Do you ever struggle with a lack of time and feel like you just can’t get everything done? Do you ever wonder how you are supposed to be the artist that God has called you to be, yet don’t seem to have enough hours in the day? Well, if that’s you, then keep reading because I’ve got some practical strategies for finding more time for the things that really matter.
One of the five roadblocks I’ve seen hold artists back over the years is this whole concept of overwhelm and the lack of time. You might be nodding your head right now, thinking, Matt, I know what you mean. A lot of artists struggle with this, but here is the thing that I have learned about overwhelm and lack of time. How you spend your time is simply a reflection of a few things in your life:
And all of this can be summed up into one word: Vision. How you spend your time is directly related to vision. It’s the Bible that tells in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” or as another version reads, “the people cast off restraint,” and one of my favorite translations says that without vision that “people run wild.” So how does all this relate to time and time management? Vision from God about your life and art allows you to have a standard by which you choose how to use and prioritize your time. It helps you to know who you are and what you are called or meant to do in your life and with your art. Without that in place, then it's too easy to let circumstances and other people determine what your priorities are in life. Then before you know it, your time, your money, your energy, and your focus have been hijacked by someone else’s agenda. I had to get to this place in my own life. The place where I fully embraced God’s call and plan for my life as a husband, a dad, an artist, and as a father to Artists. Understanding who God created me to be and knowing what He has called me to do guides how I choose to invest my time. This vision for my life helps me to prioritize what I say yes to and what I say no to in my day. What’s Eating Up YOUR Day? So, I am going to give you a little assignment that you can do right now to start taking control of your time. For the next seven days, grab your journal, a legal pad, or even a piece of paper and write down everything that you are doing in 15-minute increments. Now, I know that you are probably saying, “OMG! That is a lot of detail.” Yeah, it is, and that’s the point. This time assessment is a commitment, but it’s really going to reveal where you are spending your time. Yes, I want you to include the random scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, the daydreaming, and anytime you spend unfocused. Be sure to include doing things for your family and friends, even the things you do out of guilt or obligation. Time for YOUR Aha Moment And then at the end of the week, what I want you to do is this: Go back through that assessment and look at the areas where you choose to spend your time. Ask yourself the following questions:
The point of this exercise is not to feel shame for what you didn’t do but to help you see what you can do. Most people who do this week-long time assessment end up having a complete light bulb moment of realization: “OOOohhhhh! My Goodness! I’ve wasted a whole lot of time on a whole bunch of nothing.” The important thing is to take that Aha moment and use it as a call to action. Ask Yourself This Once you’ve completed this exercise and find yourself staring in the depth of this Aha moment, this is what I want you to ask yourself. “What am I willing to give up or change in my life right now in order to live the life that I believe that God has designed me to live as an artist?” I know that it's a tough question, and not one to be answered lightly. But I’m also convinced that every artist who answers this question is ready to step into the fullness of what God has for them. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend, share on social media and comment below! Thanks for reading.
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Have you ever dreamed about starting your own art business but got stuck knowing when and how to begin laying the foundation?
I see this frustration show up all the time in artists who have emerged past the hobbyist phase with their art. Maybe they have been selling a little bit of art from time to time, and now they are starting to see the reality where art can grow from being a lucrative side hustle into their full-time vocation. This is when the questions I get from these artists start to change. I start getting asked things like…
I hear all this and more, and I always tell people this; It is never ever too early to lay a solid foundation for your art and your art business. And every time I share this bit of wisdom, the very next thing I hear is, “well, Matt, what do I do next?” Here are the top three things I always share. Accelerate Your Confidence As you start working intentionally on your art business and while continuing to develop both spiritually and artistically, you begin to gain confidence in an accelerated way. It never ceases to amaze me that once you start to get some success under your belt and people start responding favorably to what you are creating, all of the old fears and hesitations seem to melt away. Fear of failure, fear of technology, and even the fear of not being good begin to be replaced by confidence as you take that leap of faith to get out there and start doing stuff. And to be clear, this isn’t something that can be bought or even something that God is just going to download to you supernaturally. This release of confidence comes with the territory. As you step out, God is there to release grace and confidence in your life equal to the task that you are pursuing. So, gaining confidence is a huge reason why it is never too early to lay a solid foundation. You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Runway Building a successful art business is a lot like building a long, beautiful runway. A lot of people think that they are going to build this great “plane” of an art business, then all at once, their art career will begin to take off and soar. While I would love that that to be true, here is the deal: your “plane” will never get off of the ground without a runway. The truth is, you have got to have a runway to begin to build up speed and accelerate in order to take off and be who God has called you to be. Laying a foundation for this “runway” starts in your spiritual life. You begin by aligning your mindset, your heart, and your mindset with the truth of how the Kingdom works, how money flows, and how to connect with the broader move of what God is doing in the earth and raising up this army of artists. With this started, then begin to focus on all of the marketing, business, and art stuff that it takes to really thrive as an artist. As you are faithful to do this little by little each day, you’ll be laying a firm foundation for that “runway.” Then when the day comes and you are ready to push the accelerator on your creative life, you will shoot down the runway, take off, and soar as an artist. Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Laying a healthy foundation early on avoids do-overs later in life. I don’t know if you are like me, but when I get something that has to be assembled, a curtain rod, a bookshelf, a piece of lawn equipment, whatever it is, I never look at the instructions. I always jump in and start doing it. Maybe this is a guy thing, but I don’t think it is. Inevitably, I get to a point where the thing I’m building doesn’t look like the picture on the box. Maybe it’s because I’ve put “Part F” backward into “Slot A” while using “Screw I” instead of “Bolt L” to hold it together. Then I have to take the whole thing apart and redo it. This entire process wastes time, makes me frustrated, and always leaves me wondering “Why didn’t I just read the directions?” Laying a solid foundation in your spiritual, art, and business life is a guaranteed way to avoid a bunch of unnecessary do-overs in your journey. Otherwise, you are forever trying to figure things out on your own, and having to come back weeks, months, and even years later to undo negative patterns of thinking and ways of doing things. Seeking the advice of someone who has traveled this journey before you, a mentor, can be one of the best first steps you can take in laying a firm, healthy, do-over free foundation in life and art. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading
One of my favorite passages of Scriptures is the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25. I think it's such a perfect picture of how growth in the Kingdom happens. And no matter how many times I meditate on this passage, I always walk away with a deeper understanding of these timeless truths.
