Staying Motivated and Focused

I have been asked frequently by fellow artists and creative entrepreneurs how I stay motivated and find the time to make art while raising our young children. While I am flattered many people think I am accomplishing a lot, I sometimes feel like I am not doing enough. There is always more that could be done but I constantly remind myself that I am only one person with many responsibilities, just like everyone else. It is not easy by any stretch of the imagination! But I make my art practice and business a priority while still putting the needs of my family first. Below are some the strategies and systems I have found helpful in my art business practice that keep me motivated and focused.

Lists
There is no better way to keep me motivated and on track than a list of what I need or want to get done. I often joke that my lists have lists, which in all reality, they do.  I like to start my week by creating a "brain dump" list of all things I need or want to accomplish in the week. These things include household chores, errands, creative benchmarks, business items, and more.

Then, I organize my week by assigning my to do's to each day of the week. I try to group similar tasks on the same day or on days that I know I will have the time to successful accomplish those tasks. For example, if I know it's going to rain one day coming up, I'll schedule cleaning or paperwork for that day. If it's going to be a beautiful day, I'll run errands. You get the idea. I try to set myself up to be the most productive so I can check tasks off when completed.

This year I decided to combine my yearly business notebook (where I brainstorm ideas) with my planner. I purchased the Big Happy Planner in vertical format and it has been a game changer! Each week has space for my "brain dump" session and each day of the week has a section so I can designate which day I do certain tasks. I love that I can take the pages out and pop them back in place when I am done. You can view the planner I am using this year by clicking here.

Exercise
I know it seems counterintuitive to add another thing onto a never ending to do list, but exercise is a necessity for me. When I started to add in regular exercise to my day, it greatly impacted my ability to get more done and stay focused. By taking time for myself and moving my body, it makes me feel better about myself while providing more energy and motivation to get more done.

I also equate my exercise time to my once long commute when I was a tenured art teacher. I would drive 50+ miles one way to work and it provided me an opportunity to reflect and think. My drive was the best time to prepare for my teaching day by mentally going through all that I needed to accomplish when I arrived. I also had time to think of ways to improve my teaching and dream up projects. Now that I am a full time mom and business owner, my exercise time provides me with that same mental space to think and reflect about what I need to do or want to create.

Working Time
Another way that I stay motivated is by setting regular studio working time. Being a full time mom, it's hard to find the time, so I make it! I carve out nonnegotiable time to paint around my family's needs. For example, I wake up early to get an hour or two in the studio before my kids get up for the day. I also work after they go the bed. Even if I am exhausted after a long day, I make myself work to take advantage of the studio time. It's definitely not easy but it's easier to stick to a designated work schedule to keep myself focused.

Finding the Best Time
Another productivity tip I have discovered is to find the best time that I can successfully do a particular task. For example, I tried to exercise first thing in the morning. However, I quickly found out that it wasn't the best time for me do so. I performed better in the afternoon and could exercise while my kids played. That in turn freed up my early morning to paint in the studio before everyone else woke up.

I also categorize tasks by what I can do with my kids and what is best done with my full attention (i.e. painting). I usually run errands or clean the house with the kids. I save emails or other business related tasks for when they are sleeping or playing independently.

As my family grows and changes, I try to adapt to their needs while still striving to accomplish what I need creatively. It's definitely a work in progress that constantly needs balancing. I find it fun trying to figure out how to fit everything in. If you are an artist or business owner, how do you stay motivated and focused?

Tiny House Mobile Art Gallery & Studio

This week, I am sharing the story of how I came to be the new owner of a tiny house mobile art gallery and studio. It's a dream that I’ve had for many years that all began when I started to regularly watch Tiny House Nation on the FYI channel. I was captivated by the innovation and craftsmanship that went into creating a functional house in such a small space. One episode featured a couple that wanted to use their tiny house as a place to live and as a mobile store for the items that they made. I immediately thought about how awesome it would be to have a trailer dedicated to being an art gallery and teaching studio.

