Consistency is Key
These are some of my magnets not quite done. I was trying not to put my paintbrush in my coffee.
I’m starting a blog today, or what I am calling a studio journal. I have a newsletter, and initially I figured that would house my blog, but I am trying something else. This is where I’ll explore my process more in-depth. My newsletter will be more about highlights and upcoming events. I plan to post monthly. I’m beginning this week with a post about consistency.
It has taken me a long (too long) time to get here. I’ve been trying for years to build a regular practice, a practice that would honor the space I need to create, to make art, to write, to linger in spaces where I might slow down, observe, and drink in inspiration.
It’s an old story. I listen to so many arts and creativity podcasts. It seems artist interviewee after artist interviewee tells a familiar story. Art was set aside for other jobs, other life priorities, until one day, it could no longer be shoved into the leftover pockets of time. That’s my story, for sure. I’ve felt like I’ve been running in place for the better part of the last 30 years, trying to find meaningful jobs and careers that could afford me time and means to create. Unfortunately, the jobs and careers and life took up all the space. I’m not a corporate ladder-climbing kind of person. Yes, I need a job. Yes, I need to keep bills paid, a roof over my head, and food on the table, but nothing does it for me like creating things with my own hands.
Lately, I’ve had to learn to be gentle with myself and let go of what I thought I was supposed to accomplish in any career or job. I’ve spun my wheels long enough trying to figure the career thing out while not honoring the most important part of me—the creative part.
The winding misdirected path I’ve taken to get here is a whole other story for another time and perhaps another blog post. For now, I’m fortunate enough to have a small studio space in my house with a big window that looks out on our beautiful and inspiring mountain town. I have the tools I need to play and experiment with various media. I am brimming with ideas, and I’ve finally mapped out the space and time that will fully honor the creative path I envision for myself. More importantly, I finally committed to that map and spoke out loud to my partner the wishes I have to honor that time.
For years, I was afraid to take that space because I feared it might upset routines my partner and I have become accustomed to. It did for a moment, but so many of those routines were also me compromising my time to make everyone around me comfortable. Once it was clear that this map, this honoring of this time would be better for me and, in turn, better for everyone, it wasn’t so hard.
In truth, the map is a revelation. It has given me a concrete vision, a new routine that I can easily grasp, and my partner can as well. I now feel I can make real progress and still balance my job and family.
This was the chaos that was me figuring out a palette and still life subjects to include in small paintings I am trying to finish before my next show.
On Friday, I finally set the plan in motion. I took the Friday afternoon after work ended at 1 p.m. and spent productive time in the studio. I followed that with another deep studio session on Saturday. The rest of the week is mapped out specifically to allow for exploration and allow for time to work on web design, blogging, shop posts, etc.
In the brief couple of days that I’ve already implemented this, I’ve learned a few things.
Grocery shopping dates with my partner are better on Friday evenings after I’ve put time in the studio. We’d always done it right after I got home from work to get it out of the way. I'd tell myself that I could get into the studio when we got back, but I was always tired by then and never gave myself the focused time. After spending time in the studio on Friday, I felt energized and enjoyed the special time with my partne, I and because I was much more present and not thinking about the art I needed and wanted to make. I felt the same way on Saturday evening after working in the studio most of the day.
Having a clear plan that outlines what I’ll do on any given day takes away the guesswork. I’m not wrestling with all the have-tos. I have to work on my website. I have to make work for upcoming shows. I have to spend time exploring and practicing. Because certain days are designated for art and certain days are designated for admin, I don’t feel like I am trying to figure that out on the spot in the moments I have open for creating.
As I mentioned above, I felt like my time with my partner was my time with my partner, not time I was thinking about how I needed to be in the studio or working on my site or my shop. I wasn’t beating myself up because I wasn’t putting enough time into creating.
When the block of time ended on Saturday, I did have a brief moment where I stressed that I didn’t get the painting I was working on to the point I wanted to feel finished for that session, but I stopped. I reminded myself that I’d given myself a huge chunk of time in the studio and what I got done in that time was what I got done. I did get a lot done. I finished painting some clay magnets. I started a small painting. I also recorded some video clips for my monthly vlog.
Finally, for the first time, I didn’t spend Saturday morning cleaning and doing a million things that I figured I had to do to clear the mental and physical space for art. I just went in. I just got to it and figured the cleaning could wait until later.
Is the plan perfect? Probably not. Will I find days where I just can’t stick to the plan? Sure. For now, it’s a step in the right direction, and I do feel the possibility in it. I do feel like I can make progress toward goals and finish work I plan to finish.
Do you have a plan? How do you make time for your creative life if you have a full-time job or other obligations? Thank you for staying with me to the end. I’m excited to share my progress and processes in the posts to come.
On Thursday, I had a studio head start in establishing my schedule when I participated in a portrait drawing hour hosted by artists Gayle Kabaker and Jennifer Orkin Lewis. This was one of the sketches from that. It was a wonderful way to dive into my commitment to my creativity.