Recently I was back in Matthew 25, enjoying my time with this “old friend” when the Lord highlighted a word for me that really rocked my world. What the Lord showed me in that one simple word was so profound, so simple, and so timely. The word that came alive to me that morning was this, "quickly." Think back to the Parable of the Talents, you know, the one where Jesus is the Master of the field, and He gives talents, in this case literally money, to His servants that are there. To one guy, He gives five talents, to the next one He gives two, and the final servant gets a one talent investment. You probably know how this story ends for the servants. The five-talent guy brings back ten talents, the two-talent fellow brings back four, but the one talent servant buries his Master's investment out of fear only to reap the wrath that he was trying to avoid. But let's focus on that first servant, the five-talent guy. The Scriptures teach us that upon receiving the investment from his Master, the five-talent fellow left quickly, immediately, or at once, depending upon the translation you are reading. This talented and trusted servant didn't waste time once he had his Master's marching orders; rather, he went quickly and doubled the investment entrusted to him. He Directs Our Steps Not Our Standing Still This fellow's reaction to his Master's voice is an excellent example of how we should react to the Lord's voice in our own lives. I genuinely believe that when you have an unction from the Lord, a leading rumble inside your spirit, or a desire that is welling up and drawing you into a particular area, the biggest thing, the most essential thing that you can do is to step out quickly. I really believe that God directs our steps, not our standing still. Yes, I believe that we are to be still and know that He is God, that we are called to lay our desires before Him, and that we are to listen for His voice. But I also firmly believe that as we cultivate an intimate relationship with the Lord, that He uses our desires, our passions, and our dreams to ignite action in us so that we can respond to the move of the Spirit in the context of our design and step out into things that He has for us. Don't Overthink It Now, I can hear you say, "Well, Matt, what if it is not the Lord? What if I'm missing God? What if I am just wrong?" I get it. Nobody wants to run off full steam ahead only to find yourself barreling down the wrong track in life. But if you think back to that story from Matthew 25, the one-talent guy probably struggled with the same fears and self-doubts. His solution was to stay put, to wait for perfect conditions, and to play it safe. We all know how that worked out for him. It's way too easy to overanalyze God's nudging in our lives. Fear of messing up, fear of missing God, or fear of it not working out can stop you dead in your tracks if you let it. But what I've learned over the years is this; if I get an idea, if I get a desire, if I get a passion from the Lord, I begin to move on that quickly. Why? Because as I do, I find that revelation gets released, my direction becomes clear, and Divine Appointments and connections start popping up. Be Ready for A Course Correction So you've quickly taken your first steps once God has spoken. You haven't overthought it, and you trust that God will be true to His Word and direct your steps along the way, and He does. Once I'm off the starting pad, that's when things start to get clear about the direction the Lord is leading me in. Sometimes the Lord will direct you to maintain your course. Sometimes He'll lead you to head off in a slightly different direction. The thing you need to remember here is to stay connected to the Father, keep listening, and respond quickly when He does direct (or redirect) your steps along the way. I love it when this happens in my life. That's when all the doubt and fear starts to fade, and I become confident I'm on the right path in that season of life. Always remember this: God's desire for you is that you walk in the Kingdom and prosper, even as your soul prospers. When you say yes and quickly respond to the desires and intuitions that God is putting on your heart, all of Heaven rallies around to support, uphold, and protect you. I hope this has been a big encouragement to you. If this article has been a blessing to you, take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for reading. |
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AuthorMatt Tommey is an artist, author and mentor who is passionate about empowering artists to thrive spiritually, artistically and in business. |