Planning to be Creative! #timemanagement

Hi There!

I read this article the other day: "The Pace of Productivity and How to Master your Creative Routine" (thanks to a friend of mine who shared it!). It was interesting and inspiring, and it gave me a big enough nudge to evaluate my daily habits.

I waste SO much time.

I don't really mean to waste time. I have come to the point where I only blog about stuff I truly feel is important, versus blogging because it's "Blogging Monday". I'm pretty good at not constantly nitpicking about housework, because even when the house is clean, there is still something to be done. I don't turn the television on during the day. I don't go out drinking for hours. I do well at only going on Facebook in between customers as I wait on tables, or while I shove cereal down my throat before work, or while in the car (but not driving, of course!). And I hardly ever play silly games on my smart phone. (If you're wondering, yes, I still have time for fun...)

My biggest problem?

The After-Work Time Suck.

That's what I'm naming it, now that I can easily recognize the monster that it is. Being a waitress most nights and a creative person most days, by the end of the day both my body and brains are tired and sore, and I just need to zone out. So my husband and I plop down on the couch and then it goes all down hill from there.

The worst part is that half of the time we aren't even watching our pre-recorded shows. We're mindlessly staring at whatever garbage happens to be on, even re-runs and stuff we don't care about. We're just too tired to go to bed. Go figure!

Normally this sort of thing wouldn't matter, since I am pretty useless at being creative or even receptive to new information at that time of day, but the late nights turn into even later mornings, where I am hitting the snooze button about fifteen times. And THAT is a waste of precious creative time!

Plus, I really do miss being able to sit and read a book for a bit just because I want to.

So I compiled some notes and put together a little schedule for myself. It's strict only during those important morning hours, and then after 11:00 am I am welcome to do whatever my little heart desires. Like chores. (Ha!) But it gives me those few extra morning hours of creative fun, a solid seven hours of sleep, and an enforced bed time... all of which I am in dire need.

Here is what it looks like:

Of course, this can all change at the drop of a hat when the schedule gets all messed up or someone goes on vacation or calls out sick. But this can be useful for the majority of my days. And, here, take one for yourself! Print it up and fill it out, and give this Creative Planning a shot!

I don't know if I will fail or succeed, but I'm certainly going to give it a try to see if these new habits stick! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below! Do you schedule your creative time, and how well does it work for you?

As always, thanks for reading! :)
~Melanie

~*UPDATES*~
6/7/13
So far, it has been over a week, and EPIC FAIL.
But I will conquer this.
I will.
I will do it!!!
I will try again, fresh, starting tomorrow, June 8th.
Yes.
YES!
(Plus, I have begun to read "Manage Your Day-to-Day" and it is spurring me on!)

New Year, New Goals!

Oh it’s been far too long!!!

I don’t know how I manage to do this at the end of each semester, but I always end up fizzled out and don’t catch up on my blog posts. And then Christmas comes…well, we all know how that is. So I thought it would be nice to do some catching up today, since I’m stuck at home with a head cold and I’m pretty much useless to doing anything else.

Anyway, a friend of mine posted on her blog today about her yearly ritual of writing herself a New Year’s list of goals. It helps to keep you accountable, and have reference to all the stuff you’ve completed. This also reminds me of the one that I did two years ago, in the Business of Art class, where we set up goals based upon our long term goals. I think it’s time for me to do another one! But first, I need some chocolate to “gather my thoughts.”

(Moment of silent munching.)

So, for 2012 here is my list of goals:

Daily/Weekly Stuff:

1)     Get into a daily routine of exercising and working. You know, that balancing act I’m so bad at!

2)     Post on my blog every Monday.

3)     Continue with the work I’ve been doing in my PiBoIdMo Journal, and come up with a new picture book idea every Friday.

4)     And if/when I’m not already busy with a project, come up with new sketches using the Illustration Friday/Artlibs method.

Backed Up Blogging Stuff:

1)      Post about the last project in CBook3

2)      Post about my latest batch of marketing materials.

3)      Post about the Little Raindrop fan mail (wait til you see it!!!). And reply to the fan mail...

Bigger Stuff:

1)       Prepare my portfolio for the Winter SCBWI conference in NY, which I am attending in January.

2)      Send out my Winter mailers. (Which also doubled as my Holiday postcards this year.)

