Sunflowers

8x10 inches
acrylic on panel
$500.00




Painter's Tip

Organizing Your Life and Your Studio

I don’t know about you but I live in a sea of paperwork. Not only for my art business but for my personal life as well.

I decided to get organized and do something about it.

I use a three hole binder system for all of my paperwork. For each studio project I have a separate binder. For example, I have binders for all of my PR paperwork including press clippings, magazine write ups, post cards and catalogues from exhibitions. Anything to do with that sort of exhibit history gets punched and put in a large binder, one for each year or multiple years, depending on how much you get.

I have another binder for all paint out materials, one for museum and art center exhibitions, one for each of the art groups I belong to, one for painting tutorials, one for student information, commissions, reference photos, and so forth. You will have different ones for your needs. You will also need to have different thicknesses of binders, depending on how much info you will use for each one. Some will be very thin others huge or multiple part I and Part II binders.

I do the same for my personal life, bank statements, physician and dental, my kids info, etc.

Next to my computer in the studio, I keep a master list binder. It has all current paperwork that I will need to have. I paste a current month calendar page to the top cover of the binder. That way I don’t have to open it to see the current month. Following months are kept inside the binder, with appropriate paperwork for each month. As the top cover month ends, the paperwork for that month is sorted, and removed from the master list binder and filed in what ever binder it needs to go to or in the trash. The next month’s calendar page is taped to the top and the process starts over again for a new month. As paperwork comes in the mail or over the computer, it is punched and added to either the master list or to one of the other binders.

The other thing I do to stay organized is a to do list made each week on Sunday night. It stays on the first page of my binder all week and as things are check off, I have a huge sense of satisfaction. On Sunday night that list goes in the trash and another is started for the coming week.

My last bit of advice on the management of your life is :
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!!!!