A little while ago I shared my manifesto for my 3-year Artist Residency in Motherhood, posted to my studio wall. I was asked to elaborate a bit, and so I'll give you a little of my thinking for each of its 7 parts. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts, or what you find fascinating.

1/7 - RHYTHM OF WORK

As an artist, I need a deep & regular rhythm of work--a daily, weekly, and seasonal pattern to follow.

I want my daily pattern to always include my core work: free, focused creation and exploration. It allows space for rest, space to let ideas stew, and ample buffer time to complete tasks.

My weekly pattern follows my family's fluctuations, allowing me to be more available as the need arises. Again, buffer time is critical to account for emergencies and the extra push that work can require.

To account for the seasons, I plan my year ahead, make a budget, and map out projects, all with my overall goals in mind, but especially keeping in mind what I want my daily life to look like. If the overall goals create a stressful everyday life, that does me a disservice. But if the overall goals are not ambitious and exciting, my work becomes aimless.

And as with everything, this requires attentiveness to the changing of the seasons and shifts in work in order to adapt and avoid stagnation.