3)      Learn InDesign. I will be this awesome program to layout Little Raindrop’s book, and all other subsequent book dummies, so with every chance I get I’ll be watching videos and reading tutorials and tooling around with it. I’ve already started this process, and I’m liking what I’m learning!

4)      Layout, draw and finish Little Raindrop, book one. The author and I have discussed the possibility of a trilogy, and we will eventually talk about pursuing that later on.

5)      Put together my next book dummy for submission to my targeted agency. Submit it!

6)      If the agent I’m hoping for doesn’t bite, then I’ll submit my story to a few more agents prior to sending it off to a publisher.

I’m sure there’s a TON of stuff I am missing, but even this post has taken me wayyy too long with this Medicine Head, so I’ll leave it at that for now. Instead, I’ll go watch some InDesign videos on Adobe TV and catch up on some reading…maybe fit in a few cat naps!

Stay Happy and Healthy for Two Thousand Twelvy! :D

Success... Time Management... and The Balancing Act

Today I'd like to talk about Time Management Skills. This happens to be the area I am most... well, I'll just say it- struggling with at the moment. (And the result of my struggle is the "s" word we are not allowed to use in my family because it becomes our scapegoat.)

Drawing, painting, writing, reading, blogging, networking, emailing (and now Twittering), waitress-ing, wife-ing, exercising, living... how do I prioritize? When I'm on the treadmill, I think of how I should be painting instead. When I'm painting, I think of the other stuff I need to be doing. How to I fit it all into my day without biting my nails down to the bone, going prematurely white-haired, and losing myself in the process?

I guess my first step is to break it all down and find out what is really most important to me. You can skip on down to the end if you'd like, because I'm sure this little exercise will bore you to pieces, but I need to sort it all out in the open to find a solution. Once it is out there in cyberspace, I might feel more inclined to follow through with my solution because there are eyes that can see whether I fail or succeed. You are those eyes.

The Important Stuff:
1. Practice Makes Perfect: Draw, Write, and Read!
One of the recurring themes of this past weekend's NESCBWI Spring conference (#nescbwi11) was not only in almost every one's speech, but it also was the most important (and probably why it was in every one's speech. Actually, I'm sure it is why it was in every one's speech). It was said in multiple ways:

• "BIC... Butt in Chair," from Jane Yolen, Keynote Speaker
• "Follow Malcom Gladwell's 10,000-hour Rule," from "The Search for Singular Style" panel
• "Humor is not a shortcut to hard work," from Donna Gephart's "12 3/4 Ways to Tickle Young Readers' Funny Bones" workshop
• "Do the Work... Make your creative life your TOP priority," from Lin Oliver, Keynote Speaker
• "Read. Write. Read some more," from Mark Peter Hughes' imagination-sparking workshop
• "Success can take you years to achieve... but if you don't keep at it, you won't make it," from Harold Underdown's Keynote Speech

And here's another blogger's talk on the practice topic: http://ingridsnotes.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/butt-in-chair-put-in-the-hours/

2. Get Your Stuff Out There
At the conference we also talked about Social Networking, Twittering, Facebooking, and self-promoting. In particular, there was a workshop called "Improving Your Online Presence," and you can find the lecture here. And on the topic of social networking, what does a children's publisher expect from us?

3. Get Moving
And because we artists and writers are Sedentary Beings, let's not forget to get our hearts pumping and our butts moving! There is an article on Illustration Island "What I Wish I Knew When I Started," where someone says they wish they had gotten into the habit of exercising every day, because it gets harder as you get older to stay in shape. Health is very important to me- how else will I live to be a hundred and fifty so I can read to my great-great-grandchildren???

4. Spend Time With Family
With my rotten upside down schedule, it's hard to spend time with family and friends. Most people are just getting out of work when I clock-in to serve the world some delicious Chinese cuisine. I'm lucky because many of my friends and family visit me while I'm working, and sometimes we even get to have a nice conversation... but I'm still working and not totally there mentally so it isn't quality time.

5. Do Something... else
My new career is super fun! I love to draw, read and write! But sometimes it is also good to step outside of the box (or studio... or house) and just find something of another kind of fun to do. Go for a walk, watch a movie, take a drive, go on a date with Hubby. But I shouldn't chastise myself for taking a guilty pleasure when I do go out and have a bit of fun. It is Life after all, it's okay to do some living!

