Creating a routine to get things done in the studio

As an artist my schedule is my own, I have the freedom to follow my inspiration and create amazing work without a lot of interruption. I have the flexibility to meet a friend for coffee at anytime during the morning, or to spontaneously go to the museum if I need fresh inspiration. The downside of all of this freedom and flexibility is that it also means that I can go lay down on the sofa for a nap after breakfast or decide that my kitchen needs to be completely reorganized.

   Working for oneself required a great amount of  self discipline. It means that I am sitting here at 8:30 in the evening after a busy day and writing this post rather than binge-watching season 11 of the big bang theory (which, by the way, is what I would like to be doing). It means that I pick up my pencil to draw when I don't feel inspired, and it means that I keep painting when I lose sight of the end goal of a particular piece.

  One of the ways I am able to make progress and keep myself accountable in the studio is by sticking to a basic routine that I have created for each day, and especially my mornings. I am not a morning person, and it is those first few hours that are the hardest, but also the most rewarding.

I have heard many artists advise doing office work such as checking e-mails, posting, or prepping orders first thing in the morning leaving the open-ended hours of the afternoon and evening for creative pursuits. I love this idea but find that it doesn't meet my needs. I am a mother, and as such have the activities, meals, and projects of my children as a priority beginning when they arrive home from school. I have therefore flipped it, tailoring the idea to fit my requirements. Below I will outline what my routine is but before I do I want to mention that I do not always wake up with a great idea or a passionate desire to paint, I, like all artists go through dry spells where no subject grabs me. But I don't view those as times to stay out of the studio but rather as oportunities to make progress on work that I may have hit a rough spot on or lost interest in.

Clear surfaces

 One of the disadvantages of having a studio at home is that housework is always calling attention to itself. I find myself wanting to clean rather than work half the time. I have found that for my own productivity it is vital to wipe down the table and tidy the kitchen. When these two areas are done, and a few things are generally picked up around the diningroom and livingroom I am able to work with fewer distractions.

Make tea (breakfast)

I am not a big breakfaster first thing in the morning. A cup of tea and a slice of toast or a croissant is usually exactly right. While the kettle is boiling I empty and fill the dishwasher. The empty sink is important so that I can wash out brushes when the need arrises.
  My tea serves the dual purpose of nourishing me and warming up my hands as I hold the cup. I find that my hands can be stiff in the early hours and they respond better to my drawing attempts if they are warm. This isn't really surprising as it has been an acknowledged fact in sports for most of history.

Write on White board

 At this point my mind is usually whirling with things that need to be done or projects that I want to move forward with. Tea in hand I move to my white board located in my cleanroom (diningroom) and begin writing down all of the ideas and projects that are going through my mind. Once they are down I read through what is already on the board and see whether there is anything that needs removed or updated.

   I have different categories on the board so that I can roughly seperate the ideas as they are generated. These are:

Print: 

  Anything I need to have printed; prints, business cards, scanned items, postcards, portfolios, etc..

Admin:

  Bookkeeping, creditcard payments, sending invitations, etc...

Buy: 

  A list of any supplies that need replaced or studio investments I would like to make such as organizers, a lighttable or external drive

Contact:

  Names of people I am working with or would like to work with- some of these are still dreams :)

Draw:

  Ideas for illustrations, watercolor, graphics, urban sketches and series on paper

Paint:

  Ideas of places or items I plan to start painting as well as work in progress which needs to be continued.

Online:

  this is everything blog or media related- instagram, facebook, posts, twitter, CV updates, downloads/uploads

Exhibition: 

  places and logistics for shows- this is where I write my to-do list for current projects; send invitations, change lightbulbs, make price list, etc...

Organize: 

  These tend to be events in the forseeable future which are in the planning phase but have not yet moved into the logistic phase yet. Here I have ideas for workshops, shows, and seminars.

Line up projects

 If at this point I have several things I want to work on that day I often line them up on the table- seeing them in a physical row makes them more tangible and increases the chances of my getting to them.

Switch on laptop

 Once I know what I will be doing within the next quarter hour I start my laptop and quickly check my various social media and e-mail accounts- I feel better doing this before starting a project since I then have the opportunity to act if there is anything that requires my immediate attention.

Start on first project (paint/ draw)

 Although I have been writing, and you have been reading for a while at this point everything up until now has taken less than half an hour. At this point I either reach for the first project or go to the easel. I alternate painting and drawing depending both on my current projects and on the temperatures outside. My studio is in a winter garden, offering magnificent daylight but also plenty of fresh air. It can be a bit hot in the summer or cold in the deep winter. This studio is the 'dirty room'. It is where I actually paint.

I generally work for about an hour and a half to two hours at this point. So in my case from about 8:00 to 9:30 or 10:00.

Break

At this point I find that I need to switch gears. Depending on a few factors I usually use this time to have a snack, do a little stretching or shower (if I didn't have a bath the night before). I usually use this oportunity to watch something on youtube or listen to a podcast.

Second project

This is the part of my routine that varies the most, sometimes I have appointments to go to, sometimes I work an hour each on smaller projects, sometimes I have something that needs done online, or I use the whole two hours to work on a the same or a second project. 

I try to keep concentrated during this segment if it is done here in the studio since I know that I will go pick up the children from school at the end of it and my morning shift will be over.



  Once the kids are home the routine revolves around their needs and schedule, I use downtime throughout the day to answer e-mails, take the odd photo, comment or post on social media, etc... but no real work gets done during this part of the day.

Once everyone has gone to bed the second half of my workday begins. I like to write blog posts in the evening when there are no distractions, I also work on detailed illustrations, or other technical work.


 Since art is often a relatively solitary pursuit I enjoy listening to music, audiobooks or even watching movies while working. These relieve the mental tedium of hours of practical work.
A few I enjoy are:
-  KUSC classical music station. It plays the all night program during my day since it is based in California. I appreciate that there is primarily music with only ta few remarks. I have listened later in the evening and they were very talkative, so I now only tune in during my morning sessions.
- Audiobooks on Youtube. I have found quite a few nice mysteries which are available in their full form on youtube as well as some humorous books by PG Wodehouse. I have also listened to both classics and my favorite opera, Tristan and Isolde.

- French comedies on Amazon prime. Many of these have been dubbed into german so that my husband and I can listen to them while I work. ( He doesn't speak french- and to be fair, mine is rather rusty).



 The last thing to mention is that there are two things that make my routine easier, the first is having inspirational objects around. I often see things- objects or pictures, that inspire me to create specific compositions. Having these around keeps them fresh in my mind. I will do a post which discusses what they are soon. The second is having a fairly well organized studio. Being able to lay my hands on the tools I need at a moments notice keeps things running smoothly. The level of organization differs between my clean room (illustration) and dirty room (painting). The first is more micro organized than the second.

 I have done a post showing how I organize my drawing cabinet which I am linking here. I will also do a general studio set up post in the near future for my painting equipment.


  Do you have a routine that helps you stay on track?Let me know in the comments


I am very excited to announce that I will be featuring an artist I really admire on next Tuesday's post- check the blog to find out who!

   I post three times a week; Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. To get posts as soon as they are published click on the subscribe button at the top of the page or Follow by clicking on the follow button. 

I saw this on facebook and thought it was great- I don't own the photo.