Finding Time To Paint (Write/Sculpt/Create anthing...)

I was going to paint today. No, really. I was.

The cute couple who are the subjects in my current portrait commission are on my easel right now looking at me as if to say, "Come paint our hands now. And how about clothes, for Heaven's sake?" I've looked back longingly and apologetically in return, but have not painted. I've vacuumed the gallery, taken photographs of two children for a portrait later in my schedule, sold a print, a bracelet and some cards to visitors, discussed the possibility of representation with an inquiring artist, eaten lunch -a bite now and then as I could dash into the kitchen between visitors, and I've composed this newsletter to send out to you. I haven't painted.

I think I know why:  I was taught to do my chores first and then play.  Like I was taught to eat my spinach and clean my plate before I could have dessert. 
Because painting is the funnest thing ever, I think I have to earn it.  I have to deserve it- I have to do my chores and eat my spinach first.
 
But what if you make a living doing what you love?  The rules get all tangled up in our heads.  Is painting (writing/sculpting/playing music/designing, etc.) now the play or the chore? I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "I wouldn't want to paint for my living, because then it would be work, not play."

It's never worked that way for me. Painting is the funnest thing, whether I'm painting a commissioned portrait or painting something of my own conception.  Getting paid to do it is an added layer of joy, not something that transforms the process into drudgery. So, what's the solution, you ask?

I think paintings get done when I schedule them in like they're important, too.   Women especially "get" this, I think.  We're learning to schedule ourselves into our own days along with the tasks of home and work.  It's intention backed up with actually writing it down.  Between "Do the laundry" and "Bank," you write "2:00-3:00 Paint." 

To REALLY make sure we do it, we can tell a friend what we intend and then plan to call that friend to report in once we've done it.  Learning to be accountable to ourselves is easier when we use our natural urge to be accountable to others.

Deadlines are fabulous motivators, too.  Painting for a specific competition or for someone's birthday gift or because you agreed on a certain due date with a client... all can light the fire under us to align ourselves with our easels and get started.  Waiting for the muse isn't smart. The muse shows up when we've got a smudge of Cadmium red on our right cheek or when we've lost track of time because we're typing fast and our brains are full of the story we're telling.

So... it's time to close up the gallery and I'm packing up the cute couple to take home with me. I've promised them hands and clothes. And I keep my promises.