ArtDates. For ArtistGeeks.

taking profile shots with my iPhone.

Are you an ArtistGeek? I definitely am. I love to create art in my studio. I also love to play (sorry - work!) on my iPhone, iPad and iMac. After all, marketing, scheduling, social media and all that stuff is important! It certainly is a challenge to juggle everything and actually make my art. That's why I am taking ArtDates for Artists, an online course for artists who want to spend less time at the computer and more time in their studio creating art.

Laurie McCarriar is the brains and the power behind ArtDates. This is how she describes herself: "I'm the ultimate Artist Geek. Right-brained with all that means to us as artists—mile a minute ideas and creative impulses. I see connections and possibilities everywhere. But I'm supremely left-brained too. I love a good database or system (heh, doesn't everyone?) and more of my time than I'd like to admit is spent poking around the internet, looking for cool and simple ways that new (and old) technology can help artists run their businesses."

my 110-page ArtDates Guidebook.

This week has been about managing time. One of the things Laurie advocates is that you take 10 minute mini breaks. For my mini break, I decided to walk to the Post Office and check the mail. And there it was! My ArtDates Guidebook.

name penned and profile picture pasted in.

The inside front cover has a Geek License to fill out :)

a page for your yearly goals.

"Your Goals" is a place to write or draw your dreams, goals and ideas for your art business over a year. There is a space to write down the first few steps towards these goals and schedule them. ONE: a big idea. TWO: a big, scary goal. I like Laurie's wording.

weekly check-in notes pages.

A few pages on in the ArtDates Guidebook is a section for "Weekly Check-in Notes". There are enough pages to cover a year! Each page has a lines for written notes, an area for "3 main things I will complete this week", a doodling area for "notes/thoughts/to-dos and, the most important part, a place to write down "Time OFF for me". Along with 10 minute mini breaks, Laurie advocates that you take an afternoon off a week just for you.

Last week I did take an afternoon off. I also took mini breaks. I have three new paintings on the go in the studio and have prepped more painting panels. I worked on a new Cirque du Soleil project. I have completed most of my three weekly goals.

I divided up my week instead of my days. It's easier to get into my "art zone" when I know I have the whole day, not just a few hours. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning are now studio time. Wednesday afternoon is my time off. Thursday and Friday are for computer work. Of course, all this will be flexible, but I am already seeing results.

The online ArtDates course is proving to be quite enjoyable. I love Laurie's sense of humour. She takes "scary" out of the business side of art and helps you to look at it from a different angle, as well as giving you tools to work with. I highly recommend it!

You can also follow Laurie's ArtistGeek blog and sign up for free GeekTips here.

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