If you’re an artist with a full-time day job, you are no stranger to sleep deprivation.

No matter how you're getting your paycheck—whether it's clocking in hours at a traditional 9-5, piecing together freelance gigs, or crafting lattes, the challenge remains the same: finding the energy and time to fuel your passion for art after a long day of work.

After a day filled with Zoom meetings or answering emails, you most likely feel the temptation to plunk down on the couch with a bug cup of tea and your latest Netflix obsession. Checking out for the evening is often much more appealing than getting to work again. 

But, you know deep down that your creative outlet is key to your happiness and fulfillment. So, how do you gather enough energy to make the work that fuels you? 

Not every artist has the luxury of being able to quit their day job—and we're definitely not telling you to. In fact, having a steady income, especially at the start of your art career can actually help prevent burnout. After all, you don't have to worry about supporting yourself through your art—just yet. 

With bills to pay and art supplies to buy, your full-time job has an important role in pushing your creative career forward. And, you don't need eight hours a day to be an artist—you just need the energy, focus, and drive to create!

Here’s how you can maximize the time you do have:

 

Find a mentor to keep you accountable

One of the things that artists continually contribute to their success is finding a mentor that they trust to guide them through the undefined path of becoming a professional artist. Having a seasoned artist in your corner—someone who has been through it before—can challenge you, and offer advice or a different perspective on your work.

Many art students, after completing their college or postgraduate degrees, often stop pursuing art after graduation. And yes, this can certainly be attributed to financial burdens, or maybe realizing their heart isn't into it as they thought. But it also marks the first time art students don't have to stay accountable to anyone but themselves. 

For some people, this works. But for many, having a mentor—a guide from outside your own bubble—can take you to the next level in your artwork—even after school. 

Find a mentor, art coach, or teacher that inspires you creatively and professionally. Thanks to today's technology, your mentor doesn't even have to live in the same zip code as you. They could be halfway around the world, ready to share insights via email, offer encouragement through WhatsApp, or provide real-time feedback on your latest project over a video call on Zoom.

They can offer practical advice on how to juggle everything, from optimizing your schedule to prioritizing tasks, and help turn the limited time you have into productive and fulfilling creative sessions.

Finding a mentor is a practical step toward growth, providing you with the accountability and guidance you need to navigate the challenge of a creative career—especially one you're balancing with a day job. 

 

Take it step by step (or piece by piece) 

In Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird, she recommends looking at your creative work as short assignments. If you say, “I’m just going to sit in the chair for ten minutes and paint this one small section”, it’s much easier to get started.

Interestingly, once you start, it's as if a switch flips in your brain. Those ten minutes can easily flow into an hour or more as you get lost in the creative process. You'll be surprised at how quickly your fatigue fades and your creativity sets in, giving you the energy to keep going. 

Accomplishing a small task out of your bigger creative goal will kick-start your creative flow, often leading you to immerse yourself in the work far longer than you initially intended. And hey, if you end up only spending those ten minutes on it, you’ve still moved the needle forward. That’s ten minutes of creating something that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

This idea taps into something called micro-productivity, a strategy that has gained traction for its effectiveness in both professional and creative spheres. By chopping up your creative tasks, you not only make your larger project seem less daunting, but also create a series of achievable wins. These wins, no matter how small, accumulate over time and contribute to the progress of your creative projects! 

And if the day ends and you've only got those ten minutes in, you've still won. You've taken a step, no matter how small, towards creating artwork—and contributing to your career as an artist. Celebrate those tiny victories and remember that great things are built one small, consistent step at a time—or as Lamott says, "bird by bird." 

 

Be honest with yourself about your priorities as an artist 

We can all easily be trapped in the “too busy” mindset. But, when you break it down, there is always room for the things in your life that you make a priority. Yes, life is full, and your plate feels like it's overflowing. Yet, clinging to the "I'm too busy" excuse can sometimes mean we're not being totally honest about what's actually important to us. 

As a creative entrepreneur, the lines between personal passion and professional ambition blur, especially in a society where the hustle culture often glorifies being perpetually busy. But it's crucial to remember that we can't do everything perfectly—at least, not all at once.

