Hello Artist,
I have been inconsistent with this blog recently.
But I have been very consistent with movie making.
This got me thinking.
As artists we are expected to promote our art, post on every social media channel, handle our day to day lives, pay our bills, answer our emails, and if we have time...Make Art.
This overwhelming amount of work causes me to vacillate between "batching' (eg creating all my Instagram posts and then scheduling them) and daily habits. Sometimes they work sometimes they don't.
And I think that it comes down to whether I am working on a skill or a task.
If I am trying to become a better painter, it is imperative that I paint 4 to 5 times per week. I cant do all my painting on Mondays and then take 6 days off.
This is generally true for anything that I want to improve (writing, acting, or even things like working out).
But some things just need to get done. Social media posts and other marketing are far more about the quantity than the quality after a certain point.
Quick side note: There will of course be overlap; If I want this blog to be read I need to post consistently on a schedule. But if I want my writing to improve, I should do it daily. In this case, maybe I write every day but only use my favorite to publish weekly. The same is true for copywriting, etc. But since this is a site focused on artists I am going to assume that the majority of you would rather spend your skill building time on your art, and settle for a passing grade on your copywriting.
So, the question to ask when you look at your massive to do list:
Is this a skill where the priority is to improve? Or is this a task where the focus is just on getting it done?
If you figure that out you can schedule yourself accordingly.
Skills call for daily practice, tasks can be batched and outsourced.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for making your art.
EJG