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| Dragon Slayer Doodle by Jonathan Myers. All Rights Reserved. |
However, there are the realities of life such as a full time job, having a spouse, having children, house chores, everyday errands and demands etc. Life is dynamic and in truth time is an artist's most valuable commodity. Keeping this in mind we need to budget our time and use it wisely. So a truly intelligent response to the above question is, "Try to draw for one hour every day. Don't worry about what you are creating being good, stylish or world changing. Just focus on drawing and getting ideas out on paper. Create a routine, which with discipline will become a habit and eventually will become a way of life."
Now that we have given a reasonable answer I will go into further detail. Start your routine with one hour minimum, keep a sketch book with you at all times and make sure you have an understanding with your friends and family that this is your personal creating time. If you stick to this small bit of advice I guarantee you will see swift artistic growth and a quickening of your visual memory. Once you establish this 'way of life' you can begin to extend how much more time you would like to devote to your craft. Which brings us back to the initial question I was asked, "How much time do I, as a professional illustrator, commit to drawing?"
I devote anywhere from 3 - 5 hours daily to creating my art. I work a full time (40 hours a week) job, I am married and am the father of an eleven year old daughter; who is very involved in school and activities such as ballet, ice hockey and lacrosse. Time is the currency that is most valuable to me and it often requires sacrifice. I do not spend a lot of time watching television, playing video games or surfing the web. Instead I draw, paint, build and create. I do not hang out with lots of friends, instead I hang with my family who understands what I do and respects my determination to succeed in this area of life. This is the discipline that is required to excel in the competitive reality of freelance illustration on a creative growth level.
Is this the path for all artists? Of course not! I have made these sacrifices and choices as a deep personal commitment, but it is okay to enjoy your art as a hobby and not as a way of life. If art is something you merely enjoy doing and you want to grow at a casual pace, by all means draw for at least one hour daily. This will yield results and your artistic skills will prosper. Some of the best artists I know are hobbyists, they have no desire to be chained to a drawing board all day. Being stuck in this situation I can respect and admire the artisan who knows what he wants out of life and how much time he wants to invest in creating. Art of any kind be it visual, music, dance, acting, crafting etc. requires a certain amount of dedication, but does not necessarily require one to be a 'professional' in their chosen artistic form. Some go on to dance in the Royal Ballet, some dance in local theater companies and some simply dance for their own enjoyment. Decide what you want out of life and pursue it with all your passion! -Jonathan Myers, Illustrator
