• FINE ART
    • ocean view
    • offspring
    • in my garden
    • the night sky
    • the figure
    • botanicals
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • lifestyle
    • the rose series
  • AVAILABLE WORKS
  • PRINTS + DECOR
  • blog
  • about
  • contact
  • upcoming events
  • newsletter
  • cv
  • Menu

Jocelyn Mathewes Imagemaker

  • FINE ART
    • ocean view
    • offspring
    • in my garden
    • the night sky
    • the figure
    • botanicals
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
    • lifestyle
    • the rose series
  • AVAILABLE WORKS
  • PRINTS + DECOR
  • blog
  • about
  • contact
  • upcoming events
  • newsletter
  • cv
 
cyanotype-mural-on-folly-beach-013.jpg

making sabbaticals work

September 14, 2016 in INSPIRATION

Time off is important to restore your mind, body, and soul. We don't practice that very well in native land (the United States), but it's still vital to find a rythm for it. The idea of sabbatical goes far back--thousands of years. It's found in the Bible, and in the very structure of our seven-day week. To me, that's enough to reveal how much rest--lying fallow--is so important to a productive and healthy life. I've seen and heard of a wide variety of ways to do sabbaticals and over the years have struggled to practice them well. I was first drawn to idea of taking an intentional creative sabbatical ever since I heard of Stefan Sagemeister's practice of taking an entire year off with his design team. From the standpoint of my own life, it sounded like an impossibly glorious luxury, but I knew that I could draw lessons from it. I saw his team experimenting and enjoying and finding new life, and I knew I needed that in my regular freelance life.

You see, I'm not only a freelancer, but I'm also a pastor's wife. We've worked hard to have healthy boundaries, but our lives are still structured so that evenings and weekends are often taken up with our chosen work. There's the rhythm of the church schedule, the rhythm of my own work, and then the rhythm of the children's education on top of that. Because our life is full of responsibility that pulls us in many directions, taking a sabbatical requires a great deal of intentionality and planning to set aside a time.

And then I came across Sean McCabe's practice of doing a sabbatical every seven weeks. That felt more attractive and do-able, since a six-week chunk of work is a timeframe where a lot gets done and you don't lose momentum. But the seven-week rhythm didn't match up with anything else going on in my life; it felt arbitrary and forced. I wanted the sabbatical to feel meaningful and the activities going on in the rest of my life to support rather than detract from it.

So then I started to examine our actual schedule and my own actual season of work. I put natural breaks in for special church-related activities. I put natural breaks in for the kids' weeks off so I could be an intentional and rested parent. And then I put in little breaks for me--long weekends off (I find I need 4 days to truly untangle a bit), or a 10 day break right after what I know will be an intense season (again, it's my personal preference that 7 days is too short & 14 days is too long).

So right now, for 2017, I have 66 days scheduled for sabbatical. This is wildly different from how I tried to do it in 2016, which was a new iteration on how I had attempted it in 2014. All that to say, my sabbatical rhythm is a work in progress, and I'll admit that in the past very few of them have been actually successful.

Those 66 schedule days don't include "natural" days off; this schedule is meant to focus on dedicated and intentional creative rest. My sabbatical schedule is meant to be flexible; I've been known to bend the rules depending on whether or not a great opportunity arises, or if a family need comes down the pike. I prefer to start out with more time blocked off for rest than feels really comfortable to me, because I know from experience that the rest is more likely to be pushed into smaller and smaller spaces; it's better to start out with too much than too little.

But the space and rules for the sabbatical must also be in place for it to be effective. Since I freelance from home, this has been the most difficult part of crafting the sabbatical. I have to quantify for myself the things I do differently, since I don't necessarily get to travel to another physical location that helps to signal me that things are different.

So these are a few of the questions I have to ask myself in order to craft a good sabbatical: How much do I allow myself to be on the computer? What are the rules surrounding my e-mail and social media responsiveness or availability? What artmaking or related activities are encouraged or discouraged? What relaxing, restorative, or inspirational thing am I going to carve out extra time to do, and what are the logistics in doing so?

And while the principles of a sabbatical are good to have in place, I know I need to make room for my craving for variety; having the same style of sabbatical every time would probably feel repetitive and frustrating. So for this year, I'm trying to mix things up by creating two kinds of sabbaticals--the 4-day weekend and the 10-day mini-vacation style sabbatical.

I also know that I'll need some structure within those frameworks. I want it to be relaxing, but not so loose that I spend the whole time doing laundry and staring out into space. I want to have activities and inspiring things to do, but not so much that I don't get to truly rest.

As I said before, my sabbatical rhythm is a work in progress. Each time I've re-structured them, I learn more about myself and my creative needs and the nature of my business. I look forward to another journey of productivity and rest in 2017, and hope that you find your own sabbatical rhythm that works for you, too.

 

Tags: workingartist
Prev / Next
READ MY MANIFESTO
I'm Jocelyn,  mixed-media fine artist & imagemaker, and I love to share with others.   More about me >>

I'm Jocelyn, mixed-media fine artist & imagemaker, and I love to share with others. More about me >>

JOIN THE TINY LITTLE HIGH FIVE

Follow my art, see behind the scenes, learn about sales & gallery events!

{ this is going to be fun }

I can't wait to share my art with you!

icons-01_25x25.jpg
  • FINE ART
  • INSPIRATION
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • REFLECTION
FEELING LOST? START HERE
 

ART & MOTHERHOOD

I joined the Artist Residency in Motherhood in 2016 in order to embrace the tension & triumphs of life as a working artist and mother.

ON MOTHERHOOD
why artists need to be tidy AND messy
why artists need to be tidy AND messy
freely choose the tension
freely choose the tension
one hand, whole self
one hand, whole self
the view from the minivan
my kids' unspoken rules about making art
my kids' unspoken rules about making art
invisible things that support creative practice
invisible things that support creative practice
i started young
i started young
artmaking and seizing the moment
artmaking and seizing the moment
making art with kids in tow
making art with kids in tow
structuring the art practice around kids
structuring the art practice around kids

LIFE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS

Living with an autoimmune disorder can be difficult, but I try to embrace my limits and find ways to adapt & thrive.

LIFE WITH ILLNESS
self-care is not what you think
self-care is not what you think
invisible things that support creative practice
invisible things that support creative practice
creative & chronically ill
creative & chronically ill
embrace your limits
embrace your limits

APPALACHIAN ARTIST SERIES

I've had the honor of interviewing many brilliant working artists who live alongside me in the mountains of East Tennessee.

THE ARTISTS
artist interview: travis graves
artist interview: travis graves

I think many creative people, like visual artists, musicians, authors, etc., can at times suffer from a lack of self-confidence and motivation. One of my biggest hurtles was to take myself and artwork seriously. I realized in graduate school that if I wasn’t invested in my own artwork and didn’t care enough about it, then no one else was going to either. I came to realize that I needed to make my artwork for myself first. And if I thought it was worth doing, then it would have something of value to offer others.

artist interview: joan bauer
artist interview: joan bauer

I've always appreciated classic art. I don't care for contemporary or modern art, and have always been very drawn to the impressionists. About a year after we moved to Tennessee, I kept gravitating towards my art books that are now all in my studio (they used to be up in my living room). I'd study them at night. I'd pour over Monet and I'd say, “How can I do that in fabric?” I had no idea that there even was such a thing as fabric art. All I knew was traditional quilting, until I went online and I searched for “impressionist fabric,” and all of a sudden it showed up for me.

artist interview: ingrid dyhl
artist interview: ingrid dyhl

It's super satisfying to see the lines come out and meet up perfectly. It's very spontaneous--whatever comes to me--and depends on what I feel and my sensory input and response. The ones that flow out from me and feel very natural are always the best. The ones that I work really hard on are more difficult because they don't seem to come from the same place.

artist interview: steve denton
artist interview: steve denton

I don’t really think it’s unique. The difference between me and somebody else is that they looked at modern art and said, “Well I could do that,” but then they don’t do it.

artist interview: liz layton
artist interview: liz layton

Out of necessity of both time and money, I finally became practical with my art process after my son, Strummer, was born.  I cannot always produce art objects or physically paint or sew whenever I want to, but, I can very easily write down ideas or sketch simple studies a they come to me (usually!), which I then later elaborate on and fully expand.  I now spend much more time planning the overall construction of a piece (conceptual themes, choice of medium and materials, general measurements, cost) so that when I am able to be in my art studio (or, sometimes it’s the living room or dining room or porch) I am able to make better use of my time, and, make artwork that is more successful, visually.

artist interview: brenden bohannon
artist interview: brenden bohannon

A big part of my process is finding the right pieces of wood and looking for certain qualities that will show up once everything is done. For anyone who has not worked with wood, 90% of the job is carving, planing, shaping, and lots and lots of sanding. It is amazing what you can accomplish with hand tools and time. 

artist interview: tony henson
artist interview: tony henson

What makes my creative process unique or different is how I transfer the colors I see and experience in nature into my abstract paintings. Everyone sees differently and I try to show people how I see and feel through my artwork. No one has my sense of color or mark-making. No one sees as I do either.

artist interview: larry thacker
artist interview: larry thacker

I usually have painting, writing (poetry and fiction), and photography going on in my life at the same time. They all feed from one another for energy and subject material. One idea prompts another constantly, so I’m seldom without an idea for new work.

artist interview: ren allen
artist interview: ren allen

Just doing. It doesn't matter if you feel like it, or you're "inspired", action is the magic. Within action you find your inspiration. I know it isn't romantic or exciting to say "DO", but that's really the key.

artist interview: sarah dorr

I make a mess! I have clay all over my house: bags of clay, fired clay, finished pieces, stamps I’ve made, tools, little inspirations. Since it's me in my house with two dogs, this works really well. I would love a studio space, and I would really love for clay to not be everywhere, but this is what works for me for now, and I get work done this way.

Like what you’re reading? Love my work? Drop some love in my artist tip jar!

ARTIST TIP JAR
icons-01_25x25.jpg