How To Find Time For Your Art When You Have A Busy Schedule (Patreon)

I used to find it so difficult to just sit down with my sketchbook and draw something because there always seemed to be more important things to do, and even when I had down-time I still wouldn’t always draw because I didn’t know where to start.

I know that a lot of you have busy schedules with family responsibilities, full-time or part-time jobs, school, chores and everything else, so let’s take a look at some ways to find time for your art when you’re already very busy!

Start Small

You don’t need to spend hours making art to get in some practice, you can start with just 15 minutes of sketching or doodling if that’s all you have time for. When I committed to drawing every weekday, I told myself that even if I just sat down for 15 minutes to draw an outline or a little character, then that would be enough.

Set yourself some realistic expectations based on your schedule for how much time you could comfortably put aside for your art, and if that’s just 15 minutes twice a week then that’s fine! Start small, and you’ll likely find that your 15 minute session turns into 30 minutes and maybe longer because you’re enjoying yourself.

Make It Easy

Rather than having to set up lots of art supplies every time you want to draw and then pack everything down again, see if you can make things as easy and simple as possible. If you can set aside a small space in your home that’s designated as your art space, then that’s perfect! If not, keep all the tools you need together in one place or one bag that you can easily grab when you’re ready to make some art. The easier it is, the more likely you will do it! Something else that works for me is to put my art supplies somewhere that I can see them so I’m reminded to practise, and better yet I’ll put them where I’m most likely going to be procrastinating (like next to the couch near the TV) so that I’m more likely to see my supplies and start doodling something.

Use Prompts

If you’re finding it hard to make time for your art because you don’t know what to draw, then have some prompts handy and ready to go. These can be words or phrases that you come up with, they can be a drawing challenge or from our illustration club here on Patreon, or you can download my prompt list (attached below) and use that.

If you’re anything like I was when I started drawing, then you might feel a bit lost when you sit down to a blank page and don’t know where to start, so having some ideas ready will be one less thing you have to think about.

If you’re a Beautiful Bluebell I just made a video all about how to find something to draw that you can watch here.

Involve Others

Try doubling up your art time with social time and invite your family or friends to join you. Set up a painting table with the kids and create pictures for each other, or next time you have a coffee catch-up with a friend take your coffee to the park with a sketchbook and illustrate flowers or trees together.

You’ll be ticking off time with your family or friends and also enjoying some creative time too (bonus points if there are snacks involved)!

So I hope these tips help you find a little more time for your art! It’s difficult if you have lots of other responsibilities but if art is self-care for you then it’s important and can be prioritised alongside the other things in your schedule.