In this episode of The Art Biz, I give you 5 lists (a list of lists!)and tell you where to keep them and how to use them: good ideas, absolute no’s, things someone could do for you, 10-30-minute tasks, and done—your accomplishments. Don’t skip that last one.
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]]>Lists can give order to your hectic life, whether you process each item in order or, more likely, get around to them someday.
The most valuable thing about making lists is that it gets tasks, projects, and ideas out of your heads and into a place where you can find them again. At least that’s the idea.
Your to-do list is the one you’re probably most familiar with and contains urgent or near-future items that you must accomplish: pay bills, order framing supplies, write the newsletter draft.
But I want to take you beyond daily tasks with a list of 5 lists (yep, a list of lists) that are useful to artist-entrepreneurs.
1. The good ideas list
When I plan a project with a client, some things are immediate: an exhibition, a launch, a class to teach. But their minds are still churning with ideas. You don’t have time to do them now, yet they take up head space and keep floating back until you give them a place to live.
- Write a book.
- Lead a retreat overseas.
- Go after a residency.
Think of this as a dream list. It’s a placeholder. When an idea becomes real, it becomes a project.
If your list is anything like mine, you’ll look at it in five years and ask, “What was I thinking with half of those?” But at least you got them out of your head and onto paper.
[Aside: In the podcast I combine the good ideas list with lists of things I want to remember like books to read or movies to watch.]
Listen to episode 282
2. The absolute no's list
These are the things you will not do, no way, no how, in no universe. In my experience, things land here because you said yes once and realized you would never do it again.
Your list might say:
- I never work with people who bargain with me.
- I never take a commission under $2,500.
- I never loan my art without a contract.
Mine says I never work with whiny people who make excuses. I just can’t help them. I never tell anyone, “I’m so busy,” because being busy is boring. And I never consult privately with an artist who doesn’t have a body of work and a studio practice.
Once you’ve named a no and written it down, it can become a policy. Then it’s easy to say, “Sorry, I have a policy against that.”
4. The 10 to 30 minute list
We are not all blessed with three uninterrupted hours to work in the studio, or to write, record, edit, and publish a video in one fell swoop. That doesn’t happen very often.
But we can all find pockets of time between tasks or appointments. Ten minutes. Thirty minutes.
This list is what you go to instead of turning on YouTube for the latest news and getting swept up in something that isn’t helping you (mentally or professionally).
Mine says to delete old blog posts, and to delete the downloads and screen captures on my desktop. A lot of digital cleaning is mindless. It doesn’t use many brain cells, so you can do it while a game is on or while you’re watching something you don’t have to follow the plot of.
My friend Janice McDonald kept these tasks on slips of paper in a mason jar and pulled one out when she had a few minutes. That leaves too much up to fate for me. If I pulled something I didn’t feel like doing, I’d put it back and grab another one. I’d rather look at a list and think, “Oh yeah, that would be fun now.” And we should get joy wherever we can in our day.
3. The things someone else could do list
Everyone would like more help in their business. It’s great to work alone and have all the control, but wouldn’t a little extra support be nice?
Here’s what I know from experience and from clients who have hired help: never hire someone until you know exactly what you want them to do. An extra body is dead weight. You don’t need an extra body. You need specific help, and this list starts the whole thing.
Frame it as things you do that someone else could do and that you’re willing to let go of. Maybe even someone already in your orbit.
Heidi Fahrenbacher talked about hiring her brother, who excels at shipping logistics in a way she doesn’t want to. I keep my list in the back of my planner, right next to me all day.
They won’t do the job the way you do it. But they just might surprise you and do do it better — freeing you to work your genius.
See these episodes about working with others:
My best practices for working with an assistant (59)
Learning how to be a boss with Ali Manning (106)
5. The done list
This one is just as important as your to-do list. It’s everything you have completed.
Here’s what happens at the end of the day. We look at our planner and think, “Ugh, I didn’t do those things,” and we move them over to the next day. We keep seeing what we still haven’t done, and the to-do list just keeps growing.
We have to get used to that. The to-do list is ongoing because we always want to be doing. We want our lives to be meaningful, and that means we do things. But we have to learn to prioritize, and we have to learn to take credit for what we’ve done.
This is why the most important thing I ask people to do in my coaching is reflect on what they’ve done. If they don’t, they can’t grow. They can’t celebrate. All they see is the list of things they haven’t done yet.
Call it a done list or a celebration list. I don’t care what you call it. Just do it. And if something you did was never on your list, write it down and cross it out. There’s great joy in that.
Then when I ask what you’ve accomplished, you can look at your days and tell me exactly. It’s not for accountability. It’s so we can figure out your next steps.
Where to keep your lists
It’s great to make lists, but if they’re all over the place in various corners of your studio, your office, or your home, they don’t do any good.
Each one needs a dedicated place. They don’t all have to be together, but you need to know where to go to add to them and review them.
My 10 to 30 minute list and my done list live in my planner, because that’s where I look for time and where my daily tasks are. My good ideas and all of the other lists are in Notion, because I can search them and find them easily in a digital format
If you do nothing else, do the done list. Give yourself credit for your accomplishments.
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]]>Georgie is a National Board certified health coach specializing in ADHD in adults, especially women diagnosed later in life. We unpack executive function, time blindness, and what helps when your systems keep failing.
The post You know what to do but you’re not doing it: ADHD and your art business with Georgie Coote (273) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>For years I’ve watched artists sit down with a clear list of what they need to do (send the follow-up, update the website, mail the invitation, post to Instagram) and then not do any of it.
Not because they don’t understand marketing. Not because they don’t want a thriving art business.
But because something between knowing and doing keeps breaking.
What executive function has to do with your art business
In this episode of The Art Biz, my guest Georgie Coote identifies the culprit underneath this gap as unreliable executive function.
Things like planning, organization, and task initiation are the things that let you look at a to-do list and start. When they aren’t working the way you want them to, you can know exactly what needs to happen and still feel unable to begin.
Add time blindness, the way ADHD brains perceive time, and it gets more complicated. You put something off because it feels enormous, then when you finally start it takes five minutes. Or you sink into a chair in front of your computer and lose the whole afternoon you’d blocked for the studio.
