There are seasons of making art. Sometimes there are all kinds of ideas and inspiration. Then there are periods of not enough time or energy. Other times, there are no ideas or motivation for creation.
I am currently full of ideas and motivation, thankfully. However, I am struggling with how to get it all done. Here are 3 questions I ask to help me determine how to prioritize and be efficient with my time. I hope they can help you also.
- Consider Deadlines – Which project needs to be worked on first or most often?
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- Is there a deadline? If not, I set my own deadline. This helps me to not put it off.
- Is there an exhibition to enter? This will supply the deadline and give me a purpose for creating.
- Is it a commission for someone? This makes me accountable to someone else and helps me pay the bills. Win-win.
- Consider Medium/Size – What materials and space are needed to work on each project?
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- Does something need more drying time than others? If so, it gives me an idea of what to work on first so it can be drying while I work on something else.
- Does something take up more room to work on? Will I need to move it to work on something else before I am finished? My easel and drawing table are both on wheels, which makes things easy to move around my studio.
- Can the same supplies be used on more than one project? This can save time on searching for something and cleaning up. I love to gather everything I think I’ll need for something before starting.
- Consider Time/Difficulty – How much time is needed and how much mental or physical energy will it require?
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- Does it require a big chunk of time to make progress or can something be done in just a few minutes? Work on the project that fits the time available in the moment.
- What kind of energy is needed and do I have it? I tend to tackle harder or more time-consuming projects first when I am fresh, and leave the easy or repetitive tasks for when I’m tired or not “feeling it” but need to work.
- Will it require focus or is multi-tasking possible? I am terrible at multi-tasking but there are times when it works for me like listening to business podcasts or audiobooks while I am painting.
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OK, I know, that was more than 3 questions… but it is how I set my priorities. It also works for things not related to art. My biggest trick to getting things done is looking for gaps that I can fill.
Example: I’m ready to go but my husband is still watering his plants and we won’t be leaving for about 10 minutes. Is there something I can do now that will make life easier later? I can load the dishwasher, or I can pick up the living room, or I can sort through a stack in my studio to find the reference photo I need for an upcoming project.
The key is to ask the right question and to be honest with what time it will require to accomplish. Sometimes you think something will take 5 minutes but really needs 30 minutes and then you’re late. Be careful and start small. The more you do it the better you’ll get at knowing what you can fit into the gap. Do it enough and you can look back and feel good about all you have accomplished.