6. Write Lists
THIS part is by far my best quality. I am a professional list maker! I have a Short-Term Goal list, a Long-Term Goal list, a Blog Post Idea list, an Audio Books to Read list... the list goes on! The cool things about lists are that I forget less, and I even get to see my progress as I cross things off. And I can almost feel myself getting calmer as I write something new down on my Master List, because I know I won't be forgetting to do it!


7. Oh! I almost forgot... SLEEP!
Regardless of what time we get home from work (sometimes as late as 1:30 am!), I need to be sure to get eight hours of sleep. It isn't good to lose out on sleep- not for the mind or the body. So what if the public eye thinks ten o'clock is too late to get up? They should be seeing my art, not when I'm eating my breakfast. I need to let go of the guilt I put onto myself for not "sticking to the schedule." It just gives me heartburn to worry so much!

8. Savoring
There is this book, called Savor, which I've been trying to read (and have yet to finish) but at least I've got the general gist of it. The author explains and teaches us how to really live in the moment of what we are doing. Don't think about other things while you are doing something- don't even DO other things while you are doing something. If you are eating, focus on the thing you are eating. Don't watch tv and scarf it down. Really immerse yourself in that thing. So from now on, I'm going to do that. With everything that I do, I'm going to savor each moment, enjoy it for what it is, and not think about the other things I could or should be doing.

And What About that Evil, Time-Sucking Thing We Call the Internet?
Email, reading the "daily news" via Facebook or Twitter, you know... the path you end up on due to your self-promoting social networking? The one that takes five hours from your day? The one I am effectively adding to by writing this huge blog post? There is an article I found on this, so here it is: Getting Sucked Into the Internet. I think it's time I really put a stop to my tomfoolery, and to start focusing on the real work.

I'm sure there is plenty more I could add to the above list, (notice how I didn't include chores on there? I did too... I wonder if that's a bad thing?) but really, life doesn't work that way anyway. Weddings and birthdays and stuff just happens, but if I have a set of rules for myself, (really simple, easy rules), then I won't feel so much pressure when things go awry.

My New and Improved Goals:

• 30 minutes of cardio, five times per week, (or a total of 150 minutes in any combination)
• ONE finished illustration per week. Sketch all I want, but I need to follow through and paint at least one of them. Spot illustrations count. Illustration Friday helps.
• ONE blog post per week. Don't feel pressured to do more, just put the new idea on the list until after all my other stuff is done. Make Mondays my blog-posting days!
• Listening to audio books on the way to work = reading. I've got a forty-five minute commute, one way. Anything else I choose to pick up is just an added bonus! If I watch less television at night, I can whittle down my pile even faster.
• ONE writing session per week. Sit down and write. Blogging counts as writing, however I've got manuscripts to edit and stories to put down on paper. So my Special Writing Time should be committed to my stories, and nothing else. I'm working on how long that session should be...
• ONE relaxing and fun activity. What will it be? Should it be weekly? Do I have time for that? I guess I'll try it and see what happens!
• Make plans and visit with somebody, IN PERSON, not at work, TWICE a month. Only twice a month seems a bit lame, but I need to start somewhere. 
• Remember to SAVOR it all.
• As for the Time Sucker, the Internet... I will check my email briefly each morning to see if there is anything pertinent, and if there isn't, I will dutifully put away the Internet until I have accomplished some of the stuff on my list of goals. I can do all the Internet Dawdling I want on my phone when I'm on the go, and NOT while I am trying to get some work done. No Twitter or Facebook unless there is an actual message. I can post stuff for self-promotional reasons, but that will be all.
  
  AND! Drum roll, please...
• I'm taking a night off a week from work for the summer. No phone, no Internet, no tick-tock of the Mickey Mouse clock. Just me and blank paper in the studio for a few hours. I think this is going to help me quite a bit, at least for now. We'll see what happens when classes start up again in September.

Well! I think I'm feeling better already! In fact, I'm going to print my goals and stick them onto my studio door to remind me what I've promised myself. I'll keep you posted on how it's all turning out, and it would be super duper nice of you to share some of your own Time Management and Balancing tricks down below in the Comments box! 

