Being a Hobbyist Artist is not always easy! You have a lot to do and sometimes it is hard to find enough time for yourself and your art.

If you looked for this article, I am thinking:

You are a busy person, not feeling accomplished because there is never time for yourself and your hobbies.
When there is time, you’re just too tired to do anything.
Or when some free time comes up, it is just too small to do anything worthwhile so it’s kinda pointless.

Rest assured - I completely understand you! Look: I have my full time job as a Medical Doctor, I frequently have night, weekend and holidays shifts, I have to study, attend congresses, symposia, classes, meetings, I have to give enough attention and love for my fiancé, my family (that lives in another city! I have to constantly travel to visit them), my friends (who always want to go out and do something), take care of my dog (who loves exclusive attention!), exercise and be healthy… And believe me, I still manage to find time for my art, my music, and to write (oh, and to sleep too!). If I can do it, you most definitely CAN too!

My father used to tell me - “there is time for everything, you just need to know how to conciliate everything”. And it is true! It is not an easy task, though. And not always you will have all the time that you want. But you can manage everything with a little bit of discipline and dedication!

Let’s see some tips for you!

Schedule time - Organize your activities and plan them ahead. Try to incorporate art in them. Maybe a planner will help you out on this one. Try to at least include 15 minutes of art per week, and if possible slowly increase it until you reach your desired time.
Incorporate Art into your Activities - You can make art during quality time with your children, partner or friends, per example. Rearrange your routine, and try to include your family, if that works for them. You can take advantage of some situations to make art: per example, when you’re in a phone call, if you have to wait in the car, when you have to wait for an appointment, during lunch break, during breakfast, while waiting for that tv comercial to end, while waiting for something to cook, etc.
Carry a journal / notebook / sketchbook around - While you’re waiting for that bus, or idle at work, you could work on something artistic. Whenever some free time pops up, sketch a little, or write something - think how much could your surroundings inspire you? Keep things handy.
No laziness, nor procrastination - Just got some free time? Instead of doing nothing, what about making some art? Sometimes, we lose so many opportunities because we procrastinate or get lazy.
Reduce screen time - We spend too much time in front of our phones, tablets, computers, tv… What about reducing this time and being productive making art?
Take Art Classes - Art classes can force us into the artistic-mode and to include art in our busy schedule. Also, it will be an opportunity to learn, meet new people with similar interests and get inspired!
Wake Up Early - If you’re a morning person, you could wake up earlier and start your day with a few minutes making art. You will go to work refreshed!
Comprehension - Explain to your family and friends that you need some time for yourself. I am sure that they will understand. Tell them that even though you’re home (if this is where you make art) you’re busy and that they have to respect this personal time.

So, what do you think about those tips? Do you think they’re helpful?

I would love to hear your own experience.

With love and dreams,

danyDINIZ

Ever since I can remember, I love creating art. I started by drawing when I was a kid, then I discovered Digital Art in my early teens, and only then, a few years later, I discovered watercolors. Then came a time when I had to decide about my career. What I loved doing the most? Art, obviously. But was it the best career path for me to take then? I was only 17 when I had to decide - it wasn’t easy!

Art is not an easy career. Becoming noticed does not only evolve being talented, but also being able to create what people want, create what makes money, and perhaps a little bit of luck. Making art a business means that you won’t make art just because you love it, you will not always draw/paint whatever you like or whenever you wish. It will be your job and you will depend on it to pay your bills. For some people, that is not a problem at all - it is a beautiful, admiring profession - but for me, at that moment, it wasn’t what I wanted.

I desired to have art as my escape, as my unique way to express myself. I ended up enrolling in Medicine School, then in Medical Residency, and now a Sub-Especialization… I had to sacrifice myself and my free time for a long period (because Med School is no joke! R.I.P. social life) but whenever I could, I created art. And that worked for me. It still does.

And it can work for you too! It is okay to approach art as only a hobby. To be an artist without worrying about any income from your artworks. To work/study and to have art as your escape from the world. To create art and gift it to whoever you care about.

Professional, Amateur or Hobbyist - What am I?

Not really sure? Let’s see some characteristics about each of them:

Hobbyist Artists:

Create for leisure and pleasure.
The art is not their source of income - they may have a part-time or full-time job that is.
They are not really concerned about selling their art or making money from it.
They have no deadlines, can take their time with personal projects, can create art whenever they wish and improve at their own pace.
They can take art lessons but have no commitment to professionally develop their skills.
They have a back-up plan.

Amateur Artists:

They are willing to sacrifice their personal time or job in the pursuit of making art and selling it, but they’re most frequently not sure how to really do it.

Professional Artists:

Art is their full time job.
Art is their (possibly only) source of income.
They have goals that have to be worked on daily. They need to constantly work on their art, improving skills and developing their style and abilities.
They may have to work with deadlines and commissions.
They know how to price their art and know how to sell. They know how to present it on the market.
They need to invest in promoting themselves and their art in order to stay competitive in the art field.

What are the benefits of being a Hobbyist Artist?

The benefits of being a hobbyist artist are that you will be free to choose when and what to draw/paint/create, there will be no pressure on you regarding deadlines, production or improvement; you can take your own time to improve, you will be able to have your own personal projects, and on top of it, art will never be an obligation to you - not in the mood today? That’s ok!

What should Hobbyist Artists do?

Let me ask you first: what do you expect from your hobby?
Is it only a way to express yourself, to relax, to distract yourself from your troubles…? Or do you aspire to become very skilled in what you do? Do you have a personal project (per example, you want to create a collection of bird paintings, or you want to create animals sculptures to decorate your home)? Or is it just for fun?
What you should do actually depends on how you answer my question.

If you want to become skilled, then you should definitely focus on your artwork and practice, maybe read some tutorials on the internet, watch a few educational videos (there are a lot of free high quality material on the internet!). If you can, you should also take some art lessons. There is definitely no secret to become a good artist - PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE - as much as you can. And you will get there!

If you have a personal project in mind (like the birds paintings or animals sculptures examples), try to study about the topic of your project, search for some inspiration around, practice it, set some personal goals that can work with your schedule (per example - create one painting per week, or working at least 30 minutes on a sculpture per day).

If it is just for fun, to relax - then do whatever you want! Try to organize your schedule so you can have some free time reserved for your art - sometimes, if we don’t have our activities planned ahead, we’re not able to accomplish everything we want to.

Should / Can I become a Professional Artist?

Yes, of course. That is your choice. But this is a very serious and difficult decision - you should take your time before you make it and plan it ahead very carefully.

So, what do you think? Tell me in the comments, what are you - Hobbyist, Amateur, Professional? Share your experiences :)

With love and dreams,

danyDINIZ