5 Ways to Find Time for Art
Life is busy, and sometimes it feels like our creative practice is the first thing to go when our schedules start to fill up. But making art is such an important part of being a human and expressing ourselves, so in this post, I want to share five ways you can find time to make art - no matter what else is going on in your life!
If you’re constantly finding yourself asking, “How do I find time to make art?”, these tips will help you find pockets of time to create throughout your day. These are the techniques that I’ve used to carve out time to make art when I’ve had to work full-time jobs, was in school full-time, or even now as I carve out personal creative time even though art is my job.
Take a sketchbook with you wherever you go
A change of scenery can really help boost your creativity, so I love to draw while out and about. Taking a sketchbook with you wherever you go ensures that you can capture your ideas whenever inspiration strikes. I like bringing either a Moleskine, my own sketchbook, or Field Notes sketchbook - anything that fits in my bag. I draw with a pen so that I don’t get caught up in erasing and perfecting.
This is all about drawing from observation. Draw what you see while out and about. Don’t worry about getting it perfect! I find that the more I practice drawing on location, the better I get at drawing in general. Afterall, drawing from observation is one of the best ways to strengthen your skills. Plus, drawing on location can be a really magical way to capture a memory or a moment without relying on your phone!
Have a weekly sketch club with friends over Zoom
One of the best ways to make time for art is to have friends to keep you accountable. There is this concept called “body doubling” that says that when you work alongside others (even if you’re not working with them on the same project) that you get more done and stay more focused!
My favorite way to tap into this concept is to get together with my art friends over Zoom once a week! One of my friends hosts a weekly Zoom at the same time every week, and we usually do figure drawing from YouTube videos or work on our own projects.
We also get to chat while we work which makes the whole thing that much more fun!
Take a Class
Putting down money for something or creating a schedule around it will help make showing up and doing the work easier. So try enrolling in a class at your local community college or art school!
If you can’t take one in person, there are tons of amazing options for learning online like my Skillshare classes! There is an incredible community on the platform, and you can hold yourself accountable by uploading your projects and connecting with other students!
You can check out all my Skillshare classes here, and get a free month-long trial if you’re a new member!
Make it a part of your routine
An art trap is what I call a space that you permanently set up with your art supplies at the ready. This way, you don’t have the barrier of setup to keep you from making art. You just need to sit down and start!
And the next layer of this is to make visiting your art trap a part of your morning or evening routine! Once you establish the routine, you’ll feel “off” when you don’t do it and that will help you stick with your goal of creating art consistently!
Make a prompt list to draw through
Part of what makes it hard to find time to create is actually doing all the things building up to it, like setting up your supplies and deciding what to draw. The art trap helps with the setup, but then the next hurdle is deciding what to draw.
To help combat not knowing what to draw, I recommend taking some time to make yourself a themed list of prompts. Pick a theme like flowers, foods, houseplants, animals, etc. And create a list of subjects for that theme. Pick a theme that’s relevant to your interests so that you’ll be excited to sit down and create art from your prompt list.
If coming up with your own list sounds intimidating, you could also follow one of the prompt lists that circulate around social media like Drawlloween or Inktober! There are always prompt lists circulating around, so you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for you!
At the end of the day, if art is important to you, it’s possible to find the time. It’s just about incorporating a practice that makes sense for you and that you will actually stick to. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Your art practice can just be a few minutes a day if that’s all you have time for! But giving yourself a goal and purpose will help drive you. Think about why you create and let that drive you. When you give yourself a “why” the rest will follow.
Want more art tips and inspiration? Check out my YouTube channel where I share weekly videos of cozy paint-with-me’s, art tips, and Q&As for artists!
