When I launched the Reader Survey to ask readers what they need, the need for time to create art quickly rose to the Number 1 position. Recently, a reader brought this subject up to me directly. This reader asked:
How do artists handle time management?
Many of us have homes, families, day jobs. Grocery shopping, housecleaning, friends, constant interruptions, like needing to take the car to the mechanic, and random unexpected things.
When there’s time pressure to complete work, such as an upcoming exhibit, how do people juggle all of this without feeling disorganized?
We decided to open this conversation up to all of you.
With images, sounds and life coming at you from all angles and with easy access to gadgets that encourage fragmented thinking, how do you manage your time?
Let’s talk.
Share what works for you, what you think might work for you (even though you haven’t started it yet), and any other thoughts you have about this topic.
Please post your comments below.
ArtPlantae Today 
I allot time to go to a weekly studio class. Working with other people inspires me if I have become stalled in my work.
I also attend a weekly painting group(Monday mornings from 9-12)–but I try to get up early-5a.m. or thereabouts to take advantage of the quiet time when nothing or nobody else needs my attention. That time is priceless!
Try to limit time spent checking emails. They suck you in. Paper such as mail is a time waster too. Putting time in your calendar is a must. I also get together one afternoon a week with a friend who is learning to draw and paint and we just do it together. It is helpful to have other views and input. There are lots of good videos and such but they all take time too. Get into the work area and do it…..my new resolution.
Set aside a block of 2 hrs each day to devote to your art. That may mean you are reading a reference volume or organizing your work area, rather than actually painting. Fitting art into your schedule around other things means it will be squeezed out. I started out fitting it in, then ramped up to 2 hrs each day. Within a few months, I decided becoming a better artist meant devoting more time even than that. I now dedicate every afternoon, M-F, to art, and treat it as a part-time job. No ands, ifs or buts.
I schedule it in; with two exhibits coming up being focused and doing things like bundling together errands in the same direction, making a list before shopping, and trying to be efficient with paperwork (and staying off the computer, I agree, Frances!) are a few things I’ve tried that seem to work.
I devote early evenings to drawing, observing and painting and it has begun to pay off. I probably draw for more than an hour, may paint as long, and often go late into the evening if a subject captures me more than usual.
I also surround myself with my supplies so that I don’t have to search for a brush or pencil. This is working out much better than I anticipated and I keep finding new ways to de-clutter surfaces so that my art stuff is not a big jumble but can be reached with one hand.
How does feature guest, Martin J. Allen, make time for art?
Find out here…