I'm always asked, "How do you do so much?" Of course, my first answer is that I'm an insomniac, but seriously, being able to accomplish my goals can be daunting. Right now I am finishing my second sci-fi novel, am in preproduction for a video game opera, am working on a short animated film, all while homeschooling our young daughter, teaching online humanities courses, and freelancing. I'm in a film club, writer's club, and am active in our church. And yeah, I manage a social life, or as much as one any parent can muster.
So how do I do it? Here are my Top 5 Crazy Easy Tips for Making Time for Your Music, Art, Film, and Writing
1. Avoid Screentime
Seriously, you need to do this. What's more important? Binging on Netflix or banging out the next set of lyrics for your song? The average American watches 4-6 hours of TV a day. That's almost a full-time job...just watching TV (not to mention Facebook, Tweeting, surfing Youtube). So the TV at our house is off for almost the entire day, and at the end of the day, if I am uber tired, I stay lounging on the couch, but pull out my laptop or journal and start creating.
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2. Use Every Minute
I think we moms have this down to a science. You always have 30 minutes at lunchtime? Ditch the coworker gossip and instead head to a quiet place where you can pull out your sketchbook or laptop and work on your stuff. My kid has a long, like really long, bath each afternoon. Sure, I could get her out in ten minutes, but that long stretch of time means that every afternoon I have at least 45 minutes where I can work uninterrupted, usually on a film or an article.
3. Your Mind is Your Studio
That extra twenty minutes that I take lounging in my bed every morning when I could be rushing around getting ready? Yeah, it's not idle time. Usually I am working out an idea in those tiny moments. I keep a sketchbook by my bed so I can jot down inspiration. I also have small notebooks hidden everywhere, and in my purse. So when I'm waiting for my kid to get out of science class I can plot out my libretto.4. Ditch the Crazy
When I first started embarking on my career I did a lot of free or low pay work just to get my name out there. It resulted in a ton of experience and lots of work, but there were a few bad apples in the barrel. Things like elaborate film scores for movies that never made it, writing music for musicians that bailed out at the last minute, or just dealing with negative people. So now that I don't have to worry about building up my resume', I am super picky with who I work with and I just ditch the crazy, no matter the pay. It's been my experience that the money or prestige or promotion is just not worth it if you are working with somebody high maintenance.
Follow your instinct on this one. If someone really, really wants to work with you but you find that they are very demanding and negative, then skip it. You will end up wasting a ton of time trying to make them happy. Ditto for projects that are not going to get off the ground any time soon. If someone wants you to write a film score, jump in once the screenplay is written and in production, not while he's still getting his mom to finance the project.
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5. Be Awesome
How can you be awesome? Well, be positive, creative, and love what you do. If you find that you are begrudgingly working on your art, then it might not be for you. You can't be awesome if you aren't thinking about you art all the time. It's like oxygen and you need it to survive. Then you will find the time.
BONUS: Be Balanced.
I'm not asking you to stop showing up to work to write some amazing poetry or forget to pick up your kid at school because you were inspired. Be balanced. There is just a lot of extra time each day that we don't use. We're lucky. Most people today don't have the luxury of creating, they are too busy working on getting food and water and the basics. So use that time that you save by microwaving your lunch and write a song. Who knows, the "Microwave Medley" may be the next Billboard Hit.----
Award-winning composer Sabrina Pena Young is a foremost expert on Virtual Opera Production and Music Technology. A sought after consultant and speaker in music, arts, and technology, Young continues to push musical boundaries. Critics have called her "Wagner 2.0"and "Talented" with her works presented at Art Basil Miami, Opera America in NYC. the Beijing Conservatory, ICMC, London's Angel Moving Image Festival, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, SEAMUS, the NY International Independent Film Festival, Miramax's Project Greenlight, TEDxBuffalo, the Holland Animation Film Festival, TEDx, and countless venues in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.https://sabrinapenayoung.wordpress.com/consulting/
Contact Sabrina Pena Young for your next project or detailed artist development.
Spenayoung@gmail.com
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