I always get questions about “how do you cope with having a full time job, being a Wife, a Friend, a Daughter, church, and still have the energy to think about how to grow your hobby cum business?”

Sometimes I say I don’t know. Other times it involves sacrificing on sleep. But most of the time it involves prioritising. Here are 5 tips to keep your head above the water:

1. Focus on your craft. We crafty hands are a bunch of itchy fingers. We want to try painting, sewing, pottery, wood craft, leather craft and the list goes on. Focus! If you spent an hour on 5 different crafts, focusing would mean spending those 5 hours on your chosen craft. That would give you time to strategize at growing your own business. Sometimes this might even mean streamlining what you do within your craft – I’ve prioritise illustrating my book and growing my portfolio of designs over doing regular calligraphy classes.
2. You don’t have to be good at everything! We artists try to do everything themselves just because we can (and because it saves money). That could mean a DIY bouquet + DIY hand painted card + hand painted and hand sewn pouch. But think about it this way. If you did it yourself you need to pay yourself for the man hours. Is it worth it? Sometimes it’s better to get someone else to do it, who might be able to do it more quickly and professionally than you might just because they’re more familiar with the other mediums. This is something I learnt from my Friend at HelloFlowers! I don’t have to be good at everything, I just need to be good at my primary craft – I would focus then on just doing the card and getting the bouquet elsewhere.
3. Get enough sleep. I know I said sometimes I lose sleep over these but most of the time I don’t. It’s important to be fresh because if you’re exhausted then the ideas won’t come as quickly, as well, nor will they be as creative and exciting.
4. Plan on the go. I spend a good amount on public transport. Taking the bus over driving means I have an hour to think or draft depending whether I get a seat or not. It also means I can check emails, propose ideas, the list goes on. Of course if you’re already sleep deprived this would be your time to catch up on your winks. But yes that’s 2 extra hours for me on public transport everyday to be drawing. The picture above was taken this morning on my train ride to work.
5. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Ha ha ha. Tough. This is tough. Because every art piece you do pays you and we always are very optimistic. But you need time to refresh your own Creative mind. And as if I haven’t emphasised this enough, you need to rest.

With these I always set aside time for family and Husband. And if we work more efficiently and smartly, then it means more time for other things! I hope this helps, and let me know how it goes with you!