A Day In The Life of a Part-Time Artist

In this article, I walk you through a typical day for me where I spend the first few hours working on my music, work my day job then prep for the next morning. I like to work on music first thing in the morning when I’m motivated vs. waiting till after my day job when I’m usually brain dead.

My Daily Routine

5:00am

First thing I do in the morning when waking up is drink water. I am excited for coffee but first I must drink water because coffee dehydrates.

Then I usually use the restroom, brush my teeth and wash my face.

5:30am

I pour my first cup of coffee then head to my desk. If I am working on a current project, it will be already open on my screen. If it’s a new project, I’ll first take a look at my music templates. If nothing inspires me, I’ll pull up a piano or guitar and noodle until something comes up.

7:30am

I spend 15 minutes writing what I accomplished and if there’s anything that needs work for my next session. I like to keep a journal so I can document my daily progress.

7:45am

At this point, I am hungry so I like to make breakfast. It’s usually something simple like

• Boiled eggs and toast

• Oatmeal

• Yogurt and Granola

8:15am

I like to take a morning walk before my day job starts so I get some light exercise. I sit at a desk all day and have already sat for a couple hours making music so walking is important to me.

9:30am

My day job starts and usually ends at 7:00pm. I usually take a quick lunch and walk for an hour in between.

7:00pm

After dinner, I usually prep for the next morning so I have a successful session with no distractions. As one of my 5 Principles of working on your art everyday, it’s important to make it easy to start.

Prep Work To Do

• Clean my desk

• Close all work apps and emails

• Turn off phone notifications until 7:45am the next morning

• If currently working on a project, leave it open on screen

• Prep my coffee pot to brew at 5:00am

9:00pm

I brush my teeth, shower then go to bed.

Conclusion

This is usually my weekday routine as I have the weekend off from my day job. Usually I take all of Saturday off and then I have a studio session on Sunday morning for 3 hours. Creating this daily habit has helped me mentally prepare to make music and it’s dedicated time without any distractions. If art is your life, it is important to make time for it. It can’t be something that is put on the back burner. What’s your daily routine? Do you have issues with trying to make time to create? Please leave a comment below.

Thank you,