Finding time for your art, especially if you have a job, children, or other responsibilities, can sometimes be really difficult.
I was in this position for a long time (only about 30 years or so!!! not long at all!). I kept getting sidetracked by life. I was a sole parent with two sons to raise, mostly on my own. My job was demanding, and I had a classic desire to succeed.
All this meant that I was tired. I’d come home from work, do things with the kids and then stumble into bed, only to be on repeat constantly. A few times I went and purchased some art supplies, but never found the time to use them.
I’m guessing most of you can relate to this.
Now, this is the part where I WISH I’d known some of the things I’ll be saying here, and I could have put them into practice and not felt so frustrated and defeated back then.
Prioritise to find time for your art
So, this is sort of a tip, but not one that will necessarily get you doing your art straight away. I only worked this out a little while ago myself, so hopefully this will help you dissolve away that frustration that you currently feel.
You need to take a look at your life and work out what your priorities are. For instance, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache back when I was being the sole caregiver for my kids by realising that they were my number one priority. Once you realise what your priorities are, it takes a bit of the sting out of it.
So, recently, after an enlightening conversation with my son, I realised that I needed to prioritise art, if I was ever going to get time to do it. I went through the stuff in my life, and realised that my priorities were:
- My relationships with my partner and my family
- My health
- Art
- Golf
- Everything else
So, it became easy for me to work everything into my week. Every day, I would spend time with the people I care about when they were around. I would do exercise and my other health related stuff, and then I would do my art.
It was quite difficult for a start, so I actually found a time blocking app. I used that for about a month to get me into the habit of prioritising my life like this. That worked really well, and now I don’t even use the app any more – it just comes really naturally.
But what do you do if you have too many higher priorities?
That is a really, really good question!
I think you can still use something like the time blocking app that I used. This will then allow you to see when you have blocks of time free, which you can assign to art.
But, that’s if you’re really lucky! Here are some other tips that might help you find time for art when you have higher priorities.
- Create a dedicated workspace
- Designate a specific area in your home or studio as your art space. This allows you to have everything set up and ready to go whenever you find some time. Half the problem when you don’t have much time, is that setting up uses what little time you may have. I try and make sure that I have clean water containers ready on my table. It means I can start at the drop of a hat. Having a dedicated workspace also helps you mentally separate your creative time from other activities. This allows you to easily transition into an artistic mindset.
- Find pockets of time
- Identify gaps in your schedule where you can fit in some art-making. It could be during lunch breaks, while commuting (if you use public transportation), or in the evenings after other responsibilities are taken care of. Look for those moments and use them to do anything that will help progress your art practice. It could be as simple as having your sketchbook handy and drawing the kids, your partner, the cat, or the view out the window. Check out @annaliesestoney on Instagram. She has a busy life with kids, but uses that life as part of her inspiration.
- Make art a habit
- Incorporate art into your daily routine by setting aside even small pockets of time for creative expression. It could be as short as 15 minutes of sketching or journaling. Consistency is key, and small, regular doses of creative time can add up over time. I found that doing art challenges helped me form an art habit. At the start, I thought I needed to do something complete or big every day. I soon realised that this wasn’t sustainable, so some days I would do a sketch, and others I would work on a painting. Some days I’d revisit older artwork. If I had my time again, some days I would take myself on an artist date. Maybe visit a gallery, do a course or watch a youtube video – it all contributes to your art habit.
- Minimise distractions
- Limit distractions that can eat up your time. Turn off notifications on your phone or computer. Find a quiet space away from household or work-related noise, and create an environment that allows you to fully focus on your art. Ask you partner or family member if they can watch the kids. Put the dog outside (yes, this does happen to me!). Don’t start if you have something else your mind is focused on. Do put on music or a podcast if you like that bit of noise in the background. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
- Outsource and delegate to find more time for your art
- If possible, delegate non-art-related tasks to free up more time for your art. It could involve outsourcing certain responsibilities or asking for help from family members or friends. For instance, I’m currently contemplating getting a cleaner (I’ve never had one in my life before!). Cleaning is one thing that weighs on my mind, and I sometimes use it as a procrastination technique! I know sometimes this outsourcing or delegating is really difficult. We sometimes can’t afford it, so obviously don’t do it if you can’t manage.
- Embrace flexibility
- Recognize that not every art-making session needs to be long or perfectly structured. Be open to seizing unexpected pockets of time and adapting to different circumstances. Even short bursts of creativity can be productive and fulfilling. I used to tell myself that there was no point in starting if I didn’t have at least 2-3 hours available to do the art work (I think that was my procrastination tendencies again lol). What I’ve discovered is that I can do things that are worthwhile and very creative in very short spurts if I need to. So, don’t think that you need a huge block of time. I sometimes get my watercolours out and splash around for 10 minutes. Then I leave it to dry so that I can use it later on as a background for something else. You don’t even need to know what that is. Or you could splash around and play with colours – experiments will always be useful later on.
Remember, finding time for your art is a personal journey, and what works for one artist may not work for another. Experiment with different strategies, adapt them to your lifestyle, and be patient with yourself. Ultimately, it’s about making art a priority and finding a balance that allows you to nurture your creativity.
If you’ve got more tips that may help other artists, please share in the comments below!
To find out how art challenges helped me form an art habit, check out this blog.