Daryl; your use of colour, and your attention to detail are both extraordinary. I just joined your blog community, and am finding it inspirational, if a bit overwhelming. Thanks for the tip about the novels too, ; I took one from the library yesterday; I have been searching in vain for a pleasant escapist novel, having survived a few dreary bestsellers lately.
Sometime, maybe you could tell us how you make use of your time, and your philosophies about prioritizing, etc.?? I do very simple weaving, but it seems to be at the bottom of the list, after morning yoga, walking the dog, reading, housework, volunteering etc. So I haven’t progressed much at all! To have accomplished all that you do, you have made some deliberate and hard choices, I believe?? Cheers Fran in Calgary, Alberta

Wow Fran, thanks so much for the kind words. Prioritizing your life is probably the most challenging part of life for a human being. The most frustrating part is it requires a flexibility that we don’t often possess. Just getting through the routine altering holidays was a challenge, on one hand, I couldn’t do what I really wanted to be doing, yet I wouldn’t have missed any opportunity to be with people I love and am connected to, so I did the best I could and tried not to have an agenda I couldn’t keep up with.

First Fran, I have a sacred to-do list. My son once made the mistake of tearing the list off the pad and tossing it aside to get at a clean sheet of paper. My wrath could be heard clear to Pennsylvania. My list sits by the keyboard on my desk, I have the critical things on there, booking doctors appointments, applying to a specific show, with the deadline noted, general things like “redo website”, and specific things like “pay bills” (mine are all due roughly on the 8th of the month, so I only have to sit down once a month and pay them). I check the list, and experience much glee and celebration when I get to cross something off the list. And I rarely miss a deadline.

Expectations are probably the killer part of the equation, and I will admit, even I go to bed at night, and measure the success of the day by what I accomplish. If I set too difficult goals for myself, and life intervenes and takes me in a direction I hadn’t attended, then I get frustrated with myself, and have to catch myself quickly, and be kind and try again for tomorrow.

Keep in mind, that weaving/sewing/blogging/teaching/writing is my full time job. Even though I’m not teaching at the moment, this is my slow season, I am working some 8-10 hours a day, I just have no money coming in except some occasional book sales. Since I have an unusually large stretch of time with no teaching commitments, I’ve had to let my beloved housekeeper go, and with the lack of extra income, I’ve had to cut out all the meals out, and resort to actually cooking three meals a day. This means I’m being a housewife first, with two teens, endless laundry, and a career woman second. I’m desperately trying for a balance. I do study yoga, but can only manage it a couple nights a week. I missed last Thursday for my opening in the city.

I’ve tried to outline my routine, up about 7:30am, breakfast, unload dishwasher, tidy up from the evening before, and either dust one level of the house, vacuum, clean bathrooms, or clean kitchen, depending on what morning it is, it will take me four days to clean the house properly. Check email, and hopefully get to work in the studio by 10:00am. That can vary wildly. Then I try to stay focused. I save reading and journaling for bedtime, which is usually 11:30pm, and often I fall asleep before I get to read much. Note, I almost never watch TV (except for when Project Runway is airing), and I no longer have a dog after 25 years of dogs, to walk or care for. The kids are begging and I’m being really firm on this.

I’ve recently taken on some volunteer projects for my guilds, and that is certainly cutting into my studio time. Having the studio in my actual house, means I can go there whenever I get a chance, and will often resume work after dinner, leaving the family to clean up after my meals. But the downside is I am in the studio all the time, and have even taken up a hobby, playing baroque recorder with a couple friends, to try and get me out of the studio once in awhile.

As I get more thoughts on the subject, I’ll jot them down, but this is a great opportunity for all of you following this blog to share how you find time to weave in a very busy life.

Fran,

I was asked this question too, by a long-time guild member who passed away just over a year ago (Ruth Baltz).

I told her that although I work full time in another field and don’t have much studio space, I will start simply. I’ll pull out a few potential skeins/cones of yarn on one day. I’ll pull out a tool I’ll need the next, like the warping board. I keep going with just one thing as I pass the weaving room, until suddenly I have passed the tipping point, and most of what I need to begin the project is clustered near the loom. Then it’s easy to begin. It doesn’t matter if a month has passed, it matters that I am making progress toward my goal.

I also travel a lot for work. This fall I was gone 2.5 months. While gone, I travel with a notebook and color wheel, so I can sketch and think about projects to execute once I get back home.

Good luck-

Sally

You will appreciate my horoscope for today, January 13
Today’s Horoscope for Gemini

Staying on track can be quite a challenge for you today, for your mind likes wandering around more than concentrating on one thing at a time. But you can feel the pressure that others are placing on you and you’re making every effort possible to do your part. Nevertheless, the tiniest distraction can be enough to take you on a detour. Don’t be hard on yourself if you lose focus and waste time; just bring your attention back to center and move on to what’s next.
By Rick Levine
More from Tarot.com

Thanks to you both for your thoughtful replies on time management! I think that Darryl’s real secret is passion…. that she probably received from family members/mentors.??
But I am doing quite similar things to Sally right now, and am planning a Bronson lace stole…..a big deal for me!
Really enjoying this site!
Cheers Fran

Yes, I’d have to agree, to be an artist you have to be so passionate that nothing else gets in the way. But for everyone else, there are still many ways to find the time. Please keep us posted on your progress on the lace stole. Send photos, at least to me, use the email contact below on the right!