Are you a ‘real’ artist if you only work one day a week on your art?

What do you think?

Are you a ‘real’ artist if you only work one day a week on your art?
 
How much do you need to be working, and indeed producing, to be considered a 'real' artist? 

If you are not full time or most of the time, can you even classify yourself as a 'real' artist?

Or are these questions too simplistic and black and white?

And... is that even what defines an artist, the hours and the minutes they are working and producing?
 
I don’t think so.
 
Of course, we need to give our art time, thought and care, and in the early stages the more time and practice the better as we build our skills, knowledge, visual language and decipher what roads we want to take. 10,000 hours….
 
I have tossed this time thing around my noggin a lot over the years and have beat myself up a bit. 

I confess, I have been an on again off again maker. For periods of time, I can have no time in the studio, then for chunks of time I am full time. The motivation of a deadline... That is why artist residencies have held such appeal, a concentrated period working away from distractions.

Currently I am a one day a weeker, having the opportunity to work in a lovely inspiring shared studio, intending to make it 1.5-2 days soon! It makes things a little slower for sure and I do wish I had more time, but I have other things in my life I am working on and building. I have the time I have for now.
 
I know and work with artists, that have 1 day a week working on their art.
I know and work with artists, that have 6 days a week working on their art.
I know artists, who for many months are not making and then have a rush of making, and repeat.

Most of us crave more time. I know it.
We have the time we have for our art.
We need to make the most of it.
 
I spoke with a wonderful artist just yesterday who is going to join my EVOLVE program that has 1 set day in the studio, and perhaps a little flow over time on the weekends. She described to me how she had eliminated a step in her process that could streamline her studio work and in fact open more creative opportunities. The power of elimination. Through the conversation I could hear the excitement in her voice. She knew what she could achieve in one day. It would be substantial for her.

I encourage you to take note of the time you have, be real with yourself, and be ok with it. That’s how it is for now. I encourage you to see how you are using that time and if, like the artist I spoke with yesterday, you can eliminate something from your process that could not only make creating a little more streamline but could throw some interesting creative challenges your way. Who knows?

I look forward to working with artists, who are utterly committed to their art, if they have 1 day or 7 days in the studio at the moment. Time is not the sole thing that maketh the artist. 

Use your time wisely my friends, I will take my own advice too. 

Amy x