Finding ways to squeeze art into my daily life has never been easy for me. I have a regular money making job, like many emerging artists do, which seems to get in the way of my art. I'm always feeling frustrated because, really, what I want to do all day and everyday is art. Stupid need to eat and have a roof over my head.
However, lately I've discovered that I feel less frustrated as I've been squeezing a little bit of art into my daily routine. I've found that if I make my expectation for my art on work days lower and say that my goal is only to keep my own art momentum going then it feels more doable. I can save the complete drawings for the weekends.
So now I get up a little bit earlier in the morning and take my dog for a walk. I'll take some photos with my phone of things that I find, for some reason, visually inspiring. It starts my day out thinking about art. Then, during my half an hour lunch I eat as fast as I can and do a quick doodle on a sticky note which keeps the momentum with which I started the morning going. Also, my doodle usually amuses the heck out of me which helps my work mood!
Then I post it all on Facebook (and sometimes Twitter). I don't really post the snap shots or the doodles on Facebook because I think they are fabulous and should be shared with the world. In fact, I've gone back and forth about the wisdom of putting work that is unfinished out for the world to see, and only time will tell if this is a bad move or not. I ended up deciding to post them on Facebook because, for some reason, it holds me accountable. If I think, no matter how false, that someone out there will wonder why I didn't post that day, then I can hold myself to my plan. It's like having an imaginary work out buddy, and it works!
Every artist has their own way that they keep their art momentum going. I'd be interested in hearing how you do it. What ways have you found to squeeze art into your daily life?
Another Helpful Website for The Emerging Artist:
Check out Alyson B. Stanfield's website: http://www.artbizcoach.com/. She has great blogs and podcasts which offer free advice on the business side of being an artist. She also has a book out called I'd Rather Be in The Studio which I've been ogling for long enough now that it's just silly that I haven't bought and read it yet. I also follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/artbizcoach. I find that it's a great way to occasionally get little tips thrown your way without having to search for them. Check it out!
