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?
A Fresh Start: Actions To Take Before January 1 Read
As an artist and business owner, you’re constantly juggling responsibilities. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but take solace in knowing that you’re not alone. In this episode, I share 8 tips for and 2 truths about time management.
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.
The Art Biz ep. 152: How to Squeeze More Time from Your Busy Calendar Read
Working on the business means evaluating your busy-ness—taking time to look critically at your next steps, if only briefly. 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 you are overwhelmed, I suggest starting the process by moving some energy around and then doing a brain dump.
A Proven De-stressing Technique to Eliminate Overwhelm Read
Why do we make things so difficult for ourselves sometimes? We don’t mean to. It’s our nature to appreciate simple solutions that we can quickly grasp and execute.
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.
The Art Biz ep. 101: Simplifying to Improve Your Productivity with Amelia Furman Read
Being profitable as an artist doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do more.
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:
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 Art Biz ep. 98: Being Profitable Doesn’t Have to Mean Doing More with Jill Soukup Read
I subscribe to the theory that less clutter and a more organized mind and workspace mean more room for creativity.
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.
I suggest using these five naming tips to help you find anything when you need it.
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.”
Like the titles of your art, the titles of your exhibitions
How to Find Anything When You Need It Read
Every day takes too much thought. – Gwen Meharg
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
Overcome Decision Fatigue by Automating and Systematizing Read
Productivity for artists doesn’t mean that you work harder or take on more than you can handle. It means that you work smarter—that you use your time wisely.
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.
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.
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.
How you spend your time tells the rest of the world what is important to you.
Productivity for Artists Isn’t About Doing More Read
A number of years ago, I attended a mastermind meeting that had a consistent theme running through it.
The most successful people have a sense of urgency.
I believe this to be true because those I view as successful act quickly and decisively. They hustle. They get things done.
If we take it at face value, the phrase sense of urgency seems turbulent. It sounds like we should be moving hastily and acting immediately on ideas without much thought or care for anything else.
As I read more about a sense of urgency as it relates to business, I discover that it’s not necessarily about hurrying.
John Kotter, who wrote the book A Sense of Urgency, says the following.
True urgency focuses on critical issues. It is driven by the deep determination to win, not anxiety about losing. Many people confuse it with false urgency. This misguided sense of urgency does have energized action, but it has a frantic aspect to it with people driven by anxiety and fear. This dysfunctional orientation prevents people from exploiting opportunities and addressing real issues.
Why You Need a Sense of Urgency in Your Art Business Read
You are in charge of your art career.
This means you are the person who decides what to do immediately and what can wait for tomorrow, next week, or next month.
This sounded ideal until you realized how hard it is to prioritize your life and business by yourself.
You might have been accustomed to a boss telling you where to focus your energy. No more.
Entrepreneurship issued a wake-up call. You want freedom? Here it is! Go decide for yourself.
If you’re actively looking for opportunities, as you should be, there will be a time when you have more opportunities than you realistically have the bandwidth for. You’ll be hit with new invitations and requests from all corners.
But it’s unrealistic to involve yourself in every opportunity that comes your way.
Intellectually, you understand this. Emotionally, you want to believe you are somehow superhuman.
The projects might be exhibitions, commissions, licensing deals, wholesale contracts, teaching possibilities, separate jobs, or something else. They’re all projects that beg for your time, and they sound so exciting!
Your resolve is being tested by a voice that some people call a gremlin or troll. I call it The Tester.
How serious is she about this other project—really?
How good is he at knowing what he wants and needs?
All good entrepreneurs struggle with decisions in moments like these, especially if there is the potential for a big pay off at the end.
This is when you must ask yourself hard questions to help you answer the biggest question of all:
How to Decide Whether to Take on a New Project or Not Read
Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.
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