Finding and KEEPING a Routine

Something that I admire of freelance artists, illustrators, and designers, and every other person who is their own boss, is that they not only create their own schedules - but they KEEP them, they actually DO their own routine that they plan for the week every week, every month, every year.




Here is a chart of creative people's daily routines for an example. I can assure you my routine is not like any of these because my routine does not exist.

Right now I am not good at keeping my own schedule - I'm fine with keeping up with all of my volunteer work and things that are of urgent matters, but when it comes to what is important to me... I have been avoiding it because honestly? I'm afraid of failure and because depression can be sneaky.

I have heard some people believe that great art comes from artists who are depressed and are suffering mentally. I firmly believe that is not where the greatest creativity comes from. When I am sad, when I am depressed, I become apathetic and everything that is important to me gets put to the side. Depression isn't a source of inspiration. Pain, perhaps, but depression? No.

Even though I am not severely depressed at the moment, I definitely was a few years ago, and those side-effects are still affecting me today. It's hard to get up in the morning sometimes. I have to fight the urge to do nothing. I need to have inner battles every day just to do things I love to do, especially drawing. I have insomnia most of the time, often because of anxiety.

My current daily routine is different almost every day, but I will try to summarize:

1. Hear alarm but press snooze at least 3 times, and then stay in bed another few minutes.
2. Get up, groggy because I did not get enough sleep and allergy medicine does that to me.
3. Eat a banana or whatever else for breakfast. 
4. Get dressed.
5. Wait around a little bit scrolling through social media.
6. Go to ministry.
7. Return home, eat something, scroll through social media, usually on my bed.
8. Maybe watch a TV show.
9. Chat with community,
10. More social media.
11. Eventually fall asleep to an audiobook because that's all you can fall asleep to these days.

Depends on the day, but sometimes I wake up at 6, other times 8:15. Then I don't fall asleep until midnight at the earliest, but as you can see, I never give myself time to actually do what I want. I never give myself to write or to create.

I did make a discovery this month, however. I do know HOW to keep myself in a routine. There are two things that will help me create and stay in a routine that will be healthy for me. The components are A. Eliminate social media almost entirely, and B. Write before you go to sleep Every. Single. Night. 

If I do those two things, especially the latter, I actually accomplish things and I feel better about myself, my relationship with God, and about my future as an illustrator. What is one thing that brings you back to or starts you off on a good routine? 

Here is my ideal routine in my current line of work:

1. Wake up naturally at 7:30 am, eat breakfast, get dressed, etc.
2. Exercise/stretch for a short time.
3. Creative work for an hour or so.
4. Ministry.
5. Return home, food, chat with community, maybe take a short nap.
6. Creative work for 1-3 hours.
7. Exercise/stretch for a short time.
8. Prepare for sleep.
9. Write.
10. Fall asleep naturally by 10pm.

I may be an enigma, but there is no secret or unusual kind of trick to being an illustrator with a good work ethic. I can't always wait for inspiration to come because eventually I will have deadlines to keep. If I want to be a good freelance illustrator, I need to establish a healthy routine that I actively seek out every day, every week. This is universal to all career types.

"Do, or do not. There is no try." -Yoda