interested in how you all organize your life around art?
How much time are you able to dedicate to creating?
And maybe you have any organization tips for me ^^
all images by me
Hey! A great article and I think it describes the plight, of not only many artists, but people who are self-employed.
So often, when people see that you are your own boss, they think it's easy to rearrange your work-time to put something else first. It takes time and confidence to say to people (and yourself) "Sorry, I'm working now." Whereas people who e.g. working an office have a reason that everyone will accept.
If you work from home then there are chores that stare you in the face too.
It took me YEARS to find a routine and the habit of finishing projects and seeing things through. But even now, I still get frustrated at how little time I have to dedicate to art.
I'm a full-time dad and art very much has to fit around the edges at the moment. However, I'd say that I have been way more productive since becoming a parent than before. In my twenties for example, I had hours and hours each day. I kick myself now at how little I managed to get done per hour.
If I manage to get an hour to myself these days, I feel like a super-focused laser - probably because I know the clock is ticking.
But beating yourself up about it is the fastest way to falling in a hole. We make so many plans and have so many intentions, but our internal model of the world is rarely as detailed as reality. That's just a fact. And so when life comes and messes up our plans, that isn't a failing. It simply means we need to readjust our expectations.
So enjoy your art. Keep chipping away, and hopefully things will fall into place. 🙂
Thank you a lot for your comment, it helps so much to read that I'm not alone with this and that it's just one of the challenges of the life I chose to live.
I thought a lot the last days, how to handle things a little better, so that I don't get overwhelmed or frustrated.
I realized that it's not the chores, the garden or the house that stresses me. Those things are actually very balancing and I enjoy it a lot!
But I decided to cut my time on Twitter and Discord.
People say it's important to get your art out there and be active in the community. And that's true, but it was just too much for me. The main stream internet is very draining for me and I can't be online all the time, it's too much input for my poor little brain ^^
I really don't know how other artists handle this, most of them are on even more social media platforms!
I'm not in a hurry. I want to do this for a while, so there's not need to rush anything. And it's far more important to work on getting better in my art. I'm a beginner artist and I know there are a lot of things to learn still!
The last week I also did a lot for the blog project I started for the artist collective I'm part of. I've spent a lot of time on Discord managing the team, discussing things, preparing articles, promoting it, and generally thinking about it.
And it is an important project for me and I slowly get more people engaging in it, which is great! I just forgot to take care of my own things, my own blog, my art.
But I sure I can find a good balance somehow.
It was just important for me to find the source for my unhappiness, and now I can start changing things for the better.
I'm very grateful, Life has been very kind to me, giving me that peaceful place in nature to work on my projects and learn all these things. For now I don't have many family responsibilities, but I hope I will be prepared when I have again :)
Thank you again, it helps so much to talk about it. And I always appreciate your advice and view on things! <3