Making the Most of Little Time
A few tips
Hello everyone!! I’m Christine. I’m a mom, middle school art teacher, and gouache artist. I’m here on Substack to share my journey of becoming an artist again after having my kids and what that looks like in my daily life. If you are on a creative journey (it doesn’t just have to be art!), I hope you feel welcome here and inspired to keep working toward your goals!
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Hello and Happy Monday!
Last week, I talked about the biggest obstacle that I face as a parent who also prioritizes a painting practice in my week: time. Naptime (if my youngest takes one) and post-bedtime are usually my only two windows of opportunity. Even within those windows of time, I really only end up with an hour or two at the most.
One of my biggest frustrations when painting is not being able to sit and create a painting from start to finish. I often find that I’m unable to resurrect the same vibe that I had during the previous session when I sit down to work on an unfinished painting. Sometimes in the days or hours between painting sessions, I’ve lost interest in what I was originally painting and have become inspired to create something else. For this reason, I try to arrange it so that I’m able to finish a whole painting in one to two hours (to the extent that this is possible).
Now you may be someone who doesn’t mind leaving a piece of artwork and coming back to it later. I just find that I end up feeling more satisfied with my painting time if I accomplish my goal.
So how do I make the most of that hour or two? Here are a few tips that I can share from my experience:
Work Small
I am often asked why I choose to paint in sketchbooks. There are a lot of reasons for this but one of the reasons is that the sketchbook pages provide a smaller painting surface. Below is an image of the sketchbook that I use. It is a size 5.5x8.5” book.
Sometimes I also cut small sheets of watercolor paper to paint on. Lately, I’ve been creating a series of paintings based on each month of the year. To make the project more manageable, I’ve cut my papers down to a 4x4” size.
Keep your Studio Space Set
One of the most helpful things that I’ve been doing is resetting my workspace before I finish my painting session. When I see that my youngest is starting to stir on the monitor screen after nap, I put the finishing touches on my artwork and start to clean up. I used to paint until the very last second and then leave my studio table a mess. This resulted in me wasting time at the beginning of my next painting session replacing my water, cleaning my palette and paintbrushes.
Now I clean all of my tools, even replace the water, and set the table back up before I turn out the light to my basement “studio”.
That way, the next time I sit down to paint, I am ready to go and I don’t need to spend any time on prepping my tools. I know it seems like a no-brainer, but it has made a huge difference for me.
Search for Inspiration or Reference Photos Ahead of Time
My kids are getting to the age where they are enrolled in activities and extra-curriculars. When I’m sitting in the parent waiting room for one of these activities, instead of doomscrolling or mindlessly clicking through websites on my phone, I try to search through Pinterest or Unsplash to try to get some inspiration for my next painting.
I also try to use the errands I’m running or the sports games that I’m attending to find some inspiration too. Are there gardens or flowers around where I am? What can I notice while I’m driving through town that might be fun to paint?
This helps me with two things: I build excitement for the next time I’m able to paint and I don’t have to waste time when I sit down at my studio table deciding what to paint next.
Manage Expectations
As with anything related to being a parent, there should always be the expectation that your plans won’t go the way you thought. I can’t count the number of times I put my kid down for a nap, sat down to paint, and then they woke right back up. Some days, all of the prep I’ve done to paint provides me with two blissful hours immersed in my sketchbook. Other days, it just doesn’t work out. It’s not always possible to have consistent time for your hobbies and interests at this stage of life, but I think if you try to set yourself up for success, you can make the most of the moments that you do have to focus on yourself.
What do you think? Were any of these tips helpful? Do you have any other advice to offer me and our community? Leave a comment below with your ideas!
Have a creative week!
Christine
Upcoming Newsletters:
7/28: Why It’s Important to Take Breaks
8/4: Monthly Art Recap & Answering FAQs
Links:
Prints and Original Art are available in my Etsy Shop
Connect with me on:
Instagram: @christinesartshop
Thank you for your great suggestions! I commend you for making time for yourself.
This reinforces my need to write smaller if I want to post more often. I forget my newsletters do not need to be paragraphs and paragraphs long! I have so many small ideas that could come out weekly.