When my friend called me disciplined just because I go to the gym three times a week and to tai chi every Saturday morning, I laughed. Ha! Me disciplined?
I don't swim endless laps, run miles around the track, or lift tons of weights. The main attraction is the hot tub! Ahhh! Soothing hot water! All other activities are secondary. Monday is Restorative Yoga. Very passive. Very restful. Very calming. Friday or Saturday is aerobics and weight machines. I fit in stretches and crunches here and there and more tai chi if a room's free. No pain. No stress. No sweat. Enough of that elsewhere.
I say it's structure, not discipline. It's a framework around which I schedule all other activities after work. Regularity works well for me. Limited free time means I avoid over committing. At least to a certain degree.
In two weeks I won't have to worry so much about limited time. How will I structure my whole day then? Can I maintain hours in the studio, not lose it to non-creative activities, yet still get other things done? Hmm. The new frame of mind calls for a new framework.
How do you do it? How do you safeguard your studio time?
I do much better when I schedule my day just like I did at work. I also keep track of my studio hours in a little journal by my sewing table. And then I know when it's actual sewing time versus design time, research time or computer time....which can get way out of hand the minute you sit down with the laptop.
ReplyDeleteThe best rule I have made-no computer in the studio.
Even then, the week may slip away with house chores every once in awhile.
Thank you Colleen for the idea. Tracking my hours in and out of the studio will this give me a good gauge for how much time I spend on a project. I'll also know how much time I am frittering away or spending on chores.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't want that happening.
I agree with Colleen. The best thing I ever did was move the computer to another room - even though it is right beside my studio. I also learned that I do better studio work if I schedule 3-4 hours a day - rather than a whole day when I find I burn out. It's a problem all artists have. I think the only way to solve it is to make studio time as valuable - or more so - than any other time.
ReplyDelete