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The other day as I was driving down to my office, I was suddenly taken over by a speeding red Kawasaki Ninja. Swerving dangerously through heavy, peak-time chaos, it managed to reach the front of the traffic snarl that stopped at the red light. As the light became green, the Ninja turned left & then stopped! This piqued my curiosity - what was in such a hurry? I peeked through my window to see, the rider grabbing a snack from the roadside vendor. Well, I agree the food was important … but can’t it wait even a minute?

Most of the people I meet these days, seem to be in a constant hurry … apparently, they do not have time for anything! When asked, most would say, they are so busy that they do not even know where their time is going!

Many of them have expressed genuine surprise that I find “time” to paint.

I, however, would like to believe, if you genuinely love something, then the universe conspires to provide “time” for that. A friend of mine gets up at 5 am each morning, to get his daily dose of the morning run, before actually running for office - he completed the Mumbai Marathon under 3 hours this year. Another friend - who used to be a big movie buff - is the head of one-of-the-fastest-growing businesses now, but still finds time to catch every Bollywood movie on the 1st-day 1st show.

There are countless such examples to show that it is indeed possible to balance passion and profession & achieve success in both … Figure this - Peter Paul Rubens - a classically educated humanist scholar  -  was not only enormously successful as a Baroque painter; but also played an important diplomatic role in 17th-century European politics.

In a blog by artist Tara Leaver,  I have read about many creative people who found time to practice art in a busy life - while changing the daily routine helped some, being determined & putting a boundary around themselves, helped the others. I have also read that busy Wall Street executives working 80 hours a week, still find time to catch golf at least twice a week.

Do all these people have more hours to a day? Or are they getting more out of their time?

When my son joined the new morning school, I had to reset my alarm clock to get up at an ungodly hour every day - it was tough. But very soon I realized, that between then & the time I left for the office, I could easily squeeze in a couple of hours of painting practice. So what started with a low, ended with a wonderful opportunity to paint each day & what more - to start every day with a creative high. Thanks to sonny.

However, what most of us had to do was to say “no” to a few things. The evening chat show on the TV, or an invite for a cuppa or a beer ... or walking the dog in the park - saying “no” could be so difficult. But it is a necessary evil & often - an “art”.

If you really love something but fall short of time to do that - consider getting up an hour earlier than usual, or keeping things handy so you could start at a moment’s notice. Sometimes combining what you love to do with another practice or chore can also help - like cycling to your place of work or sketching what you eat. Rearrangement of your routine & dedicating a specific time each week/day to what you love, have also been found to be helpful.

But above all, start saying “no”. Or read the book “Art Before Breakfast” by the celebrated artist Danny Gregory.

And if you manage to save some time, then it is even more important to note what is it you are saving it for - remember the red Ninja? Elon Musk, Tim Cook or Shah Rukh Khan - all sleep for less than 6 hours a day and save time. Mr. Donald Trump has also been reported to sleep less than 4 hours.

So, do you have a minute?

I think most of us will have more than a minute to spare to do what we love - if our love is genuine & if we manage our time well. I’ll end this post with last words on time management from the celebrated Australian author Graham Andrews -

“I get up at first light (currently around 5.00 AM), and after learning some French, I spend two hours writing. So I have written 2000 words of my manuscript before 8.00 AM each morning. I am freshest at that time of day, and my writing doesn’t encroach on other activities. I never watch the news and current affairs…that frees up one hour each day, or one working day each week. And I seldom watch TV, so that frees up another two hours each evening, or 14 hours a week, equivalent to two full working days each week. I spend the three hours each evening learning to draw so I can illustrate my work. So that’s two days each week for writing, three days each week for drawing and art. I still have another five days left!”

Some thumbnail sketches prepared during recess - this minimized time during actual composition!

Draw what you eat ... or drink:)