Your priorities are allowed to shift; what's important this week might take a backseat the next. And that's perfectly okay. Your focus might need to shift from developing a new art series one week to refining your business strategy the next. Embracing this fluidity in priorities can ease the stress you're feeling when you're trying to maintain an impossible pace. 

So, instead of saying “I’m too busy,” be honest with yourself that whatever you're putting off isn’t a priority right now. It will take some pressure off and let you re-prioritize in the following weeks.

 

Image courtesy of Getty Images

Then, stick to those priorities

It's easier said than done, but once you have identified your priorities for the week, month, or year, stick to them. If your art business is a high priority, make sure you don’t spread yourself so thin that you can’t concentrate any time on it.

Sometimes this means having to say “no” to social obligations or dinner parties. You might have to sacrifice a few events in order to keep on track with your priority.

If you’ve set aside a certain amount of time to create art, whether it’s weekday mornings or weekend afternoons, stick to that schedule. Block out outside distractions during these times. Turn off your day job email and notifications.—this is your dedicated time to get creative. It will only make you better at your job, better as a friend, and better as a family member if you take the time you need to make the things that give you life.

It's also a lot easier to stick to your priorities if they are well-defined, attainable, and realistic—the same goes for the goals of your art practice. Take some time to write down your priorities and goals. Goals that are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, achievable, realistic, and timely), help you stay on track better than a generalized goal. By making your goals SMART, you’ll have an easier time sticking to your priorities.

 

Kick perfectionism to the curb

In today's age, the endless stream of polished art and successful artists flooding our social feeds can make that inner critic of yours louder, whispering fears of failure, rejection, and doubts about living up to what you may think "a real artist" is online. The pressure to be perfect before even starting—waiting for more inspiration, a bigger studio, better materials, or just the "right" moment—feeds into to a never-ending cycle. It's a cycle where your goalposts just keep moving, potentially leaving you stuck in a day job that does not fulfill you. 

But here's the truth: those moments of hesitation, the idea of waiting, and the fear of starting because you might not measure up are all part of the common trap disguised as perfectionism. Recognizing that procrastination—waiting for everything to be perfect—is often just a way to avoid potential failure can be a huge leap in overcoming it.

The reality is, sharing your artwork with the world, putting it up for sale for the first time, or even just organizing your workspace and business practices can indeed be daunting, but it's nowhere near as scary once you actually dive in.

So celebrate your real, unpolished art journey. There's a whole community out there ready to cheer on your process, not just the end product. Share the behind-the-scenes mess, the do-overs, the happy accidents, and the genuine "human-ness" behind your artwork. 

And, if a day job is a part of your story, embrace it. There's absolutely no shame in having a job that pays the bills; in fact, it's a reality for countless artists. Opening up about this aspect of your life does more than just humanize you; it adds depth to your story and shows the world the real, hardworking person behind the art. By refusing to take part in perfectionism, you can invite others in similar situations to feel seen, understood, inspired, and even cultivate an incredible support network. 

 

Create systems to maximize your time

As an artist, there’s hardly a day that goes by when you aren’t working on ten different things at once. You're constantly juggling creating art, managing sales, tackling marketing, engaging on social media, following up with clients, preparing for exhibitions, and handling a myriad of administrative duties—all on top of a full-time job. It’s easy to get lost in the details.

This is why you need a system that helps you remember all those little details, so you don’t have to.

Start by taking a moment to reflect on your regular tasks, especially those that you tend to put off or, let's be honest, sometimes forget entirely. Is it updating the inventory for your gallery? Engaging with your followers on Instagram? Applying to art shows? Reaching out to potential clients? Or perhaps sending out those ever-important opening night invites? Identifying these tasks is the first step toward systemization.

Once you've pinpointed where you need the most help, you can start implementing systems that will help build a solid framework for your business. 

Artwork Archive is one of those systems that helps artists get organized, save time, and run their careers professionally and with ease.

Whether it's keeping track of your inventory, managing contacts and galleries, scheduling reminders, or preparing for upcoming shows, Artwork Archive offers a suite of features tailored specifically for artists. Try it free for two weeks here