I am insanely envious of any artist who at the moment is able to dedicate their time fully to creating their work. I mean I know it’s not easy and working at it full time doesn’t necessarily mean  they are earning a reasonable living from it but that would be my ideal situation and my one wish should some genie appear and ask to grant me one; to be able to paint full time and to produce paintings that sell consistently.

I do know in many cases even for those who practice full time, no two days are ever alike and sometimes you find yourself on a real winning streak when everything appears to go swimmingly and you produce some seriously good studio or plein air results. Other days are just bleah and hard as you try things just won’t gel. These ebb and flow moments happen to us all and many learn to cope until their mojo returns from it’s unplanned hiatus. At times like these doing some studio work; washing brushes, tidying up, drawing, sketching, updating your website or social media helps.

So what happens when like me your creative time is limited to the same three days of the week? You have a day job so the bills can be paid so you can keep up your practice so you look forward to that time and then when it arrives you find your mojo has taken a hike!

When your time and your creative flow don’t coincide it can be pretty frustrating. However this probably is not the time for guilt and frustration but more time for any kind of input... magazines, museums, galleries, web browsing, YouTube, catching up with all those book marked articles you just never got rounding to reading. Input is just as important as output, it refreshes us by charging our batteries. 

Someone once said, art should not be created in snatched moments only and whilst this is true in the main, snatched moments can produce some of the most spontaneously created and beautiful pieces. Snatching moments when your time is limited can be quite tricky and we learn to adapt as best as we can.

We may not always feel like painting but just showing up at the studio helps..

The photo is of the view of my studio from my position on the sofa. I have my iPad on my lap and for the last 2 days I’ve been updating my website, creating links, adding to my web store, blogging,  and updating my social media. Input is as important as output. I need to remember this. 

What does everyone else do? Am I unique in this situation? Drop me a line below and let me know.

Plein air painters often go out on their own so it’s always a welcome opportunity whenever events are organised that allow us to spend time with loads of like minded painters.

I’ve attended A Brush With The Broads for 4 out of 5 events it has organised so far and have enjoyed each one in equal measure. At the end of September, we all gathered again, this time at Hall Farm Cottages in Horning in Norfolk for some fun activities of plein air painting, painting demonstrations and competitions. We even got to have at least one meal together. 

This year it rained! It rained and rained and rained but for the more intrepid amongst us this did little to dampen our spirits and we forged on stoically taking advantage of the short breaks and occasional bursts of sunshine.

To some it might seem a little foolhardy but we all have our interests and the little things for which we make personal sacrifices. When you enjoy it, it does not feel like hardship. What’s a bit of rain between friends eh?

I’m certainly looking forward to the next session and as I make my painting related plans for next year one thing I am considering is making more time with fellow artists out in the open doing what we enjoy best. 

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