Put your own mask on first, before helping others.

A month or so ago I took a flight to Florida.  Usually, when the flight attendant gives the safety talk, I make it a point not to listen. This time I tuned in, and what I seized on was "Put your own mask on first, before helping others". This seemed so poignant, so relevant, particularly to artists, creatives, makers, craftspeople, writers, dancers and the like.

For those of us for whom creativity is not a hobby, but rather a reason for being, a purpose, an identity, the key to happiness and fulfillment, this phrase might resonate deeply. I don't know about every other artist, but I know for myself that I'm most miserable when I'm not working in my studio regularly. Conversely, when I am getting ample time in my studio (and everything is going well) I'm at my happiest. And fortunate for everyone around me, I am better to converse with, laugh more, joke more and am generally more pleasant to be around.

So what does this mean?! That we artists should be selfish, narcissistic, disregarding our children, spouses, partners, families, colleagues and other responsibilities?  Of course not!  It simply means that given all that we have to juggle, we must make our creative practice a top priority.  Of course there are times when a loved one is sick, there's a crisis, or we need to focus on getting a new job, but that's the exception.

Quite frankly, I believe many of us put other people's needs above our own because making art is hard, damn hard! Facing a blank canvas, a white page, a lump of clay, can feel immobilizing. When things aren't going well, it's easy to say yes to a lunch date with a friend, take on a volunteer project, clean out the refrigerator, or decide that now is the perfect time to go through that box of old photographs in the attic. We convince ourselves that these are important tasks and that now is the right time to tackle them. We're persuasive ourselves with convincing arguments. Yet, that little voice whispers "Shouldn't you be in your studio?".

Still from the film The Tango Lesson

This is the the pivotal moment. This is the fork in the road where serious, successful artists choose the studio and amateurs go clean the refrigerator.  We go in there and we organize, clean, sketch, putter, review their notes and sketch books, look at art books, older works and we think with their hands until eventually something happens.  There's a spark.  And we're off!  We're climbing Mount Everest and we can see that the summit is within reach.  From this point on we know what we're doing in the studio. It's easier to go in there the next time. We can pick up where we left off. The best thing we can do at this point is to keep the fire burning, keep a studio schedule and guard it ferociously.  Even if you have a full-time job, kids and a busy schedule there's probably something in your life (TV, social media) that you could eliminate in trade for some creative time.  A little studio time goes along way!