Increasing Your Productivity

One of the greatest issues of a painter is productivity. There are so many outside influences that command time that could otherwise be spent painting: children, spouses, friends, groups and organizations that one belongs to, and in many cases jobs.
Sometimes lack of productivity is simply our own disorganization or procrastination.
So how do we stay productive? Here's a few suggestions that may help.

BE ORGANIZED: Keep your studio or painting area clean and all materials ready so that when you do have a short time available you can get right to it. If you don't have a painting area that can be left ready at all times, keep your materials and some photographic references or props in a container that you can open and have everything at your fingertips.
There's nothing less inspiring than having to clean up your work space before you start, or searching all over the house to find your materials.

DON'T PROCRASTINATE: If you only have 15 minutes, or a half-hour, use it. Don't talk yourself into thinking that it's not enough time. Use the time you have and you'll be surprised at how efficient you'll become. With all the outside influences, the perfect amount of time may not happen and neither will any paintings. Using mothers as an example, I would dare to claim that as many as 80 per cent of women artists put their art completely on hold while they're raising children. This is not necessary. It's just important to use what time you have to your best advantage.

WORK IN SERIES: There's so much benefit to working in series. From a marketing perspective, a series is easier to pitch to galleries, etc. because the body of work is harmonious and appealing to buyers. From an inspirational perspective, working in a series keeps your mind on one track. For me, working in a series literally drives me into the studio because I get excited about the subject matter and I get excited about completing a group of works. When the series is finally done, there's an immense level of satisfaction.

Whether you're a prolific painter or fairly slow, if you consistently use your available time efficiently, you will quickly increase your productivity.