Studio Time – Scheduled
Squares #4
Textile Painting
©2006
11" x 9"
Private Collection
Check on Saturday Goals
Yesterday I stated these were my goals for today:
1) 12 hours in studio
2) blog
3) journal
4) yoga
5) walk
6) to bed by 9:30
I’ve completed #2-#5 and so far I’ve put in 11 hours in the studio. I started at 6am and at 8pm I’d put in 11 hours. The other 3 hours were spent eating and doing the other stuff on the list.
My hope was to be done in the studio now but I ended up taking and extra hour break during the day and I have to admit a fairly large chunk of that time was spent wandering about in the new house addition. It’s just so darn cool to have built the house I want, I’m really excited about it.
I was going to relax and watch a video or read after finishing this blog post but I’ll head back to the studio and put in the last hour instead. I’m on a roll and loving every minute of it.
I can’t post photos of this work because it’s for a show that has requested we not publish the images anywhere prior to the opening, so you’ll have to wait a year to see what I made in my bedroom studio the last weekend of it’s existence.
Studio Schedule
A few years ago, I had a schedule posted around my house in at least 2 or 3 places. It mapped out how I could be a single mom, work full time and still put in 20 hours in my studio. I stuck to that schedule fairly well as it had a bunch of free time blocked off also.
I had a friend at the time that gave me serious grief about planning my life too much. I disagree as it was during this time I was able to make some serious progress on my art career. I took down the schedule about 6 months before I got into the "sell my house, buy a house, build a house" year and it was at that time art making came to a fairly significant slow down.
Sure, a lot was going on in my life, but I also fell out of the habit of going to the studio. I started taking the attitude that I could be more relaxed about it and I’d still make a lot of art. Hm, well that didn’t work out so well. This included the time when my kids were in Europe for 3 months, I barely put in any studio time as it was not a routine anymore.
So first thing I’m doing as soon as my house is done, I’m making another schedule. Set times to be in my studio making art. In this way I should be able to get back to 20 hours a week fairly easily. I’ll also block in some time for the business side of art and plenty of free time.
Can’t work the day job any random time I want, and if I stopped showing up 8 hours a day they might not like it so much. I need to treat the art career with just as much respect.
Squares #4
This is the last of the 4 recent hand stitched textile paintings I’ve made. I’m currently working on Squares #5, which is similar colors as #4 but I’m doing a running stitch instead of a seed stitch. After I wrap up the work for the show I’m making I’ll jump right into some more hand stitching. I’m wondering if I could do some hand stitched ACEOs. Who knows, guess I’ll find out.
Now back to the studio for 1 more hour and then to bed at 9:30.
Posted by Lisa in: Uncategorized
It is always so much easier to live other people’s lives than one’s own isn’t it? SO if scheduling works for you and you’re a happier bunny with than without, then you schedule. Take it from one that lives a much happier life when she’s got a schedule than when she hasn’t, and who has been ridiculed for saying that she couldn’t have somebody staying because she had pencilled time in for a project for an exhibition. The upturned nose’s comment was: But you’re just a stay-at-home mum, how can you have a schedule! I’ll keep you to your promise in Jan.2010! Enjoy the rest of your week-end.
While having a schedule just seems way to organised for many people it certainly gets a lot of stuff done and they cant argue with that. I schedule – and make endless lists. I just have an occasional ‘blind’ day though when I totally ignore them all and eat chocolate!
I find I can really get lost in this squares piece, contemplating the colors of the stitches and how they relate to the shapes and colors below. Really like it!
I think you are right, a schedule is necessary or next thing you know days, weeks, months have slipped away. I don’t think it matters if a person has a full-time job or none, without wise use of time, art doesn’t happen.
When I was a very young artist, just starting out, I had an excellent example in my father-in-law. He was an abstract expressionist and was semi-retired when I married into the family. We stayed with him when we first lived in Peru and I watched him get up early every morning and head across town to his studio to work until lunchtime. Every day. He told me that unless you’re disciplined you wouldn’t get anything done, and if you’re not even in your studio, you’d *never* get anything done. The model of his self-discipline has stayed with me all these years and the example of how seriously he took the profession of being an artist has encouraged me to do the same.
You’re in good company – I’m a scheduler too, and I think you’d find that there are a lot of us out here.
I agree with you about scheduling time. If it isn’t on my list it doesn’t get done. I admire your dedication to your art career as well as being mom and working full time. Without the discipline of planning, time is frittered away on the easy stuff instead of what is important.
Why is it that people automatically think that we shouldn’t schedule our art? It’s like that whole “starving artist” myth – as thought to be a real artist, you have to be spontaneous and work all hours of the night. No one would tell you you’re too structured for working the same hours at your day job every day!!
Anyhow, you gotta do what works for you. I have to schedule my art too – my husband is a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy, and I’m always having to defend my schedule, but it’s the only way I stay productive.
Looks like the addition is really coming along well!! It’s been exciting to follow the progress – thanks for sharing!
Lisa, I so admire your determination to be in control of your time. It’s definitely the key to achieving your goals as an artist.
Loved all your comments. It’s always good to have that affirmation that we aren’t alone. I love my schedules. Thanks everyone.