A Week of Words: The Benefits of Keeping a Daybook
This documentation project began when a friend asked me what my weeks look like. How much time is spent in the studio and how much on business tasks? I wanted to see if I could gain insights into my practice through the records and writing.
And yes, there were many things to learn.
I’ve included some of my findings from the week, hoping they will inspire you to keep a record for insight, reflection, and ideas.
Community
Even the introduction to this essay illustrates the importance of community, with a conversation over coffee leading to this two-week Daybook project. I have an online community through social media, Facebook groups, a mentoring group, and my newsletter, but it’s necessary to leave the studio and make real-life connections. We need time with other artists to share materials, solve issues of venues and pricing, and offer support and advice. My son will not be interested in a conversation about bubbles, mediums, and varnish, but my arty coffee friends will be.
Daily Rhythms
For a few weeks, I organized my schedule with themed days: Monday and Friday would be for business, Tuesday and Wednesday would be studio days, and Thursday would serve as a flexible day for errands. It turns out that this structure was much too rigid! Let the work of the week dictate your days. There needs to be flexibility, especially if you have children. I keep a detailed journal and calendar to plan what needs to be accomplished each week, but I don’t assign the tasks to specific days. I work around my energy levels and interests, knowing how much I can complete in a week and understanding that I always put too many things on my lists! As a teacher, my days were scheduled for me, and a part of living a creative life is leaving the bells behind!
The Daybook practice can help you see patterns in your energy levels. You’ll notice which days are heavy with emails and which are quieter (Mondays!). When you’ve been in studio mode for two days, you’ll see how that affects other areas of your life (dinner plans, needing more sleep, a lack of energy).
The Invisible Business of Art
I wonder if anyone has read the Daybook entries and thought, "No, I do not want that." I suspect that very few working artists (as in those trying to sell their art) spend five days a week in the studio. That would require a team of hires responsible for the invisible business tasks. Much of my productivity comes from my “team” of Artwork Archive, Kit, QuickBooks, ManyChat, Tailwind, WeTransfer, Squarespace, Whitagram, Artrooms, Shippo, Adobe, and Canva! It makes my head spin to think about how I had to learn all these programs and continue to leverage them for my business. It’s interesting to see which ones I use most often (Artwork Archive!).
Reflection
My husband finds me sitting on the living room floor, staring at a piece. He returns a few minutes later, and I’m still there; he knows I’m revising, even though it looks like I’m doing nothing. I spend a lot of time doing nothing. I take walks to sort out writing ideas and stare out the window thinking about titles. My smartwatch buzzes with warnings to get up and move when I’ve been standing for close to an hour, moving papers around a piece. Pieces move from the studio to the floor, to the coffee table, to the wall, and back to the studio as I find different light and perspectives to view them. Moments of reflection are often more essential than action in the creative process.
Many times, I have written about how leaving a piece led me to come back to it, able to find a way to finish the composition. Or how changes in light or taking a photograph identify areas to revise.
Benefits of Keeping a Daybook:
Keep track of your accomplishments
Record the story of a collection
Show the pattern of your days
Let you see connections
Identify what you value
Help with scheduling your time
Show what helps you the most when you’re struggling
Provides material for other types of writing