How to Read more Books (Even if you're Short on Time!)

I love reading, but sometimes it's really hard to fit in the time to read, especially with the constant distractions of technology. I tend to go on 'book binges', where I'll read five or so books in a row, followed by reading nothing for the next year or so. Recently, however, as I've counted it as an important habit, I've found some easy ways to fit reading into my lifestyle, and embraced the use of technology in doing so. Here are a few tips on how to fit more pages into your day!

Listen to Audiobooks for less Tired eyes

Reading books before going to sleep is not only a good way to help you read more, but also makes getting to sleep just that bit easier! Personally, I find it pretty hard to read books by the end of the day, as it's a pretty big strain on tired eyes, especially if you're at a computer all day. I've recently gotten into the habit of listening to audiobooks just before bed. The Audible app thankfully has a timer setting, so that you can set it to stop a set amount of time from when you start listening automatically, so I don't even have to pause it before I go to sleep, which is pretty rad!

Read Kindle books from Anywhere

For a while, I was stuck in a pretty brain-dead call centre job where the biggest dilemma was trying to figure out what to do with my free time. As soon as I figured out that there was a kindle reader for the internet browser, I was set to go. The good thing about Kindle books is you don't need a kindle reader or even a tablet; you can get the app for your smartphone even and continue reading from any other device connected to the same account. As someone who forever has had to reread pages of books to figure out where I last picked it up, this proved itself pretty handy.

Audiobooks for Multitasking

Whenever I'm painting or drawing I'm either listening to music or an audiobook. There are loads of different activities that you could combine audiobooks with that would prove a major pain to try to combine a traditional book with, such as household chores, cooking, walking and so on. Audiobooks are perfect for multitasking so if you've got a busy lifestyle they're bound to prove useful.

Small, inspiring books for quick, inspiring reads

If you're going to bring books with you for when you have a free moment, it's easier to bring around smaller books that pack a punch than large books that often take a lot of time investment. Choose books that you can pick up for five minutes and really get something out of, and preferably in a size that fits your bag of choice!

Don't force yourself to read books you're not enjoying.

Just move on to another book. You might even come back to the not so enjoyable ones at a later time and find that they're actually not bad. But there's no point in wasting time on books you aren't into; life is too short! If you have a tendency to start books and leave them aside, I'd recommend a service such as Scribd, which is a monthly payment for all of the books in their library (including some audiobooks, too!), rather than potentially wasting your money on books you can't sink yourself into.

Reading can be great to build on knowledge, and even our way of thinking in our day to day life; and the more we read, the more well rounded we are as both people and creatives. I hope you find these tips helpful for getting through all those books on your 'to read' list... Happy reading!

How to Clean your Oil Painting Brushes without Turpentine (For Cheap!)

Cleaning your brushes can either be a pretty toxic process (think fumes from turps) or a costly one; environmentally friendly brush cleaners are expensive! It's a necessary evil for artists, however, especially us oil painters. Luckily, there's a cheap (and easy!) process for cleaning your brushes that won't have you in a coughing fit nor break the bank.... let me introduce to you, your new best friend....

Brh-duh-daaah! Soap to the rescue!

SOAP!

Yes, that's right. Not some secret magical product. Not special soap especially for oil paint. I personally just use Palmolive's bar soap, which I can get 4 bars of at my local shop for €1.50 (about $1.70).

BEST METHOD

Before cleaning, I'll generally wipe the brush on a rag or paper towel to get as much paint as I can off the brush before I start. I swirl the brush around the bar under warm water to get the paint out, rinsing the brush after a few swirls once it's full of soap. I repeat this a few times until no colour comes out on the soap when I'm swirling it. Then, on the bar of soap I gently brush the bristles back into place so that the brush is in perfect shape again, rinse off and leave to dry; I use an instant coffee jar to keep them upright, bristles facing up. I find this method not only leaves my brushes perfectly clean, but also helps the brushes keep their shape (ever had a brush go a bit wonky after leaving it bristles-down in turpentine?) because the soap is great for reshaping the brush after cleaning. It's also handy and takes less than a minute per brush, depending on how much paint is on them. Check out the quality of my two favourite brushes after about half a year of painting (plus a