How some simple planning has changed the game of art for me

2018. The Void #2 by Teresa Navajo

You already know that I am a planner...

I should make planners I'm so into planning but there was a massive disconnect for me lately. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels and there was zero traction. I wasn't happy with how things were progressing in my career as an artist and after many a brainstorming sessions for the next big idea - Andrew and I got real and decided to invest zero dollars, use what we already have and make a hardcore plan for my art practice. So, Andrew and I put in an evening at "the round table" lol - that's our dining room table guys, not nearly as glamorous as it sounds. Glamour aside, the conversation we had really changed the game for me and this is what I learned and how I am doing it.

Step #1

You gotta get real. We sat down and laid it all out on the table. I looked at where I want to be in 5 years and what I am doing right now. I realized that some of what I am doing is not action items that bring me joy. We narrowed in on what would be my DREAM COME TRUE outcome and we created a system to make it happen.


Your plan or system may look totally different, but for me it looks like:

• Carving out at least 1 hour each day to create
• Dedicating 5 hours a week to administrative tasks like emails, writing a blog post, creating my newsletter, spending time on my website maintenance.
• Offering myself 5 hours a week to plan. This encompasses planning my art shows, finding shows and events to participate in, sharing my news and content on social media.
• Allowing ONLY 5 hours a week for FRINGE duties that pull me away from my practice. This includes emails, posting in the Facebook group, helping an artist plan their show, meeting up with an artist at an install. It's very very limited here and that's incredibly intentional.
• Adding up all that time, you will notice that all of those hours add up to 22 hours/per week of art business focus, intention and practice. That is a job guys... it's no surprise that you have to put in the work to see the results that you want.

 2018. Poseidon's Realm #3 by Teresa Navajo

Step #2

For me, I am a "yes man" I somewhere along the road picked up this idea that people will like me more if I am always available to do something for them. That hasnt really been working out for me the last few years, so a major part of my discovery was to eliminate the projects, tasks and obligations from my schedule that no longer (or never) brought me joy or were not bringing me closer to my goals.

My elimination list looks like this:

• The answer is never "Yes" without taking some time to reflect and review my schedule. This is true for show opportunities, events, picking up an extra day of work at my part-time job, etc.
• Diligently remove time sucking obligations from my task list. This means that I will be passing off a venue or two to another curator and will only manage one or two show spaces for FRINGE. It means that the artists I do work with in the shows I produce will have enough experience to handle setting up their art show without me being present. 

2018. The Swamp at Dawn by Teresa Navajo

Step #3

Dust off that calendar, notebook or bulletin board and make a schedule. We dug DEEP and planned my weeks out to the hour. I'm really good at self governing and I even budgeted in time to "goof off" because, yep, I am that person. By creating some grace in my schedule from the start - I have taken away the opportunity for me to fail.

This means that, refer to Step 1 - Budgeting 1 hour a day to create... well - if I spend a day in the studio and I am inspired and paint or create for 4 hours, 6 hours or the whole day then it's OKAY to skip a day that week if I want to go to the movies with Andrew or we want to spend some time out with friends. It gives me the ability to plan ahead and not stress or think that I "haven't done enough" so that I can truly enjoy the experiences I am in the moment of.

This means that I have set time for my part-time job and any hours in addition to what works for my art path means I need to already be ahead of the game. No more picking up a shift so that people like me and I later hate myself.

This means that I can truly live in the moment, paint and create a plan for the art and the content I am working on without having to spend a lot of time actually thinking about it.

Wrapping it up

I have been utilizing this system for a full week now - and while that does not sound like a ton of time, it honestly was. Why? Because in just 7 days, due to my planning and refocus I created so many additional hours in my week. I didn't have to sit at the "round table" to figure out my next move. I didn't mindlessly scroll instagram or facebook because I was feeling anxious and unable to start. I accomplished my tasks and had the additional space for the fun stuff and the unexpected stuff.

I hope that my process helps you find what works for you. If what I do isnt your answer, maybe it can get the wheels turning and you can find your own perfect recipe for getting it all done without feeling like there is nothing left of you. If you try my process, I'd love to hear how it worked, or is working, for you!