I started to research other businesses that had created mobile showrooms for inspiration and I came across the world of mobile fashion boutiques: converted enclosed trailers, step vans, and tiny houses used as mobile sales floors. Along the journey, I also considered transforming an enclosed trailer. I inquired with multiple custom trailer builders for quotes. I had even found a trailer in Illinois that was used as a Lularoe mobile store. I almost purchased it while we were in West Virginia on vacation. However, something told me it just wasn’t right and I cancelled the transaction.

This past Memorial Day, while I was searching hashtags for mobile businesses I somehow came across a sale post, for the trailer that I now own, on Instagram. I inquired about the trailer, that they had named "Tiny",  through private messaging. After a few messages, I found out the owners had changed their minds and decided not to sell their mobile store. At the time I was disappointed but also inspired! It was exactly what I had imagined having as my mobile art gallery and teaching studio. It fit the style of my artwork and the feel that I would want my customers to have when imagining my artwork in their own home.

While I was in Lancaster for the Art Biz Mastermind Workshop, we took time to plan out our goals for the next six months. Building or buying a tiny house trailer was on my list. At the time, I wasn't sure if it was obtainable. I spoke privately with Alyson Stanfield about my idea and she encouraged me to explore it more. At the same time, I used my Strategic Planning Guide from Creative Capital to write and think about making my goal a reality.

I began doing research on building my own tiny house art studio. I reached out to a trailer manufacturer that put me in touch with their regional builder, Tiny Foundations Northeast in Connecticut. Christopher was amazing to collaborate with and he even created a Sketch Up design of what I had in mind (If you're looking to build your own, I highly recommend Christopher). I decided before I ordered the trailer and shell that I needed to take more time to source the unique windows and doors that I wanted. I also had been thinking and designing for so long that I thought it would be best to take a break and set my idea aside for a while to really consider what I wanted.

As life often does, time marched on and I had put my idea on the back burner. One day, I decided that I was ready to think about a trailer again and all of the ways it could be utilized. That also happened to be the same day that the owners posted the tiny house trailer was back up for sale. I contacted Mandi on September 27th and on October 7th, they delivered her to NJ. I am still amazed at how it happened and we both believe it truly was meant to be.

Robert and Mandi custom built her all by hand, even the steel roof was hand bent from a local Ohio Amish business. They used locally harvested lumber, accents from their own barn, and the floors are beautiful, rough cut 1" thick walnut. They used the trailer to sell their handmade signs and home decor along with other unique items made by local artisans. They designed it to have plenty of wall space which is perfect for my use as a mobile art gallery. The trailer truly is one of a kind and I am so lucky to be her new owner! Be sure to come to my Holiday Open House on December 1 & 2 from 10AM - 5PM for the big reveal and experience her for yourself! Click here to get all of the details.

Me, Mandi, & Robert

I’d like to thank EVERYONE who has ever commissioned a painting, took a workshop or private art lesson, hosted a painting party, purchased a print, greeting card, or even a magnet. YOU made it possible for me to make this dream come true! And I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the support of my amazing husband. He is always encouraging me to reach higher and dream bigger. It has taken me a lot hustling and saving to make this dream come to reality. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support!

If you are a business that would be interested in hosting me for future events, please email me kimberlydenglish@gmail.com

ArtBiz Lancaster Mastermind Workshop

Last week I had the opportunity to work with Alyson B. Stanfield during her Mastermind Workshop in Lancaster, PA. Alyson is the author of "I'd Rather Be In The Studio" and provides awesome webinars, podcasts, blog posts, and other relevant information to help artists build their business. If you are an artist and you haven't heard of Alyson, be sure to sign up for her newsletter to get acquainted!

On Thursday I left my house at 5AM to get ahead of the morning traffic and planned to arrive at the Perkins Restaurant in Avondale right as they opened. I pulled in at 6AM and had a delicious breakfast served by the sweetest waitress, Barbara. I was back on the road in no time and made it to the Marriott at Penn Square by 7:45AM. I was so excited to be meeting Alyson! Over the last four years, I have read her blog countless times, tuned into webinars, and participated in online classes. I was moments away from working with her about MY art business. How amazing!

