The key to making time for art is the ability to say "NO".

If you say "yes" to everything that is asked of you, you will not

have time to be creative. And it is so easy to say "yes" to all

kinds of things and so hard to say "no". It is hard to say "no"

to immediate family, extended family, demands of friends,

organizations, messy houses, cluttered basements--the list

is endless.

Making art takes lots of time. It not only takes a great deal of

time to do whatever it is you are creating, but it also takes a

great deal time for what most people would consider "down

time". Artistic down time is a foreign concept to people who

are not artists. Our society values busyness over artistic

incubation, but you cannot create art without it.

You will feel immensely guilty saying to yourself that your art

is more important than time spent with a certain friend,

organization or clearing out that large dust bunny that is

appearing under your bed! But ask yourself, if there was

something really crucial, wouldn't you slash everything that

was unessential in your life to take care of it. The answer is

yes. Do the same thing with your art.

Learning how to say "no" takes practice. You may want to

communicate to your nearest and dearest your new priority,

so they won't feel emotionally abandoned. From time to

time you will get sucked into situations and events; and it

takes a great deal of effort to find a balance between

creating art and also having a meaningful life outside of that

endeavor.

But remember, "no" is a complete sentence. It will take

everyone some time to adjust to your new way of living.

There may be a lot of grumbling from a lot of people, but if

creating art is really important to you, let them grumble

away. You'll find out who your friends really are. The ones

that really care about you will want what's important for

you--to create art!

© Mary Baker 2005

Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio

is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This New England city,

north of Boston, has been the inspiration for the artist’s

realistic oil paintings. Mary Baker is a professional artist and

has shown in New York art galleries.

You can visit Mary at her website, Mary Baker Art, http://www.marybakera

rt.com , see her beautiful paintings and read her

commentary on a variety of subjects concerning art,

including Why Buy Original Art and Art, Artists and the

Web--Why Every Artist Should Have Their Own Website.