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Today’s Article
The following article was written by Debra Keirce, a regular contributing author to The BoldBrush Letter.
Optimize the Joy
What would you do today if you won $200 million?
Which actions would rise to the top of your priority list? What would feel absolutely essential for feeding your creative spirit?
This article is for those who envision a life creating art, no matter how rich or famous we are. Most of us in this group want to leave our studio each day with no regrets. We want to be able to fist-pump and say we spent the day doing the work that mattered most to us.
So I’ll ask you - What do your creative days look like? More importantly, does that vision match how you’re spending your days right now?
Here’s my answer.
On my first independently wealthy day, I wouldn’t waste a moment. I’d stumble straight into the studio - no shower, no breakfast, no emails - just a pot of coffee, a bit of incense, and a favorite storytelling podcast humming in the background.
I’d open my “ideas” folder on my computer and choose something that makes my heart race. It would probably be a colorful, weathered image, like rusty metal with peeling paint, lying on a seashore where the water is calm in some places and crashing in others.
Then I’d dive in. Half the day with charcoal, sketching freely. Half the day with oils, painting without any thought of whether the piece will sell, win awards, fit a frame, or be accepted by a gallery. I would relish in the pure act of creating.
And I know the day would disappear in a blink.
That’s the day I’d live if I somehow woke up a billionaire. This tells me something. This is how I want to live my days now, not someday.
Of course, the reality is that not every day looks like this. Some days are consumed by travel, teaching, marketing, accounting, buying supplies, or even cleaning the studio. They’re necessary parts of sustaining a creative life. But whenever I can, I try to tip the balance toward what lights me up most - making art.
Here’s the bigger truth. Every artist’s ideal day will look different. Some artists would choose marketing calls, studio visits, or teaching workshops because those things fuel their spirit. We’re wired differently, and that’s okay.
It’s my belief, that if you can build your art career around what you most enjoy - the activities that make your “multi-millionaire day” list - you’ll not only find more fulfillment. You’ll create your most authentic and successful body of work.
Even if you don’t share this belief, picturing your perfect day can help you learn what fuels your spirit, which activities feel like obligations or distractions, and where you may be giving energy to things that don’t really matter to you.
Here are some ways I try to tip the balance closer to my perfect day in my studio.
A few years ago, I started picking the one thing on my to-do list each day that is non-negotiable. It’s what I attack first, and sometimes it’s not something desirable. Sometimes it’s whatever I need to finish so I am allowed to move on to what I really want to do.
Each week I look back at how many hours I spent creating vs. everything else. I adjust accordingly.
I have redefined “success.” If my perfect day doesn’t include scrolling social media or obsessing over awards and sales, why would I want to spend large chunks of time doing those things? Of course we all want the likes and comments and FASO notices that a piece just sold. But these no longer drive my decisions in the studio. They are just data to me.
Time management is a skill I try to master. I combine all my undesirable activities into small blocks of time, so they don’t feel like they dominate my creative time.
Maybe it’s because I am pulling my old lady card out a lot more often these days, but I want to mention that I think about my legacy too. What is it I want to be remembered for? What projects would I regret if I never started them? Am I building a body of work I will be proud of when I get to the pearly gates?
How can you bring more of that - more of a streamlined, art practice with intention, into today? Comment and share what your perfect day looks like, and the small shifts you can make in your current practice to move closer toward it.
PS — Editor’s Note: Please support artists and help us get more exposure for the artists featured in this newsletter by clicking the “Like” icon ❤️, by clicking the “Restack” icon 🔁, or by leaving a comment. The more engagement we get, the more widely these images get shown. Help us support human artists and push back against the encroachment of AI!
Debra Keirce
www.DebKArt.com
Join me each month for free updates on this art adventure at
https://debkart.com/email-newsletter
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If you know of a great piece of real visual art (no AI art) that we should consider for future illustration of our articles or to feature in Clintavo’s Curated Corner, please click the button below and leave a sentence or two explaining what you like about a piece with a link to it on the web. It may be your own art or someone else’s (please do not send via email as we are much less likely to see or respond to those, thank you):
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No AI Zone: Everything written in this post (and all our posts) is written 100% by flesh and blood humans
We do not use AI images with our writing. We prefer to feature and provide more exposure for human artists. If you know of a great piece of art we should consider, please leave a comment with a link to it. All featured images are properly attributed with backlinks to the artist’s website. You can help support human artists and push back against AI by liking or restacking this piece by clicking the “Like” icon ❤️, by clicking the “Restack” icon 🔁 (or by leaving a comment).
Debra, you are priceless as is this essay. My ideal day matches yours. And one of the wonderful benefits of getting older is that standing in front of my easel contemplating my next paint stroke is a place of deep happiness and peace, no matter the success, awards, sales or other accolades. Thanks for writing this!
My perfect day…. I like to sleep till I wake. No alarm. My hubby and I get up together and have coffee and tea. A couple hours to read in quiet. When ready, get on with the day. He golfs, I art in my room. We meet back before dinner. Talk a bit. Have a glass of wine and make dinner together. No rushing , just enjoying our day, together and apart. We do this now and love it. Money does not buy happiness.