I love to get a bit of me-time to dedicate to art. I’m no different to any other artist, endlessly struggling to make time for my art, constantly dreaming up ideas that I haven’t got time to create, and always, always trying to get a bit more time to myself for work.

1. Take care of the boring bits
   Whether it’s bookkeeping, newsletters or keeping track of competitions – invest some time in streamlining everything you have to do outside of actually creating your art. Take me for example, after a couple of years of struggling through my spreadsheet, I just recently outsourced and now I have brand-spanking-new easy-to-use system that means instead of three hours slaving away over Excel this week, I spent half an hour. Whoo-hoo!

Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash

2. A dedicated space
   

   Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

   Not everyone is lucky enoughto enjoy a spacious or bespoke studio; I’m sure there are plenty of people creating marvellous artworks from their back verandah or kitchen table. If you do have a studio, make it your own and make it work for you so you spend less time looking for your spare bobbins and clearing out space
   , and more time getting to work. But honestly, if you don’t have a studio, try and make a permanent space so you don’t have to waste so much time getting setup and cleared away. You deserve a dedicated space.

3. Find your tribe
   This might sound a bit counterintuitive, but join a group. Whether you’re a painter, a quilter, a textile artist or a writer – joining a group that meets regularly gives you a community and can help reinvigorate your work when you need it most. Think, ‘it’s what you bring to the table, not how long you spend there’. I know for me, I’m 100% positive I would never have had as much confidence to grow as an artist if it weren’t for the comradery of the group of textile artists I have been working with for over a decade at Reddy Arts Textile Group (RATG).

4. Finding time for your work shouldn’t mean always working aloneIt can be so easy with everything going on to fall into the trap of living too much in your own world. But we people, whether we are introverts or extroverts – are meant to be at least a little bit social. We need that little bit of give and take, a community that we understand, people to give us feedback, challenge our visions, bring us new ideas – and yes, validate us in a world where we are constantly told it’s the right thing not to care about what anybody else thinks of our work.

Photo by RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist on Unsplash

5. Don’t let your phone distract you!
   Set yourself time rules for social media and phone calls. Try limiting these distractions to your morning tea break or lunch break. A cup of tea or coffe works wonders as a natural alarm. When the cup if empty… put the phone away and get back to work.