Why "just do it" doesn't work
I used to be far more rigid about how I taught planning. Set the goal, break it into steps, put it on the calendar, execute. It took me years to understand that that wasn’t working for many of my clients, so I changed how I coach.
Georgie’s explanation: everyone’s brain relates to information differently, and ADHD brains especially need visual, tangible systems. A calendar you can’t see doesn’t exist. A digital reminder buried in an app doesn’t fire. One of her clients built a physical Post-it note version of a Trello board so she could see the project moving across her wall.
The point is that whatever system you adopt must match the way your brain works.
Why so many women are diagnosed in midlife
Georgie sees a lot of women who get diagnosed in their 40s, 50s, and later. They’ve been holding everything together for everyone else — kids, partners, aging parents, the mental load of a household — and at some point there’s more coming at them than they can keep up with. What looks like ADHD emerging is often ADHD finally becoming visible after decades of masking it.
Not everyone who feels scattered has ADHD. Modern life is genuinely overloaded, and overwhelm can produce symptoms that look similar. Georgie is careful to make that distinction, so keep it in mind if you’re wondering about yourself.
What helps when you can't start
Starting is the hard part. What Georgie sees work:
- Saying out loud what you’re stuck on. You often start working it out the moment you hear yourself describe it.
- Breaking a task down to a step so small it feels almost silly. Starting is the hard part.
- Getting your systems out where you can see them, in whatever form works for your particular brain.
- Talking to someone who isn’t going to judge you for how you got here.
That last one is where coaching comes in.
You have Georgie’s list of strategies and can probably find others online. What’s often missing is someone in the room with you when you try to use them. Someone who can help you name what you’re stuck on, break it into a step you’ll actually take, and treat the whole thing without judgment.
If you work with artists who have ADHD
If you work with an artist whose brain runs differently than yours, Georgie suggests dropping the assumption that your way is the correct way.
Ask them how they’d approach it. You’ll often get an answer that isn’t yours and works better for the person doing the work.
Georgie Coote Quotes
“A neurotypical brain isn’t better than an ADHD brain. They’re just different.”
“There’s so much exhaustion from trying your hardest to be what you perceive to be normal.”
“Having ideas is great, but you need to be able to implement them.”
“It’s not a weakness to need support. Everybody could benefit from a coach at some point in their life.”
About Georgie Coote
Georgie Coote is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and an ADHD clinical services provider, who specializes in coaching adults with ADHD.
The majority of her work is with women who are diagnosed later in life, including entrepreneurs, and creatives who have incredible ideas but often struggle with the executive function side of turning those ideas into a sustainable business. She co-creates systems with clients that work with their unique brain to support their creativity and wellbeing.
Follow Georgie on Instagram: @georgiecootecoaching
The post You know what to do but you’re not doing it: ADHD and your art business with Georgie Coote (273) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>The thrill of starting fresh! The anticipation of creating new benchmarks and attaining new dreams!
Oh, but wait. There’s a lot of crap that you need to get rid of --stuff that might get in your way if it doesn’t drive you crazy first.
What would it be like if the New Year felt . . . well . . . felt truly new?
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]]>Seeing January 1 on the calendar is enough to get almost anyone’s blood pumping.
The thrill of starting fresh! The anticipation of creating new benchmarks and attaining new dreams!
Oh, but wait. There’s a lot of crap that you need to get rid of –stuff that might get in your way if it doesn’t drive you crazy first.
What would it be like if the New Year felt . . . well . . . felt truly new?
Make this week and next just for you.
If you can, resist the urge to add anything new to your calendar so you can focus on tying up loose ends and preparing for the New Year.
Here are some ideas.
Review Your Tasks
What has been on your to-do list for too long?
If you’re procrastinating, do you really need to do it?
If it’s not a definite Yes, it’s a No. If it is a Yes, take care of it.
Scan The Studio
What’s broken?
What materials aren’t being used that you could store or give away?
What emits negative energy and stifles your creative juices?
What artwork needs completing?
File
Get those papers off your desk and off the floor and put them into a usable system.
Make digital and hard copy financial files for the New Year.
Archive (usually a digital folder) any files you no longer need to refer to.
Back up your computer.
Recycle anything you don’t use or could find online.
Update Your Mailing List
Have you been saving names and contact info for anyone? Perhaps you made a note on your phone, wrote it in your planner or on a scrap of paper, or maybe you even got a real business card
!
They aren’t doing you any good in their current form. Add that contact info to your database.
While you’re at it, send a quick “thinking of you” note to that person to stay top of mind. (See more under Send Correspondence below.)
This is an ESSENTIAL step for a successful art business.
See more of them in Establish Yourself: Essentials for Artist Success—a foundational business training program for beginning and emerging artists (and artists who never implemented the fundamentals).
Send Correspondence
Write your Thank You notes from holiday gifts.
Send New Year’s greetings to the important people in your life—especially people who might be lonely and need to hear from you.
Inventory Your Supplies
Pore over your office and art supplies.
What are you running low on? For my office, I primarily check my printing paper stash and printer ink. I don’t want to run out of those—especially with my planning workshop coming up.
Give Your Personal Space Some TLC
Done with the business stuff or just not in the mood?
Tying up loose ends doesn’t have to be just for your art biz.
You’ll enjoy your art business tasks more when you have a more hospitable personal space.
Clean out cabinets, drawers, and closets. Donate and recycle what is no longer needed. Schedule a home pick-up for the big stuff.
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]]>Optimize your schedule and increase efficiency—not so you can do more, but so that you make the most out of your limited time and enjoy life.
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]]>As an artist and 1-person business owner, you are the talented maker, gregarious promoter, delightful conversationalist, and head honcho. All. At. The. Same. Time.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all of these simultaneous roles.
You’re juggling all of the moving pieces of your art business along with the responsibilities and joys of your personal life.
Perhaps … Just maybe … It might be heartening to remember that you are no busier and no more overwhelmed than the next artist. Everyone has something that steals their energy.
On the home front, it might be school-aged kids, struggling adult children, or aging parents. I also have clients whose work is sidelined by moving and building projects. And artists who deal with chronic pain, illness, and life-threatening health issues.
These are all real reasons for lower productivity.
Every artist I have ever worked with would like to squeeze more time from their busy calendars. After all, you are overflowing with ideas. You’ll never have time to make everything you want to make, and that is incredibly frustrating.
