Juggling Creativity in Art and Business
Art is easy, instinctive even, for me. Time management and other business processes are come less easily for me. These require me to engage in a different kind of creativity. Time management is a tool to make it possible to spend more quality time in the studio and less worrying about tasks I’m not crazy about doing. Time management can probably also help me manage all the different and varied artistic projects I have either already begun or am mentally constructing.
Two books that are making the biggest difference right now are Alyson B Stanfield’s “I’d Rather Be in the Studio” and Brian Tracy’s “Eat That Frog!” Both of these deal with procrastination and getting things done.
“Eat That Frog!” is focused on the psychology of procrastination in general exhorting one to tackle the most hated of the most important tasks first. “Eat the ugliest frog first,” he says. Interestingly, I sometimes procrastinate on tasks I actually do find enjoyable mainly because I find them enjoyable I think of them as a reward. Which, really, is silly.
Alyson’s book gives very specific guidance for very specific situations. “I’d Rather Be in the Studio” is a reference I will be going back to over and over again for she covers everything from maintaining a mailing list to planning for an opening to writing one’s bio to so much more that we artists need to address in order to seriously negotiate our ways through making a living through our art forms. Her book is very much “hands on” and “how to.”
In a way, these books complement one another, (though I have to admit I would never have found “Frogs” if it wasn’t for the New Haven County Women in Business – Marketing Strategies meetup group). In the end, I am finding that I am beginning to juggle pretty well even if not expertly yet. Creativity makes both my art and my ability to use the business skills I am picking up with others’ help.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:44 PM
Great post. I have a Frog I must go and eat myself. I imagine we all do. I will look up the books you suggest; both sound like excellent reading, even to this mostly fiction gal.
February 10th, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Sounds like some good books! Going to go see if my library has either of them
February 10th, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Great Post Patricia!! This too is and issue for me, that I’m trying to work on, I will have to take a look at those books!!
February 10th, 2010 at 6:28 PM
Marsha, Ruthie, Rachele, I heartily recommend your local libraries. Both of these were in mine!
February 11th, 2010 at 12:27 AM
Patricia, It is great to have the support of the NHCWIB group to make sure we eat our frogs. I must say you have been eating your frogs with such grace. I have noticed considerable improvements in they way you identify your frogs and how you tackle them in the few short weeks we have been tackling our procrastination issues.
Wishing you productivity and prosperity,
Kim