Don't put your art on the back burner.

As much as I am writing this to help someone else, this also serves as a reminder to myself. Do the art, Ashlee.  When life gets busy the first thing that gets put off until tomorrow is the one thing that counteracts the effect of stress the most. I have a bad habit of putting my art on the back burner until my schedule lightens up.  

The minute my daily list gets longer than usual the first task that gets put on hold is making personal art. “Personal art” sounds pretentious or finished. It's really just a blanket term I use for any sketch, painting, or idea that makes its way to paper, that is not client based. It helps me prioritize creativity daily. 

Make a routine. 

There are so many things I do in the morning that are automatic. Brushing my teeth, drinking coffee, washing my face. I don't think about doing them, they just get done. The easiest way to prioritize making personal art is to make it a part of your daily routine. If you repeat this action enough times you stop thinking about whether or not you want to and the habit becomes automatic.

Let go of perfection.

Not everything is going to be a winner. Every sketch you make will not be beautiful and that's ok. If you’re able to separate yourself from the outcome you’ll have a better chance of sticking with it and actually getting better. Just because you make a sketch that sucks doesn't mean you suck.

Scale back. 

Life can get hectic. It's important to scale back what you want to complete when time gets scarce. Some days you may be able to allot an hour, some days you may only have 5 minutes to spare. Both are important. Stick with the routine and scale back the time you spend.