How, I asked myself, is it relevant to share what my days are like as an artist when everyone is different? The answer came simply: If I share how I structure my time, it might help someone else to shape their routine as well.

Comment below how you would categorize yourself:

A – Creativity is your hobby
B – Creativity is your dream career
C – Creativity is your career

Meaning, do you practice creativity for fun? Would you like to turn your passion into a career? Or, do you already make a living from something creative?

I started out with photography as my hobby. A few months later, I really wished it could be my career. And then a year after that, it was!

I’ve been working as a full-time artist (meaning that I make my living from my photography and related items) for the past 8 years. I make my living via the following avenues: print sales, image licensing sales, lecturing/teaching, and commissioned images.

Favorite quotes from the video:

“It takes being creative about how you are disciplined
and being disciplined about your creativity.”

“It takes a lot of good days to make a great career.”

Since so many of us in this community are interested in how to maximize our creative time (at the least), or to make our creative time into our full time work, I thought it would be great to share what my day is like as an artist.

For me? 50% admin, 50% creativity. Look at the to-do list I managed to complete on the day I filmed this video:

BROOKE'S TO DO LIST

Film a day in the life video
Update my CV
Write TLS email
Release blog/video/newsletter
Update licensed images list
Write pitch for grant
Yoga
Novel outline
Reading
Photo shoot
Clear emails
Build registration system
Build prop

The only thing I didn’t finish was that last item. And, I finished by 4pm and had the whole evening for cooking and personal time.

What’s that? You hate admin work? You thought creatives only created?

Oh. Ohhhh. Let’s chat.

I believe that the most successful creative people you see, at least for the most part, have a really awesome mind for business. Take my BFF Lindsay Adler. If ever you have wanted to meet an insanely creative person who is equally, if not more, savvy in business – you’ve found your girl. Take note. (No, seriously, take notes.)

I’m not that great at it. Not Lindsay Adler great. But, I don’t strive to be. I am extremely motivated in business as well as creativity. I strive for a solid, happy medium between the two.

I get equally excited about a career move or endeavor as I do a photo shoot. And that is, in part, what I attribute any success I’ve had to.

Be it my 24 hour email policy, the contracts I’ve hand-written, the outreach I’ve done for opportunities, or my willingness to fail – I always put myself out there and give my business 100%.

Again, I’m still not the best at it. But I have managed to build a business for 8 solid years that has supported my lifestyle. I’m really proud of that.

Come with me behind the scenes in this video. It’s an in-depth look at my life with the curtain pulled back. What it’s like to go from hour to hour in the life of a working artist.

And please, tell me your top tips for maintaining creativity in your everyday life. I am always looking to improve!

And remember to share:

A – Creativity is your hobby
B – Creativity is your dream career
C – Creativity is your career

Thinking about the importance of being excited by passion is important to me in the fight to reduce stress. I have always been a naturally stressed and anxious person, and over time and with a lot of trying, that has been reduced drastically. Yet there are still times, in the quiet of the night, when all of that comes back. I start to wonder if I did everything I was supposed to do. I wonder who is upset with me for not being good enough. I wonder if I’ve done enough to not just get by, but to excel.

And these are the thoughts that mess with your head and make you believe you are less. These are the thoughts that need to be stopped. And so I realized that something, an unknown “thing” was building up stress and making me a little bit crazy. It wasn’t one thing but a culmination of things. And so I decided to fix it.

1. The first thing that happened was that I felt too much pressure to create something dfferent – more opulent and extreme – in a photograph. So instead of pleasing the pressure I did something just for myself. The simplest photograph I could think of. All in the name of happiness. And you know what? I love it. Not for it’s photographic properties but because it is mine, from my heart, and I can feel good about that.

2. I started making lists before I go to sleep. I write down everything that I want to accomplish the next day, and I get really specific. I focus on not just what to do, but how I will achieve all of my goals so that I don’t overreach and disappoint myself. If I am going to submit to galleries, I have a list of locations I will look. I make one of my goals to update my CV, another to draft an email, and a third to update my website. That way when I do submit, I know that all of the necessary steps have been taken. I am also far less overwhelmed because the job has been broken down into manageable tasks.

3. I started making sure I had something to look forward to. Most mornings now I wake up and have a smoothie. Sounds boring, right? But it isn’t! Here is what I do to make this work for me…

I look up a recipe the day before and get the ingredients that I need. Before I go to sleep I prep them, meaning that I chop up all the fruit or veg and put it in a container with the right proportion, so that in the morning I simply have to blend. It doesn’t require stress or even much thought. It is nice, relaxing, and fun. If you can plan to do something for your morning that doesn’t require frustration, you’re more likely to enjoy it.

By drinking a smoothie I am having a brand new experience while also promoting health and having something to look forward to.

So tell me…How will you focus on your passion this week? How will you reduce stress? Will you write a list before bed (and get specific!)? Will you think up something fun you can do in the mornings to get yourself going?