My daily ritual

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A peak at my home studio

Let’s be real – finding time to create can be a challenge, but it can be done.

Many others before me have done it, like JK Rowling from Harry Potter fame and Joseph Cornell the collage artist, who both had full time jobs as they created their art. To give me an inspirational kick in the pants, I read about dozens of artists in Daily Rituals, an eye-opening book describing how 161 artists fit art into their lives on a practical level, starting with what time they got up each morning and what hours during the day (or night)they did their art. By the time I had read half the book, I realized what was missing from my commitment to create art – time to do it! So…

I needed a schedule, a VERY structured one, that would keep me focused on what matters most – creating art – while also nurturing my marriage, friends, community, and of course, my health.

Adding to this challenge is that my day gig often requires Monday-Friday travel, 3-4 weeks every month. For years I made my traveling lifestyle an excuse for not doing art. This ended on January 5, 2015, when I made a conscious decision to restructure my free time around what I most treasured, and to stop frittering away time on things that matter little to me (t.v., surfing the web, etc.). Now with a revamped website and many new collages, I can say that’s it working, while still a work in progress.

So here goes, my Monday – Friday daily ritual that I have been loosely adhering too since January 2015.

My schedule when home:

5:00 am Alarm goes off
5:15am Make green drink (Dr. Axe green powder with juice from one lemon and 12 oz of water), meditate, read inspiring book, journal
6:30am Make breakfast, eat while checking personal/art email
6:45am CREATE ART
9:00am Exercise, lift weights
9:30am Shower
10:00am Start my day gig
7:30pm Stop day gig
Make and eat dinner, hang out with my love Robert
9:00pm Optional, but ideally – write blog article and create more art
10:00pm Lights out! Sleep like a baby zzzzzzzz

My on-the-road, living in a hotel schedule:

5:00am Alarm goes off
5:15am Make green drink, meditate, read inspiring book, journal
6:15am Exercise and weights in hotel gym
7:00am Breakfast, shower, get ready for day job
8:00am Start teaching a wonderful group of engaged souls
5:15pm Day gig done for day
5:30pm Figure out dinner, preferably room service!
7:00pm Answer day gig email
7:30pm Create art, blog, rip a magazine or two, business of art
10:00pm Lights out! Sleep like a baby zzzzzzzz

In addition, on the weekend I am carving out as much time as in humanly possible for my art biz, while paying attention to my sweet husband and community of friends.

Yes, I have been kinda doing this schedule for many months, but it is time to ramp up my efforts and make this a REAL daily ritual, and not just the ideal that I’m shooting for.

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8 thoughts on “My daily ritual”

    • Fred, Sorry for the delayed reply. This site is new, and I’m learning as fast as lightening how to use it! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. Feels so good to finally be doing MY art again, in addition to our 3-D bikes. Hope that our paths cross again. You were a joy to be around. Catherine

      Reply
  1. Hey lady. So good to hear your are still making art. I was just thinking of you the other day and wondering where you had gotten too. Would love to catch up.
    Debra

    Reply
    • Debra, I JUST saw your blog comment because it got caught in my spam folder. Would love to catch up too. Lovely to reconnect here! Hugs, Cat

      Reply
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All artwork is the sole property of Catherine Rains and is held under copyright, even after purchase.The images, artwork, and contents of this website may not be copied, collected, or used for personal or professional gain without the written permission from Catherine Rains. Images on this website taken by Laura Thompkins or Catherine Rains.