In this post and episode of the Art Biz, I’ll share 8 tips for time management along with 2 truths to consider.
Listen
Recovering Productivity Geek
Before we get deep into productivity tips, I must confess that I am a recovering productivity geek.
I used to read everything about the topic that came into view—subscribing to productivity newsletters and investing in more productivity courses. I still get caught in that trap.
But my interest in productivity has evolved since reading Oliver Burkeman’s book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. I find myself recommending this book to everyone. (affiliate link)
His introduction is titled “In the Long Run, We’re All Dead.” Sounds fatalistic, but he speaks the truth. We’ve been given an average of 4,000 weeks on this big blue marble called Earth, but we act and work like we have infinite amounts of time. Trying to get more done, adding more to our calendars, isn’t necessarily the best way to spend our time.
Burkeman writes, “Productivity is a trap. Becoming more efficient just makes you more rushed, and trying to clear the decks simply makes them fill up again faster.” Chew on that for a while. Preferably while sipping a watermelon margarita by the pool.
Time Management Is a Lie
In sharing these time management tips, I’m not encouraging you to do MORE. I’m encouraging you to be more efficient so you can enjoy, as Mary Oliver wrote, this one precious life.
I’m just going to jump in with the first truth, which is this: Time management is a lie.
It’s impossible to manage time. The clocks keep ticking and the sun continues to rise and set. There’s nothing you can do about that.
Rather than talking about Time management, you need to focus on Self management.
Use these 8 tips to help with self-management and stick with me until the end because I’m certain you’ll be comforted by the second truth.
1. Make time for planning.
Planning time is your best friend.
If you think you’re too busy to set aside a couple of hours a week to plan, you will have no one to blame but yourself when you lose sleep. You’re likely feeling swamped because you didn’t make time to plan … when you stumbled from task to task because you had so much to do.
In my experience, overwhelm happens when everything is up in my head. I don’t know what happens up there and who is responsible for such shenanigans, but my brain in overwhelm gear is pretty worthless. It’s unfocused, directionless, fearful, and anxious. This makes it impossible to get anything constructive accomplished.
The solution is to get out the calendar and task list and map out everything on my plate.
I am speaking from experience as I’ve been in this state recently. It happens! In fact, it happens more often than I’d like to admit. But I can always find my way out of the overwhelm when I set aside time to plan.
Quick tool: The Brain Dump
2. Understand your natural rhythms.
When do you do your best work?
If it takes you 2 hours and 4 cups of coffee to wake up in the morning, don’t attempt your most valuable work during that time. Know when you are your most productive self and hold that time sacred for your art or writing.
As a corollary, if you aren’t currently productive in a particular area, monitor your calendar and figure out what you might need to switch around to make the most of your days.
3. Honor your calendar.
If it’s important, schedule it. Block out time on your calendar to take care of tasks that need significant amounts of uninterrupted time.
My calendar not only has my timed appointments with clients and coaching groups, but also blocks of time for creating content and making connections with people.
Review your calendar at the end of each day and again before you begin work in the morning.
4. Turn repeated tasks into systems.
Stop reinventing the steps it takes to publish a newsletter or blog post, or to promote an exhibition. Create reliable systems for every task you undertake on a regular basis. Well-defined systems will save your behind and help you rest easily.
A system is a series of steps that answer the following questions.
- What, precisely, do you want to happen?
- What tools and technology will you use?
- Who else will be or needs to be part of it?
- What are the repeatable steps—exactly?
- What kind of review process will you put into place to make sure the system is working?
In his book, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear encourages us to focus on systems instead of goals—systems comprised of tiny (atomic) improvements. He writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” (affiliate link)
5. Group similar tasks together.
You have heard this advice before, but it might be time to revisit it when it comes to your art business.
Use the momentum you create from starting a single task to complete other tasks that are similar.
For example, write four article drafts in one sitting rather than doing one a day. It’s easier, I promise! It sounds crazy, but it’s true. Something happens when you devote a couple of hours to focused writing. It’s like your ideas start having babies. They multiply and feed off of one another, so pretty soon that one little idea becomes four.
Same thing happens when you schedule social media posts for an entire week or month of content.
Other tasks that you might group together include the following:
- Run all of your errands or do all of your online shopping in one, dedicated, afternoon.
- Process email in your inbox during two daily sessions rather than “checking it” throughout the day.
- Save packing and shipping for dedicated time slots rather than doing it as orders come in. When I used to sell copies of my book directly from my website, I had text right there on the order page that said I shipped every Tuesday and Friday. The automated email buyers received included the same notification.
6. Stop multitasking.
Multitasking is working on diverse tasks simultaneously and, usually, doing them all half-heartedly: responding to email while attending a webinar, texting while trying to write a newsletter, or just moving back and forth between your inbox and another open window on your computer.
Research shows that only about 2.5% of college students can multitask effectively.
And get this: Switching from task to task and back again adds as much as 25% more time to what it would normally take to complete each task. Twenty-five percent!
You don’t have 25% more time to waste.
If you want to save time and be a better self-manager, stop multitasking.
With so much demanding our attention these days, we all fall into this bad habit. When you catch yourself, feel free to snap out of it by reciting a mantra I devised for these moments: I do one thing at a time to completion.
7. Automate everything possible.
What happens when someone signs up for your email list? And then what? And then what?
You can automate those responses when you use an email marketing platform.
Also consider automating:
- Savings. Take 10% out of every payment and put it in a separate interest-earning savings account or retirement fund.
- Meals. I love to cook, but we went through a meal-delivery period. My favorite thing about meal delivery isn’t the meals themselves, though they are delicious, but that it removed the need to make a decision about what to eat. (See #4.)
- Orders for supplies you use regularly. For example, I love that Amazon sends us a package of 2 electric toothbrush heads every 3 months.
8. Learn to say No (and mean it).
I saved the most difficult for last.
Invitations bombard you from every direction, and you have to have the strength to know what is critical to add to your calendar and, more importantly, what doesn’t deserve a place on your schedule.
It’s fairly easy to say No to what isn’t palatable or what doesn’t sound fun. It’s harder to turn down the things that are more enjoyable in order to give your best effort to long-term progress.
Clarity is key.
