How to Succeed as an Artist Working at Home
You’ve achieved the dream, dumped the job, and are finally living the dream of being a full-time artist and working at home. Now what?
Many artists have the dream of getting out of the corporate rat race, leaving the stressful commute behind, and creating art all day. If you’ve managed to make that happen, yay, you!
So now that your commute is down the hall instead of down the freeway, how do you structure your days so that you succeed? I’ve been working from home as an artist, designer, writer, and more, for nearly twenty years and I’ve developed some essential strategies to make things work.
Here are ways your can set yourself up for success, whether you have a dedicated home studio, or simply a corner of the kitchen in which to create your art.
GET UP
Okay, this sounds far too simplistic, doesn't it? Of course, you’re going to get up up in the morning. But let me tell you, the temptation to lie in bed late can be strong if you've spent years waking to an alarm clock, or if you’re not naturally a morning person. But remember, you’re still getting up and going to work so lazing in bed in the morning should not be an option. While you can set your own work hours, a schedule that works for you is essential for productivity.
If you’re like me and live on the west coast, those folks in other time zones, who may be your clients, may have already been up and working for hours before your eyes open in the morning.
Okay, this sounds far too simplistic, doesn't it? Of course, you’re going to get up up in the morning. But let me tell you, the temptation to lie in bed late can be strong if you've spent years waking to an alarm clock, or if you’re not naturally a morning person. But remember, you’re still getting up and going to work so lazing in bed in the morning should not be an option. While you can set your own work hours, a schedule that works for you is essential for productivity.
If you’re like me and live on the west coast, those folks in other time zones, who may be your clients, may have already been up and working for hours before your eyes open in the morning.
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GET DRESSED
One of the perks of working at home is that you can work in your pyjamas. Who’s to know, right?
However, there is a certain mindset that goes with being in your nightclothes — that you’re still on leisure hours. Remember, how you do one thing is how you do most other things, so sloppy is as sloppy does.
If you conduct business via Skype, Facebook chat, or Zoom, where people will see you, it is doubly important that you look presentable and professional. Fix yourself up as though you’re going to work, because you are, even if you're just heading into your studio. I guarantee, you'll feel more prepared and productive.
One of the perks of working at home is that you can work in your pyjamas. Who’s to know, right?
However, there is a certain mindset that goes with being in your nightclothes — that you’re still on leisure hours. Remember, how you do one thing is how you do most other things, so sloppy is as sloppy does.
If you conduct business via Skype, Facebook chat, or Zoom, where people will see you, it is doubly important that you look presentable and professional. Fix yourself up as though you’re going to work, because you are, even if you're just heading into your studio. I guarantee, you'll feel more prepared and productive.
While we’re on the subject of sprucing up, it’s also a good idea to make your work space presentable. One reason for this is because of visual calls online; the other reason is that a neat work space makes doing your job easier.
Like most visual people, I’m happier when I can see what I need. But honestly, it gets away on me frequently. The “I’ll just put that here for now” method of dealing with incoming materials means it doesn’t take long until I’m overwhelmed with messes and piles.
I’m not saying that you have to constantly be cleaning up. Just regularly tidy up your space. The best way to stay on top of that is with systems.
Working at home can mean your ultimate success or your worst nightmare.
Like most visual people, I’m happier when I can see what I need. But honestly, it gets away on me frequently. The “I’ll just put that here for now” method of dealing with incoming materials means it doesn’t take long until I’m overwhelmed with messes and piles.
I’m not saying that you have to constantly be cleaning up. Just regularly tidy up your space. The best way to stay on top of that is with systems.
Working at home can mean your ultimate success or your worst nightmare.
GETTING STARTED
You’ve kicked the 9-5 job to the curb and have joined the ranks of those blessed few who get to work at home. You've crawled out of bed your first morning of freedom and are at your desk or in your studio bright and early, anxious to get started on your new life and career.
You may already have your time planned but if you don’t, it’s a good idea to put some schedules and systems into place. Trying to accomplish things with a loosey-goosey day plan (which is no plan) isn’t going to contribute to your success.
Without structure inherent in a job environment, it’s up to you to impose structure on your own time. The easiest way to do this is to write a daily schedule. Start by listing your main goals, and then break those out into a task list. By assigning “appointment” times, or duration times, to each task, you can stay on track without getting lost in the many choices you may have.
You’ve kicked the 9-5 job to the curb and have joined the ranks of those blessed few who get to work at home. You've crawled out of bed your first morning of freedom and are at your desk or in your studio bright and early, anxious to get started on your new life and career.
You may already have your time planned but if you don’t, it’s a good idea to put some schedules and systems into place. Trying to accomplish things with a loosey-goosey day plan (which is no plan) isn’t going to contribute to your success.
Without structure inherent in a job environment, it’s up to you to impose structure on your own time. The easiest way to do this is to write a daily schedule. Start by listing your main goals, and then break those out into a task list. By assigning “appointment” times, or duration times, to each task, you can stay on track without getting lost in the many choices you may have.
CHUNK IT
A great way to accomplish a lot in an efficient manner is to batch similar work together. For example, if you have appointments out of your home office, arrange for them all to be done on the same day, thereby saving travel time.
You can also look after social media posts of all kinds in one session, say from 9:00 until 10:00. This not only focuses your attention on the task at hand, but it eliminates some of the temptation to click over to Facebook or Twitter to check out what your friends are saying several times a day.
Make the important things the most important to work on. It's so easy to "just take a minute" to check emails and look up to find an hour and a half has passed. Prioritize your projects in order of importance, keeping your ultimate goals in mind. Those might include creating a body of work, finishing a project for a client, or getting ready for a show.
A great way to accomplish a lot in an efficient manner is to batch similar work together. For example, if you have appointments out of your home office, arrange for them all to be done on the same day, thereby saving travel time.
