How I Prioritize What to Work On

I wish I had straightforward answer for this. It’s something I struggle with every day. It’s probably something you struggle with too, since artists are naturally programmed to have lots of ideas. Focus is not our strong suit. However, I’m always working on it and trying to improve. I suppose that’s what matters.

The one thing that is on my side is history. Being in my mid-thirties now, I have the luxury of looking back on 8 years of artwork and knowing what I regret and what I don’t. History has taught me what kind of work matters.

Looking back, I can see the best endeavors were the ones that were important to me and only me. Projects that my intuition was telling me to do, even if they didn’t make sense at the time. I’d try and explain these projects to other people, and I could see the doubt in their eyes. These projects always sounded like a long shot. They’re the kind of things most people aren’t brave enough to tackle.

And that’s why the important projects are toughest to work on. No one is holding us accountable. Often, these projects seem risky, but they’re supposed to. Even if they don’t pan out, they’re worth it. These are the projects that allowed me to build a career in illustration. That in itself sounds like a long shot. I’m sure no one thought I could do it, but I did. And pursuing a career in illustration, despite being risky, is one of the best things I ever did.

Examples of important projects for me include opening a print shop, starting my blog, creating my website, posting video tutorials. Also doing several illustration series. Even my favorite art pieces weren’t ones I made because I thought they would sell. They were the ones I made for me.

These are the type of projects I’m trying to do more of - the ones that are close to my heart. Even if I don’t know why they mean so much to me. Even if no one else gets it. The problem is making time for them when the world is pulling me in other directions.

On a weekly basis, I deal with customer service issues as a result of my print shop. I have to ship out orders. I get lots of messages and emails to respond to. These are the low hanging fruit. The things that are pulling at my attention. They feel easiest to work on, yet they are the least fulfilling. While these tasks sometimes need to get done, sometimes they don’t. And sometimes they can just wait.

These initiatives that others have thrown on my plate have been the projects I’ve regretted most. Like doing custom work. I no longer do this anymore, because it’s neither creatively or financially fulfilling. I only take on projects from clients I’m really excited about. They must sound interesting, challenging, pay well, and be good for exposure. I do less and less of this type of work, because “hell yes” opportunities don’t come around that often.

So how do I find balance? Well, I get done what absolutely needs to get done as quickly as possible. I don’t waste much time thinking about it. I say no to projects or requests that don’t interest me. And I say hell yes to things I’m excited about - the big projects that are for just me. The things that remind me why I love art so much.

Every week, I show up here and write a blog post. I don’t know why I do it. On paper, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’m making hardly any money from my blog. And I don’t even know if my articles are landing. But the work feels important. It’s my way of supporting my fellow artists. So I keep doing it. I keep doing it in the same way I keep adding prints to my shop, when I don’t know if they will sell. In the same way I keep sending out newsletters with updates on my work. Even when I don’t know who is on the other end reading.

I don’t know why I do these things, except that my heart is pulling me to. So in the end, I suppose prioritizing comes down to intuition. Listening to our hearts even when the rest of the world doesn’t understand. Making time for long shot projects amidst the distractions vying for our attention.