When you are very clear about your direction, it’s easier to say No to the opportunities and requests that don’t serve your best interests. This is the toughest lesson you’ll learn when trying to build your art business.
If you master saying No, you’ll master yourself and your business.
If you find it difficult to manage yourself and your time, support and accountability might help. I give you that inside the Art Biz Accelerator. It’s a community of trusted artists who are on a similar journey and get you. I lead the coaching and conversations
Check it out and join us if it’s right for you. You can join anytime but the sooner you join, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits.
The Second Truth
Those are the 8 tips.
I promised you a 2nd truth around time management, which I hope you’ll find comfort in. And that is this:
The important stuff always gets done.
Somehow, magically, amazingly.
It gets done because it’s important! You recognize its value and somehow manage to make it happen. Knowing this truth is a relief.
Remember: You have an average of 4,000 weeks on this planet. Don’t try to do more. Try finding ways to enjoy what you’re doing and to make time for the things that feed your soul.
First published August 6, 2015 and updated February 7, 2019. Updated and podcast episode added with original comments intact.
Related Episodes
These episodes focus on business systems.
The post The Art Biz ep. 152: How to Squeeze More Time from Your Busy Calendar appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>You aren't checking boxes and crossing items off of a list, but you are feeling more in control. You begin to see possibilities that weren't previously evident.
When you are overwhelmed, I suggest starting the process by moving some energy around and then doing a brain dump.
The post A Proven De-stressing Technique to Eliminate Overwhelm appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>You’re feeling like you can’t get all of your tasks done in the time you have, and God bless the poor person who asks you for a favor right now. Oh, boy! Will they ever get an earful!
You’re probably also unfocused. You know that you have a lot to do, but can’t decide what is the best use of your time in this moment. So maybe you open up your inbox or scroll through Instagram because it feels like you’re doing something.
This is where I’ve been for the past couple of weeks—except for the Instagram scrolling. I didn’t have time for that. Chaos. Technology meltdowns. Imminent deadlines with demands for my attention coming from all angles. Extreme irritability. Don’t even come near me!
As we like to say in our Art Biz Connection community, I’ve been so busy working in the business that I haven’t been able to work on the business.
Working in the business is the daily work that you carry out on behalf of your boss (probably yourself). It’s nose-to-the-grindstone. You have blinders on because of this busy-ness, which often means you’re in the muck and can’t see the future and possibilities. Busy work might be absolutely necessary to keep things rolling along, but it is rarely fulfilling.
I recently talked about working in v. working on your business this on an Instagram livestream.
View this post on Instagram
Working on the business means evaluating your busy-ness—taking time to look critically at your next steps, if only briefly.
Instead of staying the course without looking up, you’re acting as the CEO you signed up to be and analyzing, questioning, and strategizing. Is it the right direction? What else is possible? What do you need to address? It’s taking a deep breath and giving yourself enough space to make wiser decisions (and check to see that past decisions are still right for you).
There is a deep sense of satisfaction when working on your business. You aren’t checking boxes and crossing items off of a list, but you are feeling more in control. You begin to see possibilities that weren’t previously evident.
When we’ve been working in the business for too long, we’re in dire need of a reset.
Here’s how you can begin the process of eliminating your current state of overwhelm.
Move The Energy Around
As a first step, move some energy around by trying any of the following.
- Take a walk, do a workout, stretch, or just move your body.
- Tidy up your physical space by decluttering.
- Tidy up your computer desktop, files, or inbox.
- Recycle or throw away whatever is in eyeshot that you don’t need.
- Move the furniture, change your view, or switch out your pillows or throw blanket.
Any of these can forge a path for higher vibrations to enter. Now you’re ready for your brain dump.
Prepare For Your Brain Dump
If you have more warning than I did … In other words, if you didn’t have a total meltdown and feel the need to cancel everything else on your schedule immediately … You can prepare for your brain dump (Brain dumps rarely make it to my calendar as I tend to need them for immediate relief).
You’re going to need a good hour for the process. When the time comes, close your computer windows, light a candle, play mood music, say a prayer, try EFT tapping, or perform whatever ritual you require in these moments.
You’ll need a couple of pieces of paper or, my preference, a 2-page spread in your journal or notebook.
I like to begin tasks with focused intention and name the task: Now, I am sitting down to get whatever is in my head onto this piece of paper. Sometimes I even say it out loud.
Naming it provides space. You’re not doing anything else at this time. You’re only working on this one thing.
Lay Out Your Projects
In the Artist Planning Sessions, I define a project as a goal that contributes to your vision and takes place in a defined period of time. It consists of multiple steps (tasks) that must be completed in order to be successful.
Your projects might look like any of these.
- Planning an upcoming exhibition
- Developing a new workshop
- Promoting a class or workshop you are teaching
- Ongoing marketing
- Completing a commission
- Writing a grant or residency proposal
- Gaining gallery representation
- Overhauling your website
On your two pages, make headings for specific projects that are on your plate at this moment, leaving plenty of space in between each.
If you find your attention is wandering away from the objective of completing your brain dump, get up and run in place for 1 minute, walk up and down a flight of stairs, or lift your free weights for 10 reps. Physical movement should jolt you into an improved mental state.
You understand, don’t you, that you’re in real trouble if you can’t focus long enough to do a brain dump that will help you focus?
Identify Sub-Projects
Under each heading, make a list of smaller projects that contribute to the success of your bigger project.
For example, if your larger project is ongoing marketing, your sub-projects might include any of the following.
- Posting to Instagram
- Sending monthly emails
- Making 2 videos a month
- Networking
- Giving public talks
There’s no such thing as perfection here. Your mission is to document everything that is in your head right now.
You might also want to prioritize the sub-projects. Which ones must be done first? Either they have to be completed before you can move on to other tasks or the deadline is closest.
I sometimes label mine with a 1, 2, or 3 (and sometimes add a decimal point if I need to squeeze something in between two digits).
Add Tasks to Your To-Do List
You can use your brain dump paper as a to-do list only briefly. It’s too nutty to use it for more than a couple of days.
From your sub-projects, you should be able to identify related tasks and deadlines. Add these to your master to-do list.
Work The System
Your final step is to maintain this level of control for as long as possible. You have to work the systems you have put in place.
[ How to Increase Your Productivity with Art Business Systems ]
You have to look at your task list, review your projects, work on your business.
