In the studio, Process, Sketchbook
So how has my first week of my new schedule been going? Pretty well overall, with some adjustments here and there. I’m experimenting with blocking out time to work on specific things and plan my ideal day. Here’s what I’m trying to do: [supsystic-tables id=’1′] So how has it really been? My plan was to keep track of actual time day by day, but I’m terrible at that. So here’s a summary of the week. I emailed all of my current clients and let them know that I was going to be focusing on my art in the mornings and client work in the afternoon. That I’d respond to their emails and requests as soon as my morning in the studio was complete. I didn’t set specific times, because I know myself and although my “ideal day” as listed above has me starting at 8:30 am, that’s really never going to happen! Part of the reason I love my life is that I only set an alarm if I have a plane to catch. So those times adjust based on my sleep schedule. And usually I work well into the night, so I tend to sleep much later. With one or two exceptions, I have managed to stick to the schedule of making my mornings about art. I used to try to do it in the opposite order and spend the mornings on client work and afternoons and evenings on art, but once I start working on someone else’s projects, I tend to not stop! I’ve been putting everyone else’s deadlines above mine for – well, basically forever. So with... 
Planning, Process, Sketchbook
I’ve been talking for years about finding time in my life to focus on my art – about balancing the design work that I know will support me with the art that I know will sustain me in other ways, but might not support me financially – at least in the short term. I’m an expert at reading books and articles about balance and time management. I’ve tried every project management tool out there to help me schedule time for art and make it part of my daily routine. But the real problem is that I need deadlines and accountability in order to actually get things done. Monica Bilak and I have been discussing these issues for years and meeting weekly for several months to help provide accountability to each other. She explains her point of view on her blog, so I’ll let her speak for herself – but we’ve come up with a project that will help me be accountable and allow her to use her skills in strategic design to help me come up with executable plans to design the life that will sustain me emotionally and financially. Towards this end, we have committed to documenting the process on our both of our underutilized blogs. My first big deadline is the Lowertown Arts & Music Festival which starts two weeks from today. It’s my first time having a booth at the festival and I still have a zillion things to do to get ready! I have to : finish a ton of jewelry that I have in progress figure out the specifics of a booth setup that...