Creativity to me is an absolute blessing, but productivity may be its angel. As I have been highly creative all of my life. Thankfully, I've been productive too and as an artist, I want to share my philosophy in understanding of the roles of both.

One question I am constantly asked is, "When do you work?" I think it is an interesting question, because it's the type of question only an artist would be asked. But I always have pretty much the same answer and it's often met with some amazement.

"Monday through Friday, unless I have to cut the grass mid week and then I might paint on the weekends a bit too.", after all, I'm self employed and can easily do so. I may go on to say, "On occasion I've started painting as early as 4AM and I've painted as late as 10PM", but it doesn't have anything to do with mystical creative urges that only come during a full moon. I'm just being productive.

With that, many will say, "You actually seem to work a regular work week." Well imagine that? You see, no matter what I've done, I've always intended myself to be successful and busy doing what I love. Productivity is not some ugly side of creativity, but let's also make no mistake about what productivity means. For me, it means diligently working at my craft and for my customers. It doesn't mean waiting for that mystical creative bug to bite and it certainly doesn't mean banging out paintings. I never bang out paintings. I collect my ideas, funnel them down to paintings whose time it is to come alive and then paint them one at a time. Placing everything I have in my soul as an artist, into that one work of art, through to its completion and I am methodical about it.

Do I give myself time to breath? Yes, even during the painting process. I also give myself time to focus on my business and goals. But there's no mistaking, this is time management, more than creative management. It's all I can do to faucet my creativity, I have plenty of that. But we are all limited on time.

Next year marks 25 years of painting sales for me. I was 33 when I started selling my art. With a lifetime of creativity and business behind me and a desired career as an artist in front, I knew just being creative wasn't enough. Being creatively productive was a must. Everyone that works has to balance life and artists, especially ones with a desire for success, are no different.

If you want to be successful at anything, you must apply yourself. It is work, but if that which you apply yourself to is what you love, it will not feel like work and that to me is one key to a good life in general.

There are many creativity people in the world, but there are also creative impostors who may call themselves artists without actually producing anything but chatter. My wife Linda mentions to me about the occasional gallery visitor, that would walk around with a friend, going from one artisan piece to another saying, "I could do this, I could make that." Linda now (lovingly) says to them, "But you never will." She knows productive people don't talk about it, they do it.

By the way, this is done in sport and she doesn't do this in defense of the gallery. She does it for the many artists that use their creativity in a productive way. They passionately enjoy seeing their vision come to life and enjoy it becoming part of someone else's. They don't call themselves artists as some sort of badge of creative honor. Others call them artists because of what they create and in fact, many artists have a hard time even calling themselves artists.

If you are creatively inspired - create. If you are not motivated to create, you are not creative and to be an artist, you must create. If you are creative and want to do so as a career - manage it as you would any other business.

All businesses have to be creative, artists just make creativity their business. As well, all businesses have to be productive and career artists must be too! Just as you apply yourself to become a better artist, also take time to learn productivity. You'll be happy you did.