Thanks for reading, and Happy Balancing! If things go as planned, I shall see you again next Monday! :D

Field Trip: NESCBWI Spring Conference, Fitchburg MA

This past weekend, I attended my very first New England SCBWI conference, (you know, that thing I've been talking about for a bit...), and it. was. AWESOME.

Three days in Fitchburg, MA, chock full of stuff. Books and writing and art stuff! And I made a bunch of new friends while having fun hanging out with my RISD pals- what could be better than that? There was a Poster Showcase & Contest (where half of the winners were from our own RISD group!), awesome Keynote Speakers like Jane Yolen, Tomie dePaola (and more), a viewing of the documentary "Library of the Early Mind," , book signings, and even a fun Cabaret show!

And of course, some amazing workshops run by some amazing people. These are the ones I was lucky enough to attend (and funnily enough, this person attended all the same workshops, with the exception of one! I wonder if we met?):

• "Earn Your Poetic License!" by Leslie Bulion 
• "The Search for Singular Style,"  a panel of illustrators that talked about where one's style comes from, by Robert Squier, Susan Savory, Teri Weidner and Andy J. Smith.
• "Picture Book or Magazine Story?" by Harold Underdown, a great lecture on defining you story and where it belongs in the printed world.
• "12 3/4 Ways to Tickle Young Readers' Funny Bones," by Donna Gephart, a very fun workshop on humor.
• "Turning Millstones into Milestones," by Nora Baskin, Elise Broach and Tony Abbot, a panel about the business of the book world.

To top it all off, the most exciting thing for me all weekend was my fifteen minute critique session with Harold Underdown. He gave me plenty of helpful advice and ideas of ways to improve my manuscript (Project #1), and I'm really looking forward to making some significant (but much needed) changes to it. I know it will be much better once I do, and I'm happy to do it! One step closer to publication! I can almost taste it!

I was so busy that I didn't have a chance to take pictures...well, except for this one on the first day:

Other than having a lack of photographs, my only regret is that I didn't participate in the Poster Showcase... but since I this was my first time I really wanted to just absorb and learn, and see what it was all about first. So next year, I WILL do a poster.

And I can't wait!

The Portfolio

In addition to updating my website in preparation for this weekend's SCBWI conference in Fitchburg, I have also been reviewing my portfolio and printing up my best work to carry with me in my little leather folio.

As I was doing so, I started to wonder/worry about what I was putting out there for the world to see. Does this work represent who I am as an artist? Is this truly my best work? Should I (and could I) have done more to prepare for this weekend? So much depends on The Portfolio. And the stress of it all began to bubble up to the surface.

I had to stop and remind myself that, first of all, stress isn't good for anybody. So stop it right now!

And also that if I look at the entire spectrum of my art career, I have only been in the Children's Book business since Fall of 2009, when I signed up for classes at RISD. There is a reason why my portfolio needs so much more work. I'm still learning! I have plenty of non children's book art, and plenty of school-assigned pieces, but not a lot of things that are really mine. Things I've created just because I wanted to, and for the love of the craft. Well of course not- I have been a busy student, still working, and now blogging, and still having (somewhat) a life.

So with that information in the front of my brain, I looked again at what I had to offer the world. And you know what? It made me happy and proud. Yes, I could have done better on some of the projects we were assigned, had I given myself enough time (or watched one less movie with Hubby). And yes, I know not all the images didn't print or scan the way that I would have liked. And, yes, I know there are WAY better artists out there that will get the job instead of me.

But my current portfolio is proof that I'm heading in the direction of my dreams. I am doing what I love to do! It means I will be spending more time illustrating and writing, and getting better at it with each new project. It means I've got a grin on my face that can't be wiped off by my own insecurities, because I know I'm doing the best I can with what I've got.

So, take THAT, Stress, and take your worries to someone who cares. :)

And take this, Readers- some tidbits I've found on building one's portfolio. Maybe they'll help us all shine a little brighter, and do our best a little best-er!
Tips from artist Tony Sansevero
Tips from artist Nina Rycroft
Tips from artist Phyllis Pollema-Cahill
Tips from Harold Underdown
Tips from artist Chris Tugeau
Three Mistakes Illustrators Make in their Portfolios
Selecting Images for Your Portfolio

Winter (Mental) Break!

