Fitting creativity around your full-time job can be a struggle. Unfortunately, not every creative person has the luxury of quitting their full-time job and sustaining themselves with their passion. In fact, having a separate day job is the only way UK artists can survive, the Guardian reports. But, after a long day at work, it’s often all too tempting to settle down on the sofa and call it an end for the evening. So, how do you make creative work happen? Scheduling your time, staying focused, and starting small will allow you to make the most of the spare hours available to you.
Make creativity a priority
If you keep putting your creative work off because you don’t have time or you don’t feel like it, you’ll never get it done! So, make creativity a priority and schedule time out of your day each week — like early in the morning before work or later in the evening — to devote to it. This will probably mean cutting down on other activities like social events or social media scrolling. If you do shift work, you’ll have to plan your creative sessions even more carefully around your ever-changing schedule — not only to ensure you fit them in, but to also give yourself enough time to sleep, exercise, and eat regular meals. Sacrificing sleep to work on a project may end up hampering your creativity in the long run.
Aim for ten minutes at a time
Rather than feeling overwhelmed — and consequently paralyzed — by all the creative projects you want to do, challenge yourself to do just ten minutes at a time — no more, no less. You'll find it easier to get started, and once you do those ten minutes, you’ll usually find yourself carrying on for much longer. Once your creative juices start flowing, you’ll be encouraged and inspired to keep going. And if not, you’ll still have accomplished ten minutes of creative work — which is much better than none at all!
Finally, many people find having a mentor essential for continuing with their creative work. A good mentor provides feedback, advice, encouragement, and ultimately keeps you accountable. Find a suitable mentor — like an art teacher or coach — for either private sessions or group classes where you can talk through your progress, become inspired, and stay on track.
