How I found more studio time... (It surprised me too!) ⏰️
- May 23
- 4 min read
Last week inside THE ARTHOUSE we had one of our Mid-Month Catch-Ups - a gentle follow-on from our Planning Your Practice sessions at the beginning of the month.
Because although we all begin with good intentions… as you may well be aware, life has a habit of rearranging things 😊 We make plans, we set our creative intentions, we imagine all the time we’re going to have - and then suddenly we’re halfway through the month wondering where it all went.
So these sessions are really just a chance to take a breath and ask:
Are we still on track with what we hoped for this month?
Do we need to adjust anything?
Do our plans still feel achievable, supportive, aligned?
The conversation became a really honest discussion around time, energy, and protecting our creative practice. I kicked things off by sharing something that’s been bothering me lately - I’m simply not having enough painting time in my day…and I want more (and that’s okay!) 😊
Being a membership host and course leader, my days are rather busy, but last week I decided to start tracking my time because I wanted to know where it was all going. I already knew I was a morning person, and I already knew I seemed to be spending more time at home in the mornings than I wanted to… but it wasn’t until I actually wrote down the things I was doing, and saw it all laid out in front of me that it really hit me. (Let’s face it, tracking your time isn’t exactly the most exciting task 😄)
But there’s something very powerful about shining a light on your habits and routines. Once you can really see where your time and energy are going, you’re then able to make a conscious decision about whether you want to change something 🌿
What became obvious was how I was giving the best part of my morning energy away to small everyday tasks before I’d even made it into the studio - prepping lunch, tidying up, putting washing on, answering little bits and pieces before leaving the house.
So I made one tiny adjustment - I started preparing my lunch the evening before instead. (At the moment I’m into big salads, which I love, but they definitely take time to prepare 🥗)
I know it sounds like such a small thing, but honestly, it’s changed the whole feeling of my mornings. I’ve now had quite a few mornings where I’ve been in the studio by 7.30am and had a good couple of hours of painting before my workday even begins.
Just that one small change has made me feel more connected to my practice again.
Members then began to share their own experiences.
Kerstin talked about how she’d started documenting her days back in March after earlier conversations inside THE ARTHOUSE. She described keeping notes about both studio time and life admin so she could actually see where her energy was going.
She made such a valuable comment: that looking back through her notes helped her realise she hadn’t wasted her time - even on days where it felt like she hadn’t “made anything.” She’d been organising paints, creating colour swatches, building foundations for future work. “Little things,” she said, “but important.”
I loved that. Because I think artists so often dismiss the quieter parts of our practice simply because they don’t immediately result in finished work.
Kerstin also shared an app she’s been enjoying called Day One, where she can combine notes, photos, ideas, voice recordings and documentation from her days in the studio. She spoke about how helpful it’s been to visibly track her creative rhythm and see proof that things are happening, even when progress feels slow. (I’ve just downloaded the app to give it a try.)
Then Jocelyne shared something beautiful about recently spending more time in the studio in the mornings instead of evenings. She described the light coming into the space differently. The feeling of freshness, and the change in energy. She followed with something really simple but really insightful: maybe she didn’t need huge stretches of studio time after all - maybe even half an hour after breakfast could satisfy that creative urge and help her stay connected.
Perfect.
Because I think many of us are waiting for the “perfect” amount of time to create. A whole free day, an uninterrupted schedule, a magical future version of life where everything is organised 😉 But I think our creative practice is actually built through these smaller moments of showing up regularly - half an hour, an early morning, a sketchbook page, a colour swatch… just small recalibrations that centre ourselves in our creativity.
That’s what I love most about these conversations. Nobody is pretending to have it all figured out. We’re simply sharing what’s working, what isn’t, what we’re noticing, and how we’re trying to continually change and adapt to make space for the things that are important to us.
Note to self (and perhaps to you too 😊):
I can already feel how easy it is for this awareness to slip away again. My time tracking has already started becoming a little less consistent, and I noticed the impact of that almost immediately - which is probably the bigger point really. None of this is about suddenly becoming perfectly organised or mastering some ideal routine. It’s more about continually noticing, re-adjusting and re-centring ourselves around the things that are important to us.
Inside THE ARTHOUSE
Every month inside THE ARTHOUSE, we run a range of sessions - including Mid-month Catch-up sessions like this one.
They are an important touch point in the month where we gather to talk about any sticking points, worries, challenges - and wins(!), happeing in our creative practice. Simply by bringing awareness to these matters is often enough to spark some action.
If you’re curious about what it’s like inside my creative community, there’s a FREE trial month so you can experience it for yourself. We’d love to welcome you, simply click the button below to hop over and join us:
Lastly, it’s over to you:
What’s one small change that could help you reclaim a little more creative time or energy before this month ends?
I’d love to know! ✨
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