Hello hello, and Happy Belated Holidays to you!

As you can see, I've been on a bit of a break. With the tornado of the holiday season, finishing up with classes, doing a bit of work on the house, and even going on a mini getaway with my hubby, I haven't gotten much done recently. And that's okay! I realize that if I overdo it, I'll go crazy, and I'm wacky enough as it is. But the time off has gotten me thinking about my goals, and given me a renewed sense of creativity and even better- some ideas.


The biggest influence just so happened to be from our little trip to Disney- and goodness knows that any illustrator spending a few days saying things like "I could SO do that," or "I WISH I could so do that," would feel pumped up and ready to get in the studio! (I just have to get in there and clean it first...)

So here's a bit of inspiration for you all to get going, because these quotes really did it for me:

So just keep working, believe in yourself, and above all-

 make sure you're having fun!

At Last...

...my studio is complete!

All it's missing now is that homey, lived-in look, (and a giant cork board on the wall) but I'm sure it will get there quite soon. I'm so fond of it, I took pictures! Let us gaze upon the loveliness...

 

While cleaning and collecting all of my art supplies that have been dispersed around the house over the past few years, I have learned a few things:

1. I am the Queen of Post-Its. *see proof at the bottom of this post

2. I actually DO have enough rulers and straight edges. It always seems like I only have one, and I can never find it. Apparently these things like to hide in weird places.

3. Finally putting together my studio is the BEST thing I could have done for myself. Seriously, I love it.

Since its completion, I have already spent a few creative hours in my new studio space. I'm trying out some new techniques to see what works best for me and my drawing style. Today I took page out of Judy Schachner's book and tooled around with the technique she uses to illustrate her Skippyjon Jones stories. I LOVE the textures she achieves using acrylics on watercolor paper, and the way she layers her vivid colors like so:

Spread from "Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones," by Judy Schachner

I figured it would save me some time to work with an image I already had lying around, so I tried out this new look on my little logo. I outlined with black Prismacolor pencil, and added a few touches with some Caran d'ache water soluble crayons. Not bad, but it seems to be missing something:

I'm also going to play around with this pelican that I drew a while back, and see how that goes.  I outlined him in pen and ink, which I find to be very satisfying...much more so than a black pencil. I guess I'm not into colored pencils that much right now.

And, since I've achieved the goal of making my little creative space, it makes sense to attempt yet another goal:

Get on a Schedule! 

I've got a log sheet on my door so I can write in the times I work, and I will also set aside working time from 10 am until 2 pm, four days a week. That's sixteen hours each week I will be devoting my time to illustrating.

Sounds like Awesome-ness to me!

told ya so...

Yes, Yes, You Need a Nest!

Not one made of straw and scraps, Silly! You need a place to yourself, where you can write and create to your heart's content! A place that inspires you, gives you room to breathe, where you can close the door on the rest of the world for just a few more minutes...

How do I know this? Because the books told me.

But how do I really, truly know this? Because I can't get anything done!

I look at the kitchen table, (my current studio space), covered in my artsy mess, and can't bring myself to sit at it and work. I would tell myself things like:  "It's too messy. The kitchen needs cleaning first. I really should vacuum. The house needs dusting before I can play. There's a good show/movie/nothing on, I'll just sit here on the couch and watch instead."

And in the meantime, the deadlines I have so kindly made for my book dummy are whoooshing by, and I am totally losing faith in myself.  Will I actually be able to meet a deadline I have created?  Will I be able to freelance and work under my own regime? I've been thinking hard about this, and I came to the conclusion:

Having my kitchen table be my place for creativity isn't so bad.  Having my kitchen table be my place for creativity while it's still in the kitchen...yeah, that's bad.

So, to my husband's dismay, yesterday I moved everything out of my spare/craft/storage room, including the queen bed set, and I moved everything back in again, including the kitchen table. Yes, I swapped a bed for a table! But what a difference this has made!

It is still a MESS, I'll give you that much.  But give me a few days to really tidy up, and I'll have a wonderful, cozy little nest for myself where I can preen my artsy feathers and give a hoot when I want to! I have no tv to distract me, no computer screen to brainwash me, ample lighting and space, a door that shuts, and all of my supplies are right there when I need them.

The best part is that I can wake up, cross the hall, and step right into my own office, pajamas, messy hair, morning breath and all! I can't WAIT to get to work!

