I recently joined The Artist Initiative, a group of artists who are working together to improve their businesses and reach individual professional goals. We did many virtual workshops together in mid-January to plan out the months ahead and to take charge of our schedules for 2021. When you're self-employed, there's a beautiful freedom to each day. But it can come with the pitfalls of procrastination and poor time management if one is not careful.
With the pandemic still a major damper on my plans for outdoor art shows, I found the planning sessions to be really valuable. While I've generally managed to accomplish what I need to do for the past 15+ years of being in business for myself, there's always room for improvement and greater focus on my career goals.
Yet even the best laid plans for a schedule can go "kablooey," such as today when our elderly dog slipped and fell down the small trio of steps that we have from our bed (yes, our 70lb dog sleeps with us). When she couldn't bear weight on her front leg where she has dysplasia, we immediately took her to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital and then anxiously awaited the results of her exam and X-rays.
Luckily, she did not fracture the area where she has dysplasia and she is back home with us as I write this in the mid-afternoon. But my husband and I are now both pretty emotionally exhausted, especially since we're still haunted by the loss of our other dog almost exactly one year ago. I love my studio mascot and I'm happy to have her back home and on the mend. I'll get back on the beam tomorrow with my meticulously planned schedule, but for today I'm just breathing a big sigh of relief.
