Too Busy Means Too Busy

I have been too busy to blog, and am days late in getting this one out. I have been too busy to spend more than 15 minutes each day drawing (though I do break loose a couple of times a week for a few hours of drawing). Too busy to paint (just touch-ups and adjustments to my mostly finished paintings). Too busy to live life, and enjoy being an artist. Yuck!

I have been working hard at trying to increase my art business. I am venturing forth to teach art, as well as increasing the number of shows and competitions, I am trying to increase the number of drawing and painting drop-ins and classes. The business side of art is pressing the bounds of reason in terms of the time I am spending doing it. The business side of art is starting to eat its young (creating art), and I am not happy with that.

I know we are all busy, but I have always seemed to be exceptional busy, and I do not know how I create this problem, but I have a gut feeling that I do. I am struggling with balance. I need money to live, and I need time to create art. There is never enough of either. And then their are friends and family that I really want to see and be with. And what about me time? Time to heal and time to rest?

I am feeling tremendous pressure to do everything, as I keep having to shed activities. I know this is a big transition period for me time-wise. With September, all my usual fall, winter and spring activities are starting up again and this plus show schedules and contests are all coming alive again after summer.

I presume that this is a challenge we all face as artists. It is hard to balance life, and art. Right now I feel I am not doing enough art, and art is the reason I do the other things. I just have to put first things first, arrange my life around creating art, and then arrange the rest of my time to do the things I need to support my creating art. I have to get into my artist mindset, and out of my everyday mindset. What is life without art? Empty.