For a long time, I thought the best way to stay productive was to plan the entire year in advance. I’d map out each project, estimate how long every piece would take, and pencil in deadlines based on those rough guesses. It looked organized on paper...but in practice, it left no room for life to happen. Missed deadlines, rushed work, and creative burnout became a pattern. And the more rigid my plan, the more likely it was to fall apart.
So I changed my approach.
Now, I still set yearly intentions, but I only plan a few months ahead at a time. I keep my goals in sight, but I hold the schedule loosely. That means I don't lock myself into specific project dates until I’m actually ready to begin. If I’m preparing a new painting series, for example, I won’t assign start and finish dates until I’ve made real progress in the prep work: sketches, reference materials, concept exploration. This keeps things realistic and allows space for the unexpected.
My planning process includes a mix of digital tools, sketches and plain old habit building.
I use Trello to capture ideas as they come. I have boards for everything - social media, art drops, general inspiration, and a running “idea dump.” Whenever something sparks, I jot it down there. As ideas develop, I’ll attach sketches, reference photos, notes, even video clips that relate. Eventually, if something starts to feel ready, I’ll move it over to a more active board: a seasonal drop, a short-term project, or a list of pieces I want to start developing soon.
Then there’s the Google spreadsheet. This is where the practical side lives. I track what I’m working on across categories, including drawing habits, painting projects, art education (whether that’s a YouTube playlist or a course I’m working through on Udemy), and everything other miscellaneous creative venture. To make sure I don't overcommit myself, I also include a column for work, personal obligations, vacations, and general life events, so I can actually see what kind of time I’ll have. Some days or spans of weeks are ideal for focused project time. Others? Just enough room for a quick sketch. The spreadsheet keeps me from overloading my schedule while helping me spot the best windows for deeper work.
So, how do I put it all together - the Trello boards, the Google sheets, the sketches and the big ideas?
At the start of each year, I identify a few guiding goals: creative direction, financial benchmarks (if I have them), and the overall theme I want to pursue. That becomes the anchor for how I plan my seasonal art drops. What do I mean by "anchor?" Well, for example, this year my focus is on building and refining skills. So my "anchor" is prioritizing learning and practicing new techniques. That includes improving my animal sketches, re-establishing a consistent creative creative rhythm, and exploring ways of getting ideas in my brain onto canvas. Those efforts are what will shape what ends up in each collection.
Once the big goals and anchors are in place, we start breaking it down - it's time to plan for each drop. Planning for a drop starts in the months before launch - usually just as the previous drop is starting up. Right now, I’m in the early stages of prepping for the summer launch. I'm taking a look at some of the pieces I've already created, thinking about the ideas I still want to create, and really examining what I want to share with the world. Some pieces are completed and ready to go, some aren't quite on the mark. And the same with ideas - some are strong, and some are not quite ready. During this planning, I revisit my Trello boards to review what’s developed and what still feels exciting. I think about what resonated with people last season, what I personally want to dig deeper into, and how to build a body of work that feels both fresh and intentional.
Each drop usually includes a mix of paintings, drawings, and mixed media. I aim for balance: four pieces from each category, with a few backup ideas in case something doesn’t pan out. When the project board is full, I can finally build the schedule. I estimate how long each piece might take, cross-check it with the rest of my calendar, and plug in work blocks accordingly. I always leave room for delays or the unexpected, and I make sure to carve out unscheduled days, too. Sometimes I need a break. Sometimes I just want to chase a spontaneous idea. I make space for that on purpose.
Once it’s all mapped out, I have a flexible but grounded plan to follow. It’s not rigid. It’s a working guide that adapts with me as I move through the year.
During commission season, not much changes—except a few of those freeform days shift into commission work. I only open up for commissions twice a year, so the impact is manageable, and I treat them as part of the overall workload rather than an entirely separate track.
At the end of the year, I do a review. I look at what I made, what worked, and what didn’t. I assess the goals I set—did they hold up? Were they realistic? Did I hit the mark creatively? If something fell short, I try to figure out why. Maybe it wasn’t the right goal. Maybe I just didn’t have the time. Either way, I take the lessons forward.
And then I begin again.