I have a marvelous book in my collection, “Monet at Giverny” by Caroline Holmes. In addition to splendid photography of Monet’s gardens and work it has wonderful information about how he worked in his studios and outdoors in Giverny, France.
The chapter “The mind of an artist” was of particular interest to me. It gave insight on Monet’s daily routine. He rose early around 4 or 5 a.m. His main focus was how the sky would look, thinking of how his work outdoors would be affected. He bathed, had a hearty breakfast at 5:30 a.m. and went off to paint with the assistance of family members (who no doubt helped lug the equipment). Returning at 11:00 a.m. he insisted lunch be served promptly at 11:30. Coffee, plum brandy and a nap were next in order. After that he would assess the day, working outdoors or in his studio. Dinner was served at 7:00 p.m. and he would turn in early. Apparently any deviation from this timetable was not welcome and he was known to get a bit cranky when things swerved off their usual schedule. I had the pleasure of visiting Giverny and Monet’s gardens and I imagined what it would be like to trudge along after the master when his day began, and what the meals were like in the rambling home.
Of course, Monet did not do housework. At this time men were not known to take a turn at the stove, the dusting or the laundry. He had family and hired help to assist in the momentous task of maintaining a household, feeding a large family, and keeping up his gardens. Lack of domestic chores aside what struck me was his dedication to a schedule. He focused on his art, his method, the organization of his day and sticking to a rigid timetable.
Domestic duties are typically shared by my spouse and myself in the 21st century. We both have our own creative businesses and respective studios in our home. My husband is one of the kindest and most dedicated partners I could ever want, always willing to help, to assist with the chores. But when it comes to his work, he focuses. And yet I always seem to have a harder time keeping in focus with my art work and schedule.
Distractions abound. The dishwasher, the clothes washer, the dryer, house cleaning. Meals need to be prepped. And what about the birds, someone has to feed them and gosh if its not done right away, they may just get feisty. Oh my goodness it is getting colder (hotter) and I need to sort out my seasonal wardrobe. And let us not forget the house badly needs repainting and colors need to be picked. In addition throw in the damning time sucking creatures of the internet and Social Media looming in the corners, tempting me. What’s an artist to do?
How we focus on our art is a challenge with day to day duties even when you work out of your house. Because connecting online can be so disconnecting the constant interruptions to my creative flow are in essence killing my work. Rethinking schedules and treating my creative and marketing business flow on a daily basis needs to be as rigid as if I were still in a conventional job, punching in a veritable time clock. I am grateful and fortunate to work full-time in my art business. As disciplined and rigid as I am with my techniques I find I need to focus and “double-down” even more and concentrate on not being distracted. By anything. It’s a job, my job and I am lucky to have it.
As an afterthought maybe channeling Claude Monet and his reflecting on his schedule and body of work is a good way to focus on disciplining myself. A trip to France and Giverny probably couldn’t hurt — hey maybe I need to take a break and research air fares! (baby steps...baby steps...)
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