You have a full-time job and you want more time for your creative pursuits.
Maybe you’re a lifelong artist and you’re looking for ways to better manage your professional and creative life. Or you’re looking for something fun and creative to do outside of the office.
In a perfect world, you’d have plenty of time to balance your day job with your creative interests. But, as many of us know all too well, it’s already hard enough as it is juggling our personal and professional lives. How do we also find time to be creative when we have a super demanding job? Or family members and loved ones who depend on us?
The good news is that you don’t need a private studio or a month-long retreat in the woods to be creative. In fact, having a full-time job might actually be advantageous for your creativity. It’s much easier to be creative when you have boundaries around your schedule. Otherwise, you’d be tempted to procrastinate and waste all that free time.
With some planning and small changes to your schedule, you can find time and energy for your creative interests. Here are some tips on how to be creative outside of work.
Find pockets of time for your creative work
The biggest misconception about creative work is that you need hours and hours to devote yourself to it.
The truth is, even professional creatives are strapped for time. They might not have a day job but they still have clients and a personal life to manage, and they also need to find pockets of time for their own creative projects.
Any amount of time that you can spend on creative stuff is time well spent. Whether it’s writing for 15 minutes before work or doodling on your commute home, this is a meaningful way to spend your time.
Here’s how to find time for your creativity:
With your planner in hand, take a look at your current schedule. Pick out the pockets of time that are free: Mornings before work. Lunch breaks. Commutes. Nights and weekends that you don’t have any commitments.
Then, block off that time for your creative activity and do it.
Examples:
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Wake up an hour earlier to write a few scenes of your screenplay.
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Use your morning commute to sketch in a notebook or brainstorm ideas.
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Use your lunch break to read an article about your craft. Or watch a YouTube video to study photography techniques.
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After the kids go to bed, work on your creative project for 30 minutes.
Take a class to find structured time for your creativity
Classes are a wonderful way to be creative while maintaining a full-time job. Here are just some of the many benefits of taking a class, in-person or online.
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Classes give you dedicated time to work on your craft. And when something is on your schedule, you’ll have an easier time following through on it.
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Maybe you’re not sure if you want to pursue fiction writing or pottery or photography or all of the above! Classes let you explore different options without committing yourself entirely to one discipline.
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You’ll meet other people who share similar interests and you can slowly start to build a community of like-minded creatives.
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You’ll be more invested in your creativity because you spent money on a class.
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You’ll learn craft and technique. This is incredibly valuable should you decide to pursue this discipline on your own.
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Classes give you deadlines. Often, a class will have homework assignments which will give you the push you need to do your creative work.
Be comfortable with saying “no”
One of the biggest challenges for creative people is saying no to other things. Whether it's dinner with friends or going out to drinks with co-workers, people are going to want some of your time. And you have to determine what to say “yes” or “no” to.
At first, you might feel a little self-conscious or even silly about protecting your creative time. After all, you might tell yourself: it’s not like I’m getting paid to be creative.
But you wouldn’t question other people for committing their time to their professional work or their families would you? So why should you treat your creative time any differently? In order to commit to your creative time, you have to commit to it as well. And you have to view it as important.
You don’t have to come up with a lengthy explanation. Keep it friendly but firm. Here are some examples that you can use:
That sounds so fun but I already have a commitment tomorrow. Hope it can workout next time.
That day doesn’t work for me. What about [alternate day]?
I’m currently working on a project. Thank you for thinking of me though!
I’m using my lunch breaks to work on a personal project. Can we do next month instead?
Pair your creative activity with an established routine
If you want to get in the habit of being more creative outside of work, then pair your creative pursuit with something you already do.
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Work on your creative writing with your morning cup of coffee.
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Take photographs on your afternoon walk.
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Do watercolors while the TV is on in the background.
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Knit on your morning commute.
Work on the smallest possible thing
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of writing a novel. Or putting on an exhibit in a gallery. Or taking photographs around the world. You want to finish your dream project right now but your day job is taking up most of your time.
It’s important to keep in mind that creative growth takes time. You don’t have to do everything at once. What you want to do is find the smallest possible way of working on your creative pursuits and to do it consistently.
Instead of feeling frustrated that you can’t do travel photography, devote one afternoon a week to taking photos or learning about your craft.
Instead of trying to write an entire novel in a week, try writing 500 words before work.
Instead of trying to create a painting overnight, work on it on the weekends.
When it comes to creativity you don’t need vast amounts of free time. If you do small things and on a consistent basis, you will have made great creative progress in no time.
Written by JiJi Lee