As hard as you try to stay in control, the overwhelm is likely to show up again. You’ll recognize it. And then you’ll have a proven process to get back on track.
This post was first published on January 28, 2016. It has been updated with original comments intact.
The post A Proven De-stressing Technique to Eliminate Overwhelm appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>This topic came up back in episode 96 when I talked with Jill Soukup about what she has done to increase profitability and happiness while reducing the things that lead to frustration and stress.
I think we unnecessarily complicate our businesses because we lose focus. We get distracted by social media posts and emails. The next great invention makes it to our line of vision and we suddenly wonder how we ever did without it.
Before we know it, we've typed in our credit card number, ordered or downloaded the professed solution to all of our problems, and upended the momentum we had built.
This insight that you are distracted by the latest and greatest isn't my clairvoyance into your world. It happens to me. All. The. Time. I am not immune to searching for magic tools that will make my life easier, help me be more productive, or increase my bottom line. And during this month that we're working on improving productivity, it's even more tempting to search for solutions outside of ourselves.
The truth is, you probably already have everything you need except, perhaps, community, support, and accountability, which you can find in Art Biz Success programs.
To help me unpack this idea, I'm joined on this episode of The Art Biz by Amelia Furman, who says that her to-do list was out of control before she took charge and started eliminating obligations from her life. She tells us why simplifying has become a way of life for her, what, exactly, she has simplified, and how she has done it. But first, let's hear about how she got to this point.
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]]>This topic came up back in episode 96 when I talked with Jill Soukup about what she has done to increase profitability and happiness while reducing the things that lead to frustration and stress.
I think we unnecessarily complicate our businesses because we lose focus. We get distracted by social media posts and emails. The next great invention makes it to our line of vision and we suddenly wonder how we ever did without it.
Before we know it, we’ve typed in our credit card number, ordered or downloaded the professed solution to all of our problems, and upended the momentum we had built.
This insight that you are distracted by the latest and greatest isn’t my clairvoyance into your world. It happens to me. All. The. Time. I am not immune to searching for magic tools that will make my life easier, help me be more productive, or increase my bottom line. And during this month that we’re working on improving productivity, it’s even more tempting to search for solutions outside of ourselves.
The truth is, you probably already have everything you need except, perhaps, community, support, and accountability, which you can find in Art Biz Success programs.
To help me unpack this idea, I’m joined on this episode of The Art Biz by Amelia Furman, who says that her to-do list was out of control before she took charge and started eliminating obligations from her life. She tells us why simplifying has become a way of life for her, what, exactly, she has simplified, and how she has done it. But first, let’s hear about how she got to this point.
Highlights
- Amelia shares her artist’s journey. (2:19)
- The breaking point that revealed that Amelia’s to-do list was out of control. (4:53)
- For Amelia, making big changes begins with a deliberate start to every day. (9:58)
- Why is simplifying so important? (13:29)
- Focusing on one goal or one word each year can help you recall what matters most. (15:05)
- Setting boundaries and saying no helps Amelia reach her main goals. (22:00)
- Doubling her gross income doesn’t mean that Amelia is doing more of everything. (24:17)
- How to schedule your time in more productive ways. (26:08)
- What does your ideal day look like? What about an ideal week or month? (29:45)
- Bullet journaling, calendaring, and planning your life. (35:32)
- How to create a loose monthly flow that allows you to meet your goals. (37:38)
- Simplifying, eliminating, and focusing have increased Amelia’s productivity. (40:18)
- The value of participating in a business owners group. (42:00)
- Amelia’s advice for simplifying a complicated artist’s life. (45:26)
- A look at what is up next for Amelia. (46:30)
Mentioned
Amelia Furman Quotes
- “A to-do list can help you get all the things done, which is awesome until it’s the end all be all. Then it’s not awesome anymore.”
- “Organizing what needed to happen for that day only really helped to focus in and start this journey toward simplicity.”
- “Now I’m not saying yes to things just because I can do them. I’m saying yes to things based on my goal.”
- “So much of this is being honest with myself about how much time something actually takes.”
- “I have no further plan beyond each day, and that really helps me stay focused on that day and simplifies it so much in my mind.”
- “Be brave and start taking stuff out.”
About My Guest
Amelia Furman grew up in rural, central Pennsylvania amidst pastoral scenes of farms, fields, and forests, and now calls Colorado home. Nature has captured her attention for as long as she can remember. The visual arts were also a dominant force in Amelia’s life from an early age. After graduating with a degree in visual art from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2003, Amelia began to explore how she could use paint to express her love of the natural world.
Amelia’s background in printmaking and illustration has heavily influenced the direction of her work. She works in a combination of paper collage, text, and thin layers of acrylic paint. Using a selection of documents, vintage images, handwritten text, and symbols associated with the painted image, Amelia reminds the viewer that places and objects have many layers of meaning, memory, and beauty.
Follow Amelia on Instagram: @ameliafurmanmixedmedia
Related
This IGTV is about getting realistic about your time.
View this post on Instagram
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]]>Sometimes it's about doing less by being discerning about what you take on and where you invest your energy.
This is extremely difficult to do when you are trying to show and sell your art. You want to do more. To add new income streams and the latest marketing platforms. The ads and social media posts are encouraging you to do more.
But more is exhausting.
Jill Soukup, who has been a student and client of mine over the past decade, is my guest on this episode of the Art Biz Podcast. There are at least three things that I admire about Jill:
- She, above all, is dedicated to becoming a better artist. To methodically improving her work.
- She knows what she wants. How she wants her career, business, and life to be.
- She knows what she doesn't want.
To this list I would add that she is generous, open, and an all-around nice person.
In this conversation, Jill and I discuss how and where she sells her work, how teaching fits in with her income plan, how she makes sure she remains profitable, and why it's important for her to keep things simple.
The post The Art Biz ep. 98: Being Profitable Doesn’t Have to Mean Doing More with Jill Soukup appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Sometimes it’s about doing less by being discerning about what you take on and where you invest your energy.
This is extremely difficult to do when you are trying to show and sell your art. You want to do more. To add new income streams and the latest marketing platforms. The ads and social media posts are encouraging you to do more.
But more is exhausting.