Oh, and if you're worried about how we manage without a kitchen table...you know, patio tables work just as well for eating. Silly goose.

Time Flies When You're an Aspiring Children's Book Artist

I've been thinking a lot (I know, risky of me isn't it?) lately about how much I have changed, and my life's direction re-routed, over the past year. I think it is because it was around this time last summer when I had decided to really DO something with my life and my talent, and I still can't believe it is happening!

That lazy summer morning, when I was thinking about signing up for classes at RISD to achieve one of my life's dreams (which was becoming a RISD student), I said to myself, "What the hey, might as well check it out anyhow," who'd have thought that I would also find my life's calling?

And since that time, I have almost completed my RISD CE Certificate requirements, established myself as an online presence, made a TON of new friends, written a final and complete children's book manuscript (as well as many others that are not so complete), started a crit group, turned my spare room into a studio, became a member of SCBWI, read every book I can find on the topic, and I am still learning and loving it all!

*sigh* I am SO glad I finally decided to follow my dreams!  :)

Goal Keeping: Time for a Six Month Checkup!

Well, vacation time is over, and now it's back to work for me!  The timing couldn't be better though, because it has been a good six months since I've last thought about my goals, and I'd like to stay on track.

Way back in January, I wrote up a little list of goals for myself, and the top ten were listed here.  I'm pretty proud to say that I'm able to check a few things off my goal list:

Create more illustrations to put into my portfolio. PERFECT MY CRAFT! (This is an ongoing operation for any artist, and Number One for all of us!)

Update and re-do website and business cards to make them more professional (oops... been too busy for that) 

Research possible publishing companies, reading their websites and catalogs (an ongoing task)

Make tear sheets and postcards to send to potential publishers. Use art work that really represents who I am as an artist and what talents I can offer them.  (still looking for my style... have you seen it anywhere?)

Get a subscription to the Horn Book magazine (known to be a top magazine for those wishing to become author/illustrators in the children’s book world, it contains invaluable tips and other information) Check!

Submit pieces for Cricket magazine and its affiliates. (I have one almost ready for submission... time to get cracking on that!)

Research and read new books in the market, books that have won awards, etc. (again, an ongoing thing...)

Do some social networking- become a member of SCBWI (check!), illustrationmundo.com, childrensillustrators.com, theispot.com, and start a blog. (check!) Read other’s blogs to meet new people, go to conferences and lectures, and talk to those who are in my field. (ongoing part of my job now)

Learn more about other illustrator’s styles - what I like and what I don’t like. Practice mimicking their work as a personal exercise to find which mediums and processes work best for me. (Keep in mind these pieces should not be part of my portfolio if they are in any way replica-like.) (funny you say that, because I've been doing a bit of research and experimentation to find where my style has run off to... a work in progress!)

Join a critique group. I won’t be in school forever, and getting other artists’ input is a very valuable tool. This will help me to PERFECT MY CRAFT, my number one goal  (Check!)

The interesting thing about reviewing my list of goals is that the majority of them are things I should be doing on a regular basis... an everyday part of my new career.  I didn't know this when I started, of course. I thought these things could be done, checked off the list, and committed to memory for future use.  Not so!  I must be reading, writing, drawing, reviewing, critiquing, and learning every single day! 

*gAsP!*

That sounds pretty good to me! But I've been finding it hard to get anything done lately, with summer, Father's Day, vacations, birthdays, my day job, new babies in the family...with life itself! I find it extremely difficult to work on a drawing when right next to my "studio" (you know, that kitchen table I keep mentioning) is a pile of luggage that needs to be put away, and a sink full of dishes, and family stopping by to say hello.

Sounds like I need to finally put together that real studio of mine, doesn't it?

Oh, but there are so many things I should and could be doing right now! I have a book dummy to put together, and art I want to send to ripple to raise money for the oil spill, and two websites to work on, and Illustration Fridays and owls to draw...

"Aw, stop making excuses and do it already!!!"

And that's my number one goal for the summer.  Tied with that is my book dummy, which I can do while I'm at work. *wink wink* Time to stop blogging and time to start mooooooving!

Oh, and P.S...
I got my pelican art from Olivia Bouler the other day! Isn't it gorgeous??