Inside our free community space Sheri shared the following,

“When I don’t draw, paint, or create I feel like I’m missing part of myself.”

Sheri goes on to talk about feeling guilty about making time for her when she has chores or other responsibilities that need doing.

Gosh, have I been here. What about you?

Hi my name is Carrie. I want you to proudly call yourself Artist. Here on Artist Strong I help artists like you build your skill and develop your unique artist voice. Today let’s talk about making time for our art.

First off. SAME here!! I have my own artist practice in addition to running Artist Strong and any chance my lizard brain or inner critic gets I’m told it makes more sense to spend time creating more content for Artist Strong.

That doesn’t even discuss my house responsibilities or full time child-rearing duties as a mom. 

It’s so hard to start prioritizing ourselves, especially after years of prioritizing family for example. This is a big shift you are embarking on Sheri so congratulations! You deserve this time.

You deserve this time.

One more time for everyone reading or watching: YOU deserve this time.

When people decide to train for marathons, or build a garden in their backyard, or sit down and binge 8 episodes of the latest Game of Thrones spinoff show, how often do we talk about feeling guilty making time for those things?

How are we “supposed” to use our time?

Is our time always meant to be “productive?” I admire artist Tricia Hershey for her project The Nap Ministry (linked below). She’s created installations (for lack of a better word) where people can come lay down and take naps in the middle of cities, for example, to speak against hustle culture. 

If art is something you enjoy doing, make art! I personally find art a kind of moving meditation and it absolutely helps my mental health. We don’t need to justify how or why we make art: the fact we want to is enough.

That being said, sometimes it’s hard to do it “just” for ourselves. So, let’s think about the other people you positively impact by showing up for your art.

You model to both family and friends and little people in your life that enjoying creative interests is important and worth our time.

You model learning new things and doing things differently at different stages in our lives is possible.

You show we don’t have to only invest in activities that consume (we feel NO shame spending money and time streaming shows) but in activities where WE are the creators!

We will spend money on gardening, golfing, streaming services and we don’t expect anyone to sell, show, or become a professional because of that investment. They do those things because they like and enjoy it. Art can be a wonderful hobby. (And yes, you are still an artist.)

Before I share a few ways to make more time for your art let’s thank today’s sponsor. Today’s video is brought to you by our patreon community The Artist Strong Studio. Your microdonations make a huge difference in my ability to run Artist Strong AND give us an opportunity to build a unique community space for artists seeking to build their skill and develop their unique artist voice. Right now, I’m hosting monthly studio hours where we come together and make more art!

Join the Artist Strong for a small monthly commitment as low as 1 dollar a month. To learn more visit https://www.patreon.com/ArtistStrong.

A special thank you to current patrons, I couldn’t do this work without your support.

Now that we have the guilt covered, let’s talk about a few ways you can make time for your art.

Make it the first or last part of your day, everyday. 

Having a consistent schedule of showing up, even for 15 minutes, can be HUGE. It becomes part of your routine the way brushing your teeth is.

Where can you pair art with an activity you engage in everyday? What about art over breakfast? Lunch breaks? Tell me how you can apply this idea in the comments below.

Find an art friend who you can show up with together.

People find gym buddies, let’s find art buddies to help each other show up for your art. You could meet up at each other’s house or have a digital video chat where you both work in your studio. You could set up weekly or monthly studio hour times much like we do in our Patreon community right now. You could also create a group text chat where you could post your goals and art images for feedback and support.

Making time for our art is important and valuable because we want to make art. Full stop. And I hope today’s conversation helps Sheri and whoever else needs to hear this ditch that guilt and show up for their art with pride.

Now it’s your turn:

How have you navigated making time for your art?

Please like this video and subscribe to our channel and then share your thoughts in the comments below.

Remember: Proudly call yourself artist. Together, we are Artist Strong!

Thanks for watching and see you next time.

(Note: Want to join our free community away from social media? Join here.)