Jill Soukup, who has been a student and client of mine over the past decade, is my guest on this episode of the Art Biz Podcast. There are at least three things that I admire about Jill:
- She, above all, is dedicated to becoming a better artist. To methodically improving her work.
- She knows what she wants. How she wants her career, business, and life to be.
- She knows what she doesn’t want.
To this list I would add that she is generous, open, and an all-around nice person.
In this conversation, Jill and I discuss how and where she sells her work, how teaching fits in with her income plan, how she makes sure she remains profitable, and why it’s important for her to keep things simple.
Music by Wildermiss
Highlights
-
- Jill’s transition to full-time artist and where she shows and sells her art today. (1:51)
- The inspiration behind Jill’s Western-themed art. (5:56)
- Selling on Instagram is changing the dynamics of Jill’s work. (8:39)
- Logistics of selling prints and giving customers what they want. (11:34)
- Spending money to make money. (15:25)
- The strategies that allow Jill to get work done without working harder. (19:31)
- For Jill, doing less has resulted in even more success in her art business. (23:47)
- The hallmark of an exceptional artist: dedication to your craft and honing your skills. (29:10)
- Teaching, raising prices, and decreasing her painting output keeps Jill’s income steady. (30:45)
- Bookkeeping details and how Jill knows she is profitable. (37:24)
- Why is simplifying so important in Jill’s business—and life? (40:56)
- Insights from Jill’s typical work day and what she’s working toward now. (46:14)
Mentioned
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale
Jill Soukup Quotes
“As artists we ebb and flow in our process and what we’re producing.”
“This experience is teaching me to dig deeper and to see things that I wasn’t seeing before.”
“At that point I recognized that I was so overwhelmed. I wasn’t making any decisions because I had too many decisions to make.”
“At that moment I realized what really was important to me, and that all of the other things on my list were not even necessary.”
“Everything I chose to do had to meet one of my three goals and it just simplified everything. And it was such a beautiful thing.”
About My Guest
Jill Soukup was born in Buffalo, New York. Shortly thereafter, her family moved to Colorado, where she still resides. Jill’s affinity for horses as a young girl resulted in countless drawings and studies of them, which made for a strong drawing foundation. As a teen, she started a pet-portrait business, acquired jobs painting murals, and designed logos for local organizations.
Jill graduated from Colorado State University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Art. There, she received awards for illustration and design and worked as an illustrator and designer for the university. She initially pursued a career in graphic design while continuing to paint part time. After 11 years as a designer, she made the switch to full-time painting. Her work continues to gain recognition as she receives awards, appears in national publications, and shows in important juried and one-woman exhibitions.
Follow Jill on Instagram: @jillsoukup
Music by Wildermiss
The post The Art Biz ep. 98: Being Profitable Doesn’t Have to Mean Doing More with Jill Soukup appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>How can you make really good art when you’re worried about where you stored the image the reporter is requesting or wondering what you did with that exhibition contract that’s due tomorrow?
The solution to this problem might be as simple as how you name things.
Naming Conventions in Your Art Business
I suggest using these five naming tips to help you find anything when you need it.
1. Title your artworks.
Titling your art differentiates this piece from that piece. This keeps you sane whether you’re trying to identify a piece for someone, organizing numerous works for an exhibit, or updating your inventory records.
Titling isn’t just for you, it’s also helpful to collectors and writers who want to refer to your art.
Referring to the piece titled Tense Moments is much easier than calling it "the one that’s mostly orange with a little green line about one-third of the way down" or "the fourth one from the top."
2. Title your exhibitions.
Like the titles of your art, the titles of your exhibitions
The post How to Find Anything When You Need It appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>How can you make really good art when you’re worried about where you stored the image the reporter is requesting or wondering what you did with that exhibition contract that’s due tomorrow?
The solution to this problem might be as simple as how you name things.
Naming Conventions in Your Art Business
I suggest using these five naming tips to help you find anything when you need it.
1. Title your artworks.
Titling your art differentiates this piece from that piece. This keeps you sane whether you’re trying to identify a piece for someone, organizing numerous works for an exhibit, or updating your inventory records.
Titling isn’t just for you, it’s also helpful to collectors and writers who want to refer to your art.
Referring to the piece titled Tense Moments is much easier than calling it “the one that’s mostly orange with a little green line about one-third of the way down” or “the fourth one from the top.”
2. Title your exhibitions.
Like the titles of your art, the titles of your exhibitions differentiate them from one another.
Have you ever read an artist résumé that looks like they repeat the same show every year? An artist’s list of accomplishments looks juicier if the exhibitions have varied names.
3. Standardize your digital filenames.
Name your files with enough description that you can find what you need in a list and are able to conduct a successful search on your computer.
If you have certain files you use for every show or exhibition, devise a standard. For example:
Contract – Art Center December.docx
Labels – Art Center December.docx
Statement – Art Center December. docx
Timeline – Art Center December.docx
4. Label your paper files with titles similar to your e-files.
Once you have a system in place for e-files, why would you invent a separate one for your paper files? Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
You’ll be able to get your hands on a file quickly if you stick with the system.
5. Identify your tasks with colorful detail.
Keep your to-dos on an electronic task list. In contrast to paper, e-lists allow you to repeat, sort, and change tasks with ease. An e-list also gives you a lot more space to articulate each task.
There’s no comparison for maintaining a master to-do list.
When adding a new task to your list, start with a verb (Write, Email, Deliver, Mail) and add details that clearly define the action needed.
If you are mindful of how you title, label, and name things, you’ll be able to find them when you need them most. How do you name things?
This post was originally published on July 31, 2013 and has been updated with original comments intact.
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]]>Gwen left this comment in our Art Career Success System private group. I was struck by her insight because I had been reading about this at the time. “Decision fatigue” is a real phenomenon in contemporary society.
According to researchers, we make over 200 decisions per day about food alone. Just food decisions! I don’t know about you, but all of these decisions wear me out.
As an example, I spent 3 months last fall researching espresso machines – dreaming of holding the perfect cup of coffee while still in my jammies. But I could never click the button to buy.
My husband took me out of my misery. He decided on one, bought it, wrapped it, and put it under the tree. Best. Gift. Ever. No decision (on my part) was required.
Don’t get me started on making travel reservations. I can't stand to make plane reservations or to find a hotel. What if I book "the wrong" flight or land at the wrong airport? Don't laugh. I recently did this when I was confused about a small airport name, and it cost me a lot of extra driving time.
