You are in charge of your art career. That means you get to decide what’s worth your time and energy. But let’s be real—that kind of freedom can feel overwhelming.
How do you know what’s the right move? How do you trust yourself when every opportunity sounds promising?
Self-employment freedom sounded ideal until you realized how hard it is to prioritize your life and business by yourself.
You might have been previously accustomed to a boss telling you where to focus your energy. No more. That boss is now you.
And let me tell you … The hardest thing about owning your own business isn’t marketing, sales, or making the art. It’s making decisions.
This post and episode of The Art Biz are to help you DECIDE.
Certainty Is a Myth
I teach a planning workshop three times a year, in which I ask members to decide on and commit to no more than three focus projects at a time—in addition to everything else it takes to keep an art business afloat.
Over the years, I’ve noticed something: some artists hold off on making decisions because they’re waiting for certainty. They want to be absolutely sure of positive results before committing to a project.
That certainty is a myth.
If you wait until things are perfect—until you have all the information, until you feel completely confident—you’ll stay stuck. Decision-making isn’t about knowing for sure. It’s about trusting yourself and moving forward.
On my shelf is The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking by Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tshäppeler (2008). It’s fascinating, but most of these models aren’t how my brain works.
That said, one framework stands out: The Eisenhower Matrix. You’ve probably seen it, even if you don’t know it by name. It’s a simple tool that can help artists (and all business owners) prioritize their time and energy more effectively.
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The Eisenhower Matrix: A Tool for Prioritizing
This matrix, named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is based on a principle he supposedly lived by: “The most urgent decisions are rarely the most important ones.”
Picture a square in 4 quadrants. Starting in the upper right and going clockwise, label each quadrant in this order:
- Urgent and Important: Do it immediately.
- Urgent but not important: Delegate it to somebody else.
- Not important, not urgent: Do it later.
- Important, but not urgent: Decide when you’ll do it.
Most of us get caught up in the Urgent & Important quadrant—rushing to meet deadlines and reacting to last-minute opportunities. But the real magic happens when we carve out time for the Important but Not Urgent tasks—things like long-term planning, relationship-building, and creative growth.
Because if we don’t? They’ll eventually become urgent, and we’ll find ourselves scrambling.
Deciding Faster with Policies
Even with a tool like the Eisenhower Matrix, some decisions will still feel tough. This is where policies come in.
In my Essentials for Artist Success program, I start the discussion of building strong business systems by helping artists create formal policies. These policies aren’t just business rules—they are commitments to yourself about what you will and won’t do. They protect your time, energy, and focus so that every opportunity doesn’t feel like a new decision-making crisis.
When you have strong policies in place, decision-making gets easier.
- Is this aligned with how I want to work? (If not, your policy says no and so do you.)
- Does this fit within my pricing structure? (If not, no negotiation needed.)
- Am I willing to take on this type of project? (If your policy says no commissions, the decision is already made.)
Policies help you say Yes with confidence and No without guilt.
If you don’t have clear policies yet, I highly recommend taking the time to create them. In Essentials, we go through this process step by step, ensuring that artists feel more empowered in their decisions and don’t waste time on things that don’t serve their long-term vision.
When you have policies in place, your decision might be right in front of you. But what if you haven’t yet created a policy for a particular situation?
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The Artist’s Decision-Making Framework
If you don’t already have a policy in place for a particular situation, I’ve got your back!
This is where The Artist’s Decision-Making Framework comes in handy.
I’m going to walk you through these six steps one at a time, and I’ve also provided an info graphic for you to download (no optin required 😇).
Click to download the PDF →
It’s probably worth printing, laminating, and hanging in your studio and office.
Okay, let’s look at these in more depth.
Step 1: Take It for a Spin
Do a gut check around your creative priorities.
Does this excite me, or does it just sound good on paper?
Will I enjoy the process, or just the outcome?
Would I take this on if money weren’t a factor?
If it feels like a bad fit → STOP HERE
Example: Someone asks you to paint a pet portrait but you are an abstract collage artist. (Huh?) The pet portrait might sound like a fun challenge (see Step 6) or the thought of it might make you want to pull your hair out.
On the other hand, it’s deeply satisfying for artists and entrepreneurs to challenge themselves to learn a new technique, technology, or medium. If you’re bored or stuck, the siren call of a challenge might be just what you need.
Step 2: Remember Your Vision
Does this align with my long-term goals?
Will this move me forward, or will it pull me off track?
Will I regret saying yes?
If it doesn’t fit your vision → TURN IT DOWN
Unless, you are ready for and open to a new vision.
Sometimes it is wise to change course when opportunity knocks. That’s how Art Biz Success came about. If I had stubbornly pursued the path I started, I would never have discovered such rewarding work with artists like you.
Step 3: Assess Your Time & Energy
Review your current commitments, future availability, and energy levels.
Realistically, how much time will this take?
What will I have to say NO to in order to say YES to this?
Is this worth the time investment?
If you don’t have or can’t adjust to find the bandwidth → SAY NO (or adjust scope)
Time is the great mystery, which is why you must always err on the side of overestimating your time. Some productivity experts suggest estimating your time and then doubling it for a more realistic view—a tactic I have come to embrace.
Step 4: Contemplate Relationships
Networking is key to a successful art career, but partnerships with the wrong people can be more trouble than they are worth.
Do I want to work with these people?
Are they professional and communicative?
Could this connection open future doors for me?
If the people involved are a red flag → WALK AWAY
Step 5: Examine Profit Potential
There are times when earning more income must be a priority, but enter a new commitment with your eyes wide open.
What is the best- and worst-case financial scenario?
Will this lead to bigger opportunities down the road?
Does this help me build financial stability?
If it’s a financial drain with no upside → RECONSIDER
It might be worth earning less if it leads to future opportunities that have bigger payoffs. For example, many of my artist-clients don’t do well at an open studio or art festival, but those events lead to commissions and future sales for them. As long as they have a plan to nurture relationships, these lower-profit events can make good business sense.
That brings us to the final consideration.
Step 6: Envision Future Potential
Will this give me valuable exposure, connections, or credibility?
Will I regret not taking this?
Is this a stepping stone to something greater?
As I said, I work with a number of artists who think long term. They know where they want to end up (their vision) and strategically consider options that will get them there.
Owning Your Decision
Owning Your Decision
In the end, making decisions about your art career or business isn’t about being right or wrong. It’s about taking ownership of your choices, trusting yourself, and moving forward with confidence.
The more you practice making intentional decisions—whether it’s about opportunities, projects, or where you invest your time—the easier it becomes.
No decision is ever set in stone. The beauty of being an artist and entrepreneur is that you get to adapt, pivot, and refine as you go. Trust yourself. Trust your process. And know that every decision you make is shaping your journey in a way that’s uniquely yours.
I hope you find the framework useful when it comes to figuring out your next steps.
Here’s that PDF download again. →
Related Episodes
These episodes discuss various planning strategies.
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