Dear Wonderful, Creative You:

I know that you struggle to make time for art. You think about it frequently, and yet it’s hard to make it happen. There are a lot of things that get in the way. There’s work, chores, errands, and people to take care of. Hundreds of students every year tell me that they want to make art, but they “don’t have time.”  I get it. I’m a mom, in the sandwich generation, and running my own art classes and membership. I too struggle to put my art making first sometimes – there’s always a million to do’s– and they seem more important or urgent than my art practice. But at the same time, we make time for the things that matter to us.

It’s a question of how to fit art into our day, and I want to share some tricks for how to do that. For most of us, there’s one thing that sucks up our free time more than anything else: the phone. The phone also removes our ability to get bored, let our mind wander, and percolate about new ideas. You might be probably holding in your hands right now – the phone.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

We are in an epidemic of phone and screen addiction. I fall prey the temptations of screen time dopamine hits just as much as the next person, but if we want to make time for art, or anything else that matters to us, it’s important to take stock of how we are spending our days. I feel we don’t talk about it enough as artists, so here’s a little self-assessment of my phone usage. I hope it might help you to think about your own, and I have an exercise below to spur you on.

Phone triggers:

• I’m waiting for news about something I’m excited about. This is a huge trigger for me. I can tend to check my email way too often when I’m waiting for an answer about something.
• I need a break or a pause in my work.
• I’ve shared something on socials or in my membership that is meaningful to me and I want to see your responses.
• I’m bored or tired. These are moments when I would be much better served by making art or taking a walk, but checking my phone sometimes seems “easier.” (That’s not even always true!)
• I’m anxious. A particularly big trigger is when I’m anxious about something that troubles me socially or politically. I start looking up news articles instead of just doing my once a day check in on news. This obviously makes me feel worse rather than better most times.
• I’m a passenger on a long car trip with my family. Often while we are listening to a podcast, I spend at least an hour indulging in scrolling Instagram, doing work email, and researching personal tasks, rather than fully engaging in what we are listening to as a family so I can be a part of the conversation later.
• The mindless thumb. I notice there is a typical pathway that my thumb navigates – I click on my work email, then Instagram, then personal email, and if I don’t see anything exciting, sometimes I will mindlessly go around again!

Even as I write this post, when I paused to think, I realized I picked up my phone! I am pointing this out because I know that most of us struggle with the phone. It offers us incredible tools, but also the danger of missing out on life that is happening right here and now. Bringing awareness to our mindless habits is part of the key to breaking them.

Phone Successes:

• I have notifications silenced. This, admittedly, is easy for me. I hate dinging interruptions. They drive me nuts.
• Our family has a no phones at the table rule.
• I typically don’t pick up my phone when I’m socializing with friends or family.
• I put down the phone when I’m away from home. I see it as an opportunity to unplug and tune into the moment.
• I stay off my phone between 8 pm – bed. This has really helped me relax my mind and body for sleep.
• I have time limits set on apps.
• I pay attention to my screen time reports and adjust my behavior to stay off more.

I have a lot of room for improvement, and I use my phone too much. Can you identify with that? But we can all take steps to live our lives in an intentional way.

When people tell me they don’t have time to make art, I know one or two genuinely don’t have time because they are working two jobs while also taking care of others. For most of us, though, we have time, we just need some tools to help us figure out how to fit art into our days, just like we fit checking the phone into them.  

With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to think about taking this in small chunks of time instead of a radical change.

Here’s how to swap screen time for art time in 10 minutes a day:

• Make a list of your phone triggers and phone successes. See where you can scale back your phone usage.

• Make two portable art kits – one for home, and one for on the go. Don’t carry much: A waterproof pen and a small journal or small bits of watercolor paper. For inspiration, include a little cheat sheet with a few patterns or drawings you like. Keep one kit at home, and one in your bag. And if you are wondering, my favorite supplies are here.

• Make Art at Home: Leave a kit out at home where you hang out most – perhaps the kitchen or the living room. Put the kit on top of your phone. When you want to pick up the phone out of boredom or anxiety, instead draw for 5 minutes. If you have my book, Draw Yourself Calm, leave that out with the kit too – you can page through for instruction and inspiration.
• Making art on the go: Carry your portable art kit in your bag. Any time you are waiting – in a parked car, in a waiting room – pull out your kit and draw for a few minutes, using your pattern cheat sheet as inspiration.
• Need Art Ideas? Give yourself permission to do mindful art – draw something simple and repetitive, and do it slowly. There’s a lot of research showing the calming effects of art making and mindfulness activities. When you combine both, that’s can be a powerful balm for your nervous system. Consider drawing circles, ovals, triangles, lines, or waves. Even the most simple drawings can be both soothing and beautiful if you give yourself permission to enjoy yourself and take your time.

Looking for More Information on Reducing Screen Time?

This Georgetown University psychology professor has some great suggestions.

Share Your Art Time Suggestions

What are your best tricks for making time for art? What’s your best tool for managing phone and screen time? Tell us about it in the comments.

Creatively Yours,

Amy