You can also look after social media posts of all kinds in one session, say from 9:00 until 10:00. This not only focuses your attention on the task at hand, but it eliminates some of the temptation to click over to Facebook or Twitter to check out what your friends are saying several times a day.
Make the important things the most important to work on. It's so easy to "just take a minute" to check emails and look up to find an hour and a half has passed. Prioritize your projects in order of importance, keeping your ultimate goals in mind. Those might include creating a body of work, finishing a project for a client, or getting ready for a show.
KEEP WORK IN THE WORKSPACE
Regardless of what type of creative work you do, whether sitting at a computer designing note cards, painting a mural on the side of a building, or counting inventory in your shop, it helps to separate home life from work by keeping work in the space meant for it. Believe me, if your work gets spread all over the house and you have to keep moving your papers or tools, you’re opening the door to lots of confusion and frustration, not to mention possible family conflict.
Don’t eat at your desk, and don’t sleep in your office or workshop.
Regardless of what type of creative work you do, whether sitting at a computer designing note cards, painting a mural on the side of a building, or counting inventory in your shop, it helps to separate home life from work by keeping work in the space meant for it. Believe me, if your work gets spread all over the house and you have to keep moving your papers or tools, you’re opening the door to lots of confusion and frustration, not to mention possible family conflict.
Don’t eat at your desk, and don’t sleep in your office or workshop.
Beyond that, it’s a good idea to make it clear in your own mind when you are “at work” and when you’re home. While people often believe that the temptation is to do too little work when you work at home, for entrepreneurs the opposite is generally the case. It’s far too easy to work all the time, especially when you love what you do.
Now, let's discuss those pesky distractions and how to rise above the din. Working at home is not for the faint of heart—nor for the easily distracted. The first step is to stop trying to do more than one thing at a time.
I have worked at home for a couple of decades and I know a lot about distractions. While I no longer have small children or teenagers in the house, the distractions dangled before my eyes by the rest of my life are countless.
Now, let's discuss those pesky distractions and how to rise above the din. Working at home is not for the faint of heart—nor for the easily distracted. The first step is to stop trying to do more than one thing at a time.
I have worked at home for a couple of decades and I know a lot about distractions. While I no longer have small children or teenagers in the house, the distractions dangled before my eyes by the rest of my life are countless.
KNOW YOUR DIRECTION
Facebook is fascinating, blogs are brilliant, and email is endless, but if spending time on any of these will not result in my creative business success, I will have wasted precious time looking at them. In order to avoid distractions it is vital that you know what your goals are for your work.
I will be the first to admit that it’s not easy to stop and ask yourself if what you’re about to do will contribute to your goals, but once you get in the habit, I think you’ll find that your productivity will increase, and most likely your bottom line, too.
The Internet is a fun toy, so if you remind yourself that cat videos and knitting blogs are for off-work times, you won’t feel deprived of those enjoyments, and you will get a lot more done.
Facebook is fascinating, blogs are brilliant, and email is endless, but if spending time on any of these will not result in my creative business success, I will have wasted precious time looking at them. In order to avoid distractions it is vital that you know what your goals are for your work.
I will be the first to admit that it’s not easy to stop and ask yourself if what you’re about to do will contribute to your goals, but once you get in the habit, I think you’ll find that your productivity will increase, and most likely your bottom line, too.
The Internet is a fun toy, so if you remind yourself that cat videos and knitting blogs are for off-work times, you won’t feel deprived of those enjoyments, and you will get a lot more done.
ASK YOURSELF: Will what I'm doing take me closer to my end result, or is it getting in the way?
GIVE YOUR BRAIN A BREAK
For creative people and dedicated individuals, putting your head down and working straight through can happen without you realizing that hours have passed. I tend to work on art, videos, or on my blog with such focus, only to look up and realize that it’s already 4:00 PM and I’ve hardly left my desk for hours.
A good way to avoid this is to set a timer to ring after fifty minutes of work. When it goes off, get up, walk around, breathe deeply, stretch, and adjust your gaze to something far away out your window. This is good for your brain, your circulation, and your eyesight.
For creative people and dedicated individuals, putting your head down and working straight through can happen without you realizing that hours have passed. I tend to work on art, videos, or on my blog with such focus, only to look up and realize that it’s already 4:00 PM and I’ve hardly left my desk for hours.
A good way to avoid this is to set a timer to ring after fifty minutes of work. When it goes off, get up, walk around, breathe deeply, stretch, and adjust your gaze to something far away out your window. This is good for your brain, your circulation, and your eyesight.
GET UP AND MOVE
This brings me to my final point. Be sure to build breaks into your day that include going outside and getting some fresh air. Go weed your garden for ten minutes, take a brisk walk to the mailbox or the corner store, or just walk around the block or down the road. It’s not healthy to sit for hours at a time.
It’s also important to have human contact, so if you work alone all day, be sure to factor in a trip to the library, or a networking event so that you get out of the house. Working at home can be lonely and isolating, even if you’re an introvert and love your own company.
Get up, move around, see people, and do something fun. You will have more success if you balance your work life with lots of other activities and you’ll enjoy it all more, too.
This brings me to my final point. Be sure to build breaks into your day that include going outside and getting some fresh air. Go weed your garden for ten minutes, take a brisk walk to the mailbox or the corner store, or just walk around the block or down the road. It’s not healthy to sit for hours at a time.
It’s also important to have human contact, so if you work alone all day, be sure to factor in a trip to the library, or a networking event so that you get out of the house. Working at home can be lonely and isolating, even if you’re an introvert and love your own company.
Get up, move around, see people, and do something fun. You will have more success if you balance your work life with lots of other activities and you’ll enjoy it all more, too.
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