The first day's morning session was jam packed full of "big picture" activities. We used our elevator speeches as our introductions to the group and shared our favorite accomplishment from this past year. Alyson provided us with a handout that would help us identify opportunities. We wrote down 3 top accomplishments within the last 5 months. We used the worksheet to identify how we could expand upon those accomplishments and identify what we need to do in order to achieve it, as well as recognize any obstacles that may hinder us along the way.

After a short break, we started a question burst exercise which was adapted from Hal Gregersen's "Better Brainstorming"in the March-April 2018 issue of Harvard Business Review. The presenter had one minute to describe a challenge that they are currently facing in their art business along with any emotions that the presenter is feeling. The group had 6 minutes to ask open ended questions in relation to the challenge. We could not offer solutions or suggestions. The presenter could not answer the questions and would record the questions for further review. After the question asking portion time was completed, the presenter had one minute to share which questions were most helpful or thought provoking. The presenter was also encouraged to share what emotions they were now feeling related to the challenge.

The question burst exercise is used to offer deeper divergent thinking and enable creative brainstorming. Alyson was extremely helpful in rephrasing questions so that the presenter had a more open ended question to consider. It was very hard to not ask yes or no questions! I found this exercise to be very helpful and would love to try it with some of my local art business owner friends.

We had a guest speaker come talk to our group: Loryn Spangler-Jones is a local Lancaster artist and owner of the LSJ Studios Gallery. She discussed her social media practice, different income streams, and community involvement. She was full of energy and shared lots of great ideas! We had an interesting discussion about pricing works of art and how to talk to customers who may think the prices are too high.

In the afternoon, we participated in an Artist Case Study. We were given the background and financial information about a factious artist and were to create solutions in regard to her artistic business. In our breakout group, we came up with a list full of ideas! As we were discussing her options with the entire group, we talked about how obvious some of her options were. Alyson encouraged us to use the same technique about ourselves at a later date and that we might discover similar, obvious solutions in our own business.

After Thursday's session Alyson and Mesa, her assistant, had a cocktail party for us. We had Rosé wine and decadent appetizers. Everyone was having a great time networking and enjoying each other's company. We decided to continue our evening at Tellus 360, a local bar with a rooftop area. It was a gorgeous night! After dinner I went for a swim in the hotel pool. It was very refreshing!

The next day we focused on specific goals for ourselves and started our session with a worksheet for Strategy Session Focus. We had to identify our top 3 goals for the next 6 months and the obstacles we might face while obtaining those goals. After we individually filled out our worksheets, we participated in a Mastermind Strategy Session where each presenter shared one goal and the group had 10 minutes to discuss ways in which they could achieve that goal. Alyson organized the groups by categories and I was in the sales group. We had four people in our group and we all gave and received so many awesome ideas!

Throughout the two days, there were also designated times where each artist would share their best business practice tip with the group. There were so many amazing tips about being productive, hiring help, open houses, social media, cataloging artwork, bookkeeping, scheduling, and so much more! I really enjoyed listening to the other artists discuss their most successful practices in their businesses.

Alyson was so attentive to our needs and skillfully led our group through self and group discoveries. Over the two days I learned so much, not just about my art business, but also about how to help other artists! I feel so honored to have participated in such game changing conversations with pivotal contemporary artists. So much trust was built while sharing our dreams, accomplishments, setbacks, and future plans. It was so emotional leaving such a POWERFUL group of artistic individuals. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Below are some pictures from the ArtBiz Lancaster Mastermind Workshop along with a list and links to the artists I worked with.

Group photo courtesy of Mesa

Me and Loryn Spangler-Jones

Me and Alyson B. Stanfield

Tellus 360

 Group at Tellus 360 Rooftop. Photo courtesy of Mesa

Marriott at Penn Square

Some brainstorming and questions asked

Morning of Day 2

With Dora Ficher

With Lina Ferrara and Rachel Brask

With Mesa

With Mickey Baxter-Spade

Artists at the Lancaster Mastermind Workshop
Rachel Brask
Lina Ferrara
Jacqueline Perreault
Mary K. Bryson
Linda Hugues
Dora Ficher
Patty Hawkins
Jerry Cable
Mickey Baxter-Spade
Nancy Murty
Brooke Harker
Lynn Goldstein
Maryanne Buschini
Elise Nicely
Dot Procter
Thyra Moore