What habits do you have in place for your studio time?
Often we focus solely on finding ways to create more art but not about the habits or lack of habits that we have implemented in the studio. No matter how big or small your studio space is, if it’s a room or a communal table habits can help you focus your creative energy.
Having healthy studio habits in place helps your creativity have the space to flow and grow. Things are in place that make it easier to maintain your studio practice. When you have the unhealthy bad habits in the studio you'll find yourself distracted, un organized, and always playing catchup when you could be focused on creating.
Here are 8 healthy studio habits
1. Cleaning/ Cleansing your area - It's a good habit to clean your studio so you have a clear space and clear mind for the next day or project. Some creatives will clean their space daily so they start each day with a fresh slate. Others will wait until a collection or project is done to clean their studio to get ready for the next collection or project.
2. Tracking inventory - Keeping track of your creations. Have a google doc, notebook, artworks archive, or even your website where you are able to to know every detail and location of each of your creations. Title, dimension, medium, year created, where it is, and if it's sold.
3. Organization - Having your supplies and creations organized will save you from losing things or purchasing excessively. Have your paints, papers, canvases, brushes, and other materials together so they are easy to find.
4. Avoiding Distractions - Your studio space is your work space. Make a place that you are not distracted by other things you didn't come in there to do. Wear headphones if you have a communal area. Place your phone in another room or face down at a distance so you don't get on it to scroll. Place a screensaver on your desktop so you don't go surfing the web. Work when your kids are asleep or tell your significant other to entertain them while you create. Even better make it a family affair and have everyone creating at the same time.
5. Digital Maintenance - Make it a habit to keep documentation of your creations updated and organized on your computer. Photograph and scan your art when it is completed. Label it with title, size, medium, and year of creation. Also to keep up with your online work tasks be it weekly newsletters, daily social media posts, blogs, and accounting.
6. Working Hours - Make your creating time a habit by scheduling in your working hours. Your creations are a priority and you should make it known that at certain times during the week you are in the studio no matter what even if it's an unsuccessful day. You can aim to just get started for 10 minutes but as long as you keep that commitment to create you are setting a healthy studio habit. It doesn't have to be every day either just a few times a week. Put it on your calendar, tell your friends and family that those times you are not to be disturbed.
7. Rituals - Set yourself up for daily and weekly success with rituals. Start your day off with good high energy. Have a ritual for starting creations to get you focused and transitioned. These can be things like journaling, meditating, getting something warm to drink, music, affirmations, or candles. Repeating a ritual will make the next step habitual.
8. Warm Ups/ Play - Allowing yourself time to play and explore when you create is vital to keeping your creativity nourished. You can't always be a producing machine. This feeds your creativity when you can just try new things, experiment and allow yourself that time because it's scheduled in. Your not going to wait until you have the time because it won't come if you don't make it a priority.
Have you noticed yourself lacking in any of these healthy studio habits? Like any other habit they can take time to implement and be consistent at. Take it one step at a time. Once you have one habit in place work on solidifying the next. Starting off by trying to do them all can be very overwhelming.
