How to Make Time for Art with a 9 to 5 Job

Lately, I’ve been feeling completely drained trying to figure out how to make time for art with a 9 to 5 job. I work full-time as a UX (User Experience) designer in an IT company, and alongside that, I am trying to grow my art practice, share my drawings online, and slowly build something of my own. And guess what... most days the art gets pushed to the side. It feels less like a simple lack of hours and more like a lack of inner capacity to hold everything in one day: work, commuting, cooking, endless dishes, and then somehow switch into a creative mode. By the end of the day, my brain is so tired that it only wants to scroll through Reels or get lost in some meaningless activity

. All these overwhelming feelings are constantly pushing me to think of how others are coping with this balance.

I see many artists quitting their jobs and choosing an art career instead because the balance feels too harsh. It brings creative freedom, but it can take a long time to reach real financial freedom. Of course, for me it would be a dream come true to become a full-time artist and be able to pay my bills from my art (as I’m sure it is for many artists). But the reality is that before this happens, I need to build some background, test ideas, and understand how I can monetise my art before making the decision to quit my 9 to 5 job.

I also see a lot of advice on how to balance creativity and work and avoid burnout, something like: "draw one page at a time", "carry a tiny sketchbook", "don’t aim for perfection", "sketch while commuting", and so on. I’ve tried many of these tips, and while they sound great in theory, they haven’t really worked for me in practice - so I had to start looking for different ways I can grow my art while still (for now) keeping my 9 to 5 job. At some point, I realised that part of the problem was my definition of what an “artist” and artistic process look like. A lot of it was shaped by social media, especially Instagram. In my head, an artist was someone who produces a lot, constantly, and always in a super aesthetic way. Though I know it is not a true picture, by the end of the day, observing tons of posts in my feed, I subconsciously aim for the same thing. But for me, this Instagram version of an artist is simply unreachable:

• I cannot produce every day

• I cannot publish every day

• I cannot always show my work in an aesthetic way, because my process is messy. Around 70% of my art is made of very, very, very unfinished “ugly sketches” that, for some reason, we as artists rarely show, even though they are a real part of the work.

So the situation is

"I’m burning out trying to be someone I’m not, just because that’s the version of an artist Instagram rewards"

This realisation helped me start asking the right questions and looking for answers that actually fit my way of living and creating. And I think this is the only way to find balance for yourself. None of us can simply follow someone else’s advice, because everyone is unique, every situation is unique, and everyone’s capacity to handle pressure is different. What I did, and what actually worked for me:

1. I admitted my limitations. I looked at my lifestyle and realistically accepted that I have maybe 1–2 hours per day that I could sketch, but because I’m drained, I actually can’t. So I stopped demanding a daily sketching routine from myself and allowed myself not to draw every day. This alone helped a lot, because I stopped feeling guilty and under pressure about my art practice. Instead, I started using these 1–2 hours for things that really help me recover (and are not just scrolling the feed): reading, breathing practices, sauna, journaling. This is not directly related to “sketching” or “creative work”, but it helped me recover faster and feel more energised the next day, which eventually created more space for my art and creativity.

2. I reserved one morning during the week for art. I use Saturday or Sunday morning for my art practices. It can include looking for drawing references, sketching, doing colour swatches, or working on a more detailed, realistic drawing (which usually takes more than one morning). Reserving this time in my week gives my art practice a clear place in my schedule and frees up mental space to be creative.

3. I always take a pocket sketchbook with me. I don’t use it every day, but if I see something that grabs my attention, it feels natural to sketch it. Having a small sketchbook and a few sketching tools in my bag makes spontaneous sketching much easier and keeps my creativity alive during a busy week.

   

   drawing of a dog

   

   Sketching outside

   

   Sketching in the plane

4. I stopped following the algorithm and posting often. I stopped trying to force myself to post constantly just because Instagram wants it. Letting go of this pressure reduced my stress and helped me show up more authentically in my creative practice. And, interestingly, this is what finally started to bring the right audience to my page, and my Instagram slowly began to grow.

5. I started talking with other artists. I began having honest conversations about art processes, energy, deadlines, and social media expectations. Hearing their experiences confirmed that many of us struggle to cope when we try to follow the “common way” of constant output and daily posting. It made me feel less alone and gave me real support from like-minded creatives who are also trying to balance their art practice with daily life challenges and work.
   

In the end, I think the only way to make time for art with a 9 to 5 job is to listen to yourself first. Not to the “perfect” routines, not to the algorithm, not to what looks good on Instagram. When we understand how we actually live, what we enjoy, and what drains us, we can build an art practice that fits our real life instead of killing our energy and our authenticity.

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