I contend that we’re happier when
The post Overcome Decision Fatigue by Automating and Systematizing appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Gwen left this comment in our private community. I was struck by her insight because I had been reading about this at the time. Decision fatigue is a real phenomenon in contemporary society that wreaks havoc on our productivity.
According to researchers, we make over 200 decisions per day about food alone. Just food decisions! I don’t know about you, but all of these decisions wear Gwen and me out.
As an example, a number of years ago I spent 3 months researching espresso machines—dreaming of holding the perfect cup of coffee while pecking out some brilliance on these keys. But I could never bring myself to click the button to buy. I was too overwhelmed by all of the choices.
Researchers know that we grow increasingly indecisive as the day wears on. We begin to act impulsively and look for shortcuts. For me, this fatigue shows up in a single phrase that I repeat often when I’m tired of making decisions: I don’t care.
I don’t care whether the espresso machine is chrome or black or polka-dotted. I don’t care if it grinds its own beans or I have to use a separate grinder. I don’t care if … You get the picture.
While I truly don’t care in the moment, the wrong choice could lead to a bad case of buyer’s remorse. Not. Good.
My husband took me out of my misery. He selected an espresso machine, bought it, wrapped it, and put it under the tree. Best. Gift. Ever. No decision (on my part) was required.
Don’t get me started on making travel reservations. I can’t stand to make plane reservations or to find a hotel. What if I book “the wrong” flight or land at the wrong airport? Don’t laugh. I did this when I was confused about a small airport name, and it cost me a lot of extra driving time. WTH?
I contend that we’re happier when we have fewer decisions to make, and that we’re better with the important decisions if we don’t spend time on the little ones. That’s why I’m encouraging you to create routines, automate as much as you can, and turn repeated tasks into systems so you don’t wear out your decision motor.
What can you do without thinking? Consider the following.
Time Management
Preparing for your day.
There’s a better way to start your day than jumping out of bed and checking email messages before doing anything else. It’s worse yet if you’re checking email while still in bed.
Develop a morning routine that sets the tone for the entire day.
Ending your day.
There’s no better way to get a good night’s sleep than to create space between your work, chores, and hectic evening. Here are some suggestions:
- Plan the next day, making sure you’ve captured all of your to-dos.
- Step away from all digital screens at least one hour before going to bed.
- Stretch.
- Meditate or write in your journal.
Art and Service Sales
Sending thank-you emails.
When someone signs up for your list or one of your classes, they should receive an email with your gratitude. Set up autoresponders in your sales process to take care of this for you.
Suggestion: Subscribe yourself to make sure you know what they’re getting. Even if it’s automated, you still want it to feel personal.
Responding to donation requests.
Every artist should have a policy for handling requests for donations of their art that triggers subsequent steps.
You receive a request, and, because you have a policy in place, you know whether it’s worth entertaining or you can say No outright. You have a standard reply instead of spending time deciding what to say.
[ Limits for Donating Your Art ]
Completing a work of art.
There are certain things that must be done when you finish a work. You sign it, give it a title, add it to your inventory, and photograph it.
What else is part of your routine after a work is finished? Write your procedure down and refer to it after you complete a new work.
Packing and shipping your art.
When I used to receive online orders for hard copies of my book, they were automatically sent to my assistant on the other side of the country who prepared the shipping labels. We could go online, print the labels, and ship.
It was a small step in the process, but it saved loads of time.
What part of your packing and shipping can you automate or do without thinking?
Marketing
Following up with someone who buys a piece of art from you.
When someone buys a piece of art, when and how do they next hear from you? And then what? And then what? Turn it into a system so that you don’t waste time and energy trying to choose how you should stay in touch.
Is your system different if they buy online than if they buy in person?
Promoting a class, workshop, or other program.
Next time you teach or lead a program, write down everything you do to promote it. Do the same for subsequent events. You will soon have a replicable framework for promoting in the future.
Sure, they’ll be tweaked each time, but there will be numerous steps that don’t require a lot of brainpower.
Scheduling social media.
If you are devoted to regular posting on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, consider using a social media scheduler like Later, HootSuite, or Buffer. It’s not fully automated (you still have to do some of the work), but seeing your images and ideas in one place makes the decision about what to post seem that much less onerous.
Finances
Lucky you! Your finances can be automated in many ways. For example:
- Contributions to your retirement or savings account
- Notifications for low balances
- Reminders for payment deadlines
- Quarterly tax payments
- Balances on a credit card
Is it time to set up additional automation for handling your money?
We still use that espresso machine every day, but it wasn’t my husband’s last research job. Whether he likes it or not, he continues to be tasked with making decisions about major appliances because I need to use my brain cells elsewhere. To date, he has selected, over time, an oven-stove (gas with 2 ovens, please), a dishwasher (I selected the brand and he did the rest), and the refrigerator (bottom freezer was my only demand).
If you have a significant other who can perform these tasks for you, congratulations! Throw a little more appreciation their way. If not, do whatever you can to lessen the negative impact of decision fatigue.
Reserve your energy for the important decisions required around making art and running a business.
What do you do without even thinking? What can you do without thinking?
In Context: The Capsule Wardrobe
Have you discovered during quarantine that you need a lot fewer clothes than you thought you did?
Consider embracing the idea of a capsule wardrobe.
Susie Faux birthed this idea in the 1970s. A capsule wardrobe is built from a small number of simple, versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched. By deliberately limiting your closet selection, you eliminate many woes around what to wear.
[ How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe by Courtney Carver ]
Those Things You Never Get Around To
I love how your challenges MAKE us do things on our list that we never seem to get to … and make it seem so much simpler! —Christine Aaron
Christine and other members of our community have been working on weekly challenges to improve photos and videos for marketing their art. I selected specific tasks that I knew were a stretch for many members, but all quite doable. At the end of the month, I’ll select a single person who participated most fully throughout the month to receive a complimentary consulting session with me. Up for a challenge or two?
This was originally published on September 8, 2016. It has been updated with original comments intact.
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]]>If you want to be a more productive artist, you must embrace your role as the CEO of your art business. In that capacity, you understand that every decision you make impacts your income, influence, and legacy. Every decision.
When you are productive … when you are fully in charge of your art business … you know which tasks are most important and which can wait.
A Productive Artist's Profile
Before I get too deep into this topic, I have to fess up to having more than my fair share of unproductive days. My productivity seems to come in cycles. Maybe it’s the change of seasons or the promise of the New Year, but, lately, my productivity has soared.
I am still trying to figure out the productivity puzzle. I read plenty about the topic. I listen to productivity podcasts. I, like you, want the secret sauce that will help me eke out one or two more tasks in a day. (I’ve also discovered that one can, ironically, be incredibly unproductive while researching productivity.)
I’m in the process of holding individual video conferences with every single member of my coaching programs to reflect on their year with us. After asking about their accomplishments, I want to know about the challenges they continue to face.
Those who have been working with us longer have higher level and focused challenges. Those who are newer consistently list time (lack thereof) and prioritizing as their biggest challenges.
You are not alone in your drive to become a more productive artist. But the good news is, it’s a skill you can learn.
How You Spend Your Time is a Reflection of Your Priorities
Becoming more productive is a process you need to put in place and, here’s the clincher, follow for months and years. You must be committed to the process, and you won’t be unless you’re also committed to your art business and career.
You get to choose how to spend your time, and how you spend your time reveals what you prioritize in life.
How you spend your time tells the rest of the world what is important to you.
The post Productivity for Artists Isn’t About Doing More appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>If you want to be a more productive artist, you must embrace your role as the CEO of your art business. In that capacity, you understand that every decision you make impacts your income, influence, and legacy. Every decision.
When you are productive … when you are fully in charge of your art business … you know which tasks are most important and which can wait.
A Productive Artist’s Profile
Before I get too deep into this topic, I have to fess up to having more than my fair share of unproductive days. My productivity seems to come in cycles. Maybe it’s the change of seasons or the promise of the New Year, but, lately, my productivity has soared.
I am still trying to figure out the productivity puzzle. I read plenty about the topic. I listen to productivity podcasts. I, like you, want the secret sauce that will help me eke out one or two more tasks in a day. (I’ve also discovered that one can, ironically, be incredibly unproductive while researching productivity.)
I’m in the process of holding individual video conferences with every single member of my coaching programs to reflect on their year with us. After asking about their accomplishments, I want to know about the challenges they continue to face.
Those who have been working with us longer have higher level and focused challenges. Those who are newer consistently list time (lack thereof) and prioritizing as their biggest challenges.
You are not alone in your drive to become a more productive artist. But the good news is, it’s a skill you can learn.
How You Spend Your Time is a Reflection of Your Priorities
Becoming more productive is a process you need to put in place and, here’s the clincher, follow for months and years. You must be committed to the process, and you won’t be unless you’re also committed to your art business and career.
You get to choose how to spend your time, and how you spend your time reveals what you prioritize in life.
How you spend your time tells the rest of the world what is important to you.
What productivity looks like to me now is very different than how I saw it 15, 10 or even 5 years ago. Ten or 15 years ago, productivity meant checking off tasks on a list. The more I checked off, the more productive I was. Write, write, write. Make, make, make. Send, send, send.
Now I see productivity holistically—the way it should be. I look at my purpose, vision, and goals rather than zeroing in on tasks. Don’t get me wrong, eventually the tasks need to become a focus, but they must always be connected to the big picture.
This is one of the first lessons I teach in the Art Biz Accelerator.
If you don’t look at your art career holistically, you are likely to be distracted by every new idea tossed your way. Forgive yourself! You’re an artist whose senses lead to inspiration and experiences that become the seeds of the work you make. You are blessed with more ideas than most people will have in a lifetime.
But when you want to sell your art … when you want to share it with more people … when you want to be recognized for your work … you must know which ideas are meant for you at this time. You can’t allow yourself to be distracted by all the noise.
The Secrets of Highly Productive Artists
I’ve been working with artists since 2002. Thousands of artists have read my book and blog, listened to my podcast, attended my workshops, enrolled in my courses, and been supported by my coaching programs. My point is that I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of artists.
The artists whose careers I’ve witnessed run the gamut in terms of their approaches to their businesses. I’ve observed plenty of artists struggling to hang on while others, sadly, give up entirely. I’ve also, blessedly, had the privilege of watching many of them thrive.
There’s a clear distinction between committed, ambitious artists and those who are half-assing their way to what they hope will lead to something interesting.
I’ve said it hundreds of times, but it must be repeated. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making art for pure enjoyment. But when you try to show and sell it—especially when you want to make a living from it—you owe it to yourself and to other artists to be serious and professional.
In order for high-achieving artists to reach their goals, they must distinguish themselves. For every ambitious artist I’ve worked with, this means approaching their art, business, and career with utter devotion. Unwavering seriousness.
They have committed to a life as a working artist. They make hard decisions about the opportunities they encounter. They learn what to say No to and what to say Yes to. More to the point, they know that if it’s not an absolute Yes, it’s a No.
High-achieving artists also know that their chance of success increases dramatically when they have support. It’s much easier to go off course when you have no accountability. When you work by yourself it’s easy to let things slide by telling yourself that it won’t matter because nobody will know.
Trade-Offs are Required
Will you spend your morning on email and social media? Or will you focus on writing that grant application or finishing your latest commission?
You’re going to have to make some trade-offs. To be your most productive self, to be fully in charge of your business, you must come to terms with the fact that you can’t do everything you want. Nobody has that much time.
What are you willing to give up to reach your goals?
What habits do you need to change or enact?
Start Your Day With Intention
Don’t tell me you’re too busy and can’t let go of a single thing. Everybody is busy. Everybody is distracted. Everybody wants to do more.
Being busy is boring. Regardless of the work you do, you’re juggling personal and professional demands on your time. You want (and need) to stay connected to the world, your creativity, and your one precious life.
What’s more interesting is being an artist who is committed to growth and improvement, one day at a time.
A productive day starts the night before when you decide that you’re going to have a productive day. Be determined that you won’t allow outside forces to impede your progress. Visualize taking back control when those forces try to spoil the productivity party.
You are committed to your art career.
You are in charge of your time.
You understand there are trade-offs on the path to your goals.
You are not afraid to say No.
You are the freakin’ CEO of your art business.
The post Productivity for Artists Isn’t About Doing More appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>