8 TIPS FOR ARTISTS WORKING FROM HOME

Are you an Artist Working From Home?

My father was a corporate guy. 40+ years. I remember him telling me that working from home was something he couldn’t even imagine. I was 30, an Account Executive for an HR/Payroll company, and a new mom. My company moved us out of our outdated office, downsized to a fancy urban building for meetings, and sent us all to work from our homes. It was innovative; it was new, and it was exciting. The IT guy set us up with phone lines (yes, landlines), fax lines, pagers, and a modem to dial up. Yes, I’m showing my age. 

Anyway, it was perfect for me as a new mom because I was able to eliminate my 45-minute, twice-a-day commute, have lunch with my new baby boy, and get a hell of a lot of work done in my converted bedroom space. 

I tell you all that to give you the backstory and where I’m coming from. After leaving my corporate job, a few years later, I worked as a freelance graphic designer, and then transitioned my creative business to painting and licensing my artwork. I’ve worked from studios outside my home over the years, but for over 20 years, I’ve mostly worked from home.

Many of my friends and acquaintances tell me how they struggle with trying to work at home all day, and I thought I’d share a few tips.

Each day is not perfect, and some days are more challenging than others, but here’s what works for me.

• SHOWER. Yes, I know, but really. One guy I worked with back in my corporate days would not only shower, but put on a suit each day because he said he sounded more professional on the phone. That might be overkill, but if it helps, hey, try it. 

• GET A ROUTINE. Have a morning routine and stick with it. This is harder than it sounds, but I always feel better on the days when I do. Run, work out, read the paper, whatever it may be, but do the same activity each day and your brain recognizes that it’s time to go to work. If you need a reading suggestion, I like My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander. I started reading a brief chapter as part of MY morning routine.

• SET BOUNDARIES. For yourself and others. Just because you’re at home, doesn’t mean you can watch someone’s kid, run to Target, or talk to your mom on the phone for an hour. My husband also works from home and I have a cool leather ‘do not disturb’ door hanger I hang on my studio door so he knows not to yell up at me to tell me something, or come in and chat. Most of the time it works. With the kids, sometimes.

• TAKE BREAKS. If you need to, set an alarm as a reminder. I’ve found that it is harder to stop once you get started when you don’t have the normal office interruptions. I set a timer on my phone, but you might also use a time tracking app such as Toggl Timer or Pomodoro.

• EXERCISE. I combine this one with the previous. I try to take a break and walk our dog Cookie once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Even just going outside for five minutes keeps you from being weary. If you stare at a computer for most of the day, your eyes need it, along with your brain.

• WRITE IN A JOURNAL. I like to journal first thing in the morning while I drink my coffee. The classic book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron suggests three pages of free-writing each morning. It clears my head for the day and helps me prioritize what I need to do. Even better, make a list the night before too.

• FOCUS. Easier said than done. If you have a problem with distractions, such as dirty dishes in the sink or moving laundry, use an app like Calm for mini-breaks. Or find a good focusing playlist on Spotify which has songs without vocals. I also make a lot of lists and circle back to them when I get distracted.

• KNOW WHEN TO QUIT. Turn it off. Your brain, your computer, your iPhone. Get outside. Play with your kids. Close the door to your office or studio if you can. Creativity and productivity are best reached when they are nurtured.

Want to read more about establishing good ROUTINES?

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