A day in my life
What you do every day defines your life.
Been reading a good book called ‘Art, Money, Success’
”It is said that people spend more time planning their vacations than they do planning their lives. This is sad, because if we don’t take the time to plan out what we want for ourselves, we will end up living a life someone else wanted for us.” - Maria Brophy
This paragraph made me want to examine my days.
Some of you also showed interest in what I do daily.
Thought it could be interesting to share with you.
7ish Waking up
I used to wake up much later with alarms when I had an office life. Now, I listen to my body clock.
I still check my phone and social media the first thing when waking up. I should develop a new phone-less habit for waking up.
8:00 - 9:00 Check in time with body
I listen to my body to feel where needs to be strengthened and choose a video from Yoga with Adrien, who’s a mindful yogi.
I’m highly sensitive and painting is a movement activity.
If something in my body is stuck, my hand holding paint brushes also feels stuck.
I try my best to take care of body to create good art.
After yoga, I go for a shower to start a fresh day.
9:00 - 10:30 Check in time with mind
Time to make coffee and get into journaling.
It’s just normal black coffee in a black flask yours truly.
Morning pages
It helps me to set intention for the day, get clarity in life, talk to myself and know what I want,
I also use this time to plan for tasks for whatever project I’m working on.
This is time to connect with myself & to remind myself small things, so I can change old habits.
A little goes a long way.
9:30 - 10:30 People connecting time
I like to reply messages right after morning pages because that’s when I’m feeling the best and ready to open up to the world.
They include personal ones, emails, social media DMs and comments.
I’ve been spending more time connecting with people because of upcoming exhibition, and also seeking balance with it.
I take every reply seriously.
10:30 - 12:00 Social Media planning
I write down ideas on paper for marketing because it helps me think and they come true.
And I found out Meta Business Suit to manage my social media not long ago. It has been much better with engagement and easier to manage platforms.
Depends on what my body tells me, sometimes I skip lunch. I find it helps with writing. And coffee!
12:00 - 15:00 Serious work
If I have an event coming up, I’d use this time to do my website and design emails.
With the up-coming exhibition, I’ve been writing little poems for each painting, deciding on prices and visiting my framer to discuss the best option for each painting.
Sometime this is a photo shoot & editing session for me. As a self-represented artist, I’m responsible for showing my art well.
If I don’t have an event to market, then I will dive into painting early.
15:00 - 18:00 Serious play time
JD comes back around 4:30. It’s my last hour to get lost in the creation process.
If I’m marketing heavily, it’s very important for me to schedule in the last bit of play time before it gets dark.
I often remind myself to force in a little play time.
It’s important to show up for my art.
It’s this little play time that keeps me balanced and replenished.
If I don’t have an event to market and I start painting earlier, I’d be in mad painting mode creating good works.
I’ve been feeling a bit blocked preparing exhibition, so I cut some old pieces that I will never sell and made some bookmarks.
Repurposing a painting and making it into many small lives to share with many people give me great sense of satisfaction.
I also like to dig out old works to rework them when I’m feeling blocked. I painted this about 2 years ago and I never got to finish it. Now, I enjoy the peaceful feeling it brings on my wall.
What do you think?
Half painted with left hand
I’m right handed. My right wrist has been hurting and it stops me from painting a bit lately. I guess it’s the imbalance because I’ve been doing everything with right hand in my life. I’ve been doing hand yoga and painting with left hand. My wrist feels much better while I type this. I’m not so sure if I like to paint with my left hand though. Will keep practicing and let you know.
18:00 - 19:00 Dinner & Walks
Time with J-D, sometimes I cook, sometimes we eat out, sometimes Ubereats.
I cook more in winter and less in summer because I paint with daylight.
A little walk is always good to wind down after a long day.
19:00 - 20:00 Stretching
We dim the light, put on ambient music, light holy wood incense and stretch together.
This is when I feel I’m almost doing contemporary dance.
8ish Teeth brushing and bed time reading
These are my new habits that I developed in the past one year. I’m glad I made new changes.
This is what a typical work day looks like.
On weekends, I make sure I rest, get some new experiences, catch up online courses, take care of plants and spend time with J-D.
I still do morning pages & yoga on weekends but not compulsory.
I like to have flexibility.
My goal for this year is to reach more people to make in-person connections, so I’ve been also spending more time attending artist meet-ups
What about you? What do you want in life?
After I started journaling, things I want start to happen more in life.
Take time to think and write them down on paper.
Think about what you ‘want’, not ‘should’.
Put it somewhere you can see.
They become reality more easily if you can see it.
Let’s check on each other’s plans in a few years time :)