How to reset: What do the pros say?
IlloGuild Question #7
Each month members of the IlloGuild answer a question together, and this month it is: How do refocus on your work after some time away?
Be sure to check out the IlloGuild Substack page on Monday to read everyone’s responses.
Today I will be writing about organizing a workspace. This does not need to be a “studio.” It can be wherever it is that you create art 🎨
I was home in Pittsburgh for about 10 days at the end of December. As usual, I brought some art supplies because I naively thought, “I’ll have lots of time to play around with these new paints! What a great way to spend vacation!” Instead, we all drank coffee for hours, played games, went out to eat, watched all of Emily in Paris, and even went to a magic show. It was a great time, as always, and it forced me to take a break from art, which was probably needed.
So now that I’m back in Boston, what have I done to reset? Well… I spent all of yesterday pretending I’m an interior designer by drawing mock-ups for a new counter... that’s tangentially related to my illustration work, so that’s ok right?
And this morning I sat down at the kitchen table to start drawing, but I opened up some spreadsheets instead. I spent the next few hours organizing sales data from December… Then I started drafting the query letters I’m going to send to agents... Then I had lunch and was still finding little tasks to avoid drawing… Why?
I had made a yearlong calendar in December that made me very excited about all the art in 2023. I already have a rough outline of when I need to design, release, and sell products as well as dates for classes and for sending my portfolio. So why I haven’t actually done any art yet?
Because it’s tough to get back into work after time away! And that’s ok!
So I acknowledged that and asked myself, “How can I reset?”
I opened my email (procrastinating again…) and saw an email that the Make Art That Sells Bootcamp course just opened. Woo! I could dive into that and create some art. I was thinking, “This is exactly what I need. Lilla always has great ideas for her students.” And do you know what the first task was? Set up your workspace. Ok that sounded manageable. She said:
“By preparing your space, you can help your efficiency and ease of getting into the course by ensuring that you have everything you need at your fingertips. These small steps will help solidify your self-discipline and motivation, and get you all set to jet.”
Upon reading that, I rushed to clear away the clutter of sticky note sketches, various brushes and pencils, and the backing of a shipping label from a holiday order. Wow! Everything had got really messy during the busy holiday season. The mess is a sign that there were a lot of good things that needed to get done, but now it’s time to start fresh.
While organizing the space, I put on a Proof to Product podcast, and the universe was really sending a sign, because the guest, Kathy Cano-Murillo from Crafty Chica started talking about her studio space and the importance of setting a daily routine to keep it organized. She talked about how she can only focus on her work when her space is neat, and that artists don’t need to fit into the stereotype of “messy creatives.”
“The state of my craft studio is the state of my business…. I’ve adapted to the mentality that I am a professional working creative. This is my career. I want to give 100% to every project.”
As a not-so-organized person, I paused, rewound to listen again, and thought, “Huh, I want to be a professional working creative, too.”
Earlier this year I got some giant shelves and I’m still in the process of finding a good system for all my supplies, cards, packaging, etc… and when something works, I feel really accomplished. But in a professional space, functional organization should just be an expectation, just like an organized calendar, organized finances, and all the other aspects of an organized business.
So I’m going to take the advice about resetting from these two successful creatives and ask myself:
How do I need this space organized if I, too, want to be a professional working creative? Let’s set the bar high for ourselves and see what happens.
Next week I’ll be writing about the portfolio review I received from agent Lilla Rogers. I hope her tips will be helpful for you, too!
See you soon,
Katie
PS - To all the organized people, share your best tips in the comments for all of us not-so-organized people. We will forever appreciate your advice!