There is an urgency to making the work and getting it out there so that you can find the people who respond to it, but it becomes much harder to accomplish much of anything if your body aches from the physically demanding work you do, or your shoulders are tense from hunkering over the computer all afternoon, or you're living on caffeine and wine, or especially if you aren't sleeping. If you want to improve your productivity, and your health, then it's time to focus on your self-care.

What are you doing to take care of yourself? To keep up your energy, maintain a positive mindset, balance out the hours in the studio and on the computer? Is balance even necessary when you're doing what you love?

In this episode of The Art Biz, I talk with Maria Coryell-Martin, a busy mom with a thriving art career and companion business that supports her family. With all that she has going on, Maria makes time for almost daily swims and cold, open water, healthy eating, and plenty of sleep. Listen to hear how she does it.

Highlights

• Maria's expeditionary art combines her passions for science, art and education. (2:20)

• The motivation behind splitting Maria's two artist endeavors. (4:57)

• An income breakdown from Art Toolkit and Expeditionary Art. (7:44)

• Maria's art takes her all over the world. (10:31)

• "I want to be a capable, useful person in the field." (14:39)

• How Maria successfully solicits funds for her expeditions. (17:17)

• Self-care is the rock for Maria's sanity. (19:25)

• The physical aspect of making art requires taking care of your body. (24:06)

• A typical day for Maria starts with getting enough sleep and swimming in the ocean. (28:21)

• Monitoring energy levels, controlling what you're eating, responding to stress. (35:15)

• Setting boundaries around your time and energy. (40:57)

• Getting the help you need so you can do your best work. (42:45)

• The simple first steps for starting self-care today. (46:00)

Mentioned

• Bon Appetit Lentil Burgers

• Cooper Island Black Guillemot Research

• Maria Coryell Martin's Expeditionary Art

• Art Toolkit

• @ExpeditionaryArt

• @ArtToolkit

Resources

• Show notes, images, and listener comments

• Artist Planning Sessions

• Free e-course: The Artist's Annual Review

Quotes

• "Ask for what you need. You may not get it, but at least you'll learn something." — Maria Coryell Martin

• "I've developed tools and habits over my life that are my rock for my sanity." — Maria Coryell Martin

• "Work is like a river. You dip your toes in and do what you can and then you take your toes out and it keeps flowing." — Maria Coryell Martin

• "Mistakes are part of everything you do, but you've just got to move forward and let mistakes happen." — Maria Coryell Martin

Guest Bio

Maria Coryell-Martin is an expeditionary artist following the tradition of traveling artists as naturalists and educators. She graduated from Carleton College in 2004 and received a Thomas J. Watson fellowship to explore remote regions through art from 2004-2005.

Since then Maria has worked with scientists, local communities, and travelers in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and the Antarctic Peninsula. In the field, Coryell-Martin sketches with ink and watercolor, and collects multimedia recordings to build her palette of place, a record of experience, climate, and color. This led her to create the wildly popular Art Toolkit.

This work became the basis for exhibits of large-scale studio and field paintings, as well as multimedia presentations and hands-on workshops for audiences of all ages to promote observation, scientific inquiry, and environmental awareness.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/self-care-martin-podcast