Juggling Creativity With Life and Work: How to Make Time for Your Mixed Media Nail Art Entry

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

Life is a whirlwind - between managing your schedule, taking care of clients, and balancing home life, you realise you’ve entered or are entering our fantasy disc mixed media competition! Firstly. Well done! Entering and putting yourself out there is a big step, even for seasoned competitors. Next is making it all work. Finding time to create a Mixed Media entry might feel like trying to catch a falling star. But don’t worry; it’s entirely possible to make it work without losing your sanity! In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can carve out the time you need, establish key checkpoints, and use effective time management techniques to bring your creative vision to life.

𝟏. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝?

First things first: how much time should you set aside? While it varies depending on your design complexity, a solid entry can take anywhere from 20 to 40+ hours to complete. That might sound daunting, but when broken down, it’s more manageable than you think. Depending on the complexity this can vary. Also, choosing techniques tried and trusted to you helps give a speedy completion process.

Everyone is different too in how you approach a challenge like this with a deadline. Most techs will fall into one of two categories:

• Work backwards from a deadline using all the time already available in the schedule.

• Work out how much time is needed then work it into the schedule up to the deadline.

Which are you?

𝟐. 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬

To keep yourself on track, establish a series of checkpoints leading up to the submission deadline. These act as mini-deadlines to ensure you’re progressing at a steady pace. These deadlines help me to keep on track.

Working on a six week schedule:

Week 1: planning and product prep. 50% of the base.

Week 2: Completion of the base design.

Week 3 and 4: Completion of the feature piece and accents.

Week 5: Assembly and finishing touches.

Week 6: Cleaning and photographing.

𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐩: 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩-𝐛𝐲-𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫.

1. Pay and enter the competition, put the date in the diary. If it’s there and visible, it becomes real!

2. Read the rules and print off the template.

3. Finalise your idea. Work to your strengths and favourite techniques.

4. Gather all materials. Order any specialist products in ready.

5. Start your base design. Aim to complete at least 50% of this on week one of creating.

6. Finish the base design. Focus on detailing and layering.

7. Work on any separate 3d pieces. Create the ‘feature’ piece.

8. Work on all the ‘accent pieces’ if working separately and adding them on.

9. Assembly time. Get all pieces together with your finished base. Remember Fibonacci when completing. Play around with it so it flows and pleases the judges eyes.

10. Take some time to look with fresh vision and complete the final touches.

11. Clean it. Remove dust, fluff and debris.

12. Photograph your work and submit it.

𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐩: 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 - 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦!

𝟑. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

One of the biggest challenges is staying focused when you finally sit down to work. Then frustration hits when you only have limited time and then feel like you’ve wasted it. That’s where the 𝐏𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 can save the day. This works for me in all areas of creating!

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬:

- Set a timer for 25 minutes (this is one Pomodoro).

- Work on your nail art entry during this time - no distractions allowed.

-  Take a 5 minute break once the timer goes off.

- Repeat this process four times, then take a longer break (15-30 minutes) or finish there.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: The Pomodoro Technique helps you maintain focus while preventing burnout. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish in a series of focused, 25-minute chunks.

𝟒. 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞

It’s important to share your schedule with those around you. Especially when your family and friends (and clients!) want to see you achieve. Whether it’s setting expectations with your salon clients or letting your family know when you’ll need uninterrupted time, clear communication is key.

- Salon Clients: Let your clients know in advance about any days or times when you’ll be dedicating time to your competition work. You might even get some of them interested in following your progress!

- Home Life: Find pockets of time that work best for you. Maybe it’s early mornings before the day starts, or late evenings when everyone’s asleep. Whatever it is, make it your reserved creative time.

𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐢𝐩: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲.

𝟓. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐲𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞

Finally, remember why you’re doing this. Competing in the Nail Artistry Championships is an incredible opportunity to showcase your talent, push your creative boundaries, and grow as an artist. Keep your end goal in sight, and let it motivate you during those late-night work sessions.

- Visualize your success: Imagine yourself holding that trophy, or seeing your work featured online.

- Join a support group: Engage with fellow competitors, share your progress, and exchange tips. You’ll be inspired by others who are also juggling busy lives. Join our support group here. https://www.facebook.com/share/g/yvawewad2jw7MoVr/?mibextid=K35XfP

Final Thought: By breaking down your work into manageable chunks, setting clear checkpoints, and using time management techniques like Pomodoro, you can absolutely create a stunning Mixed Media entry without sacrificing your other commitments. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.

𝐒𝐨, 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠!

Love and positive vibes

The Nail Artistry team

‘Pushing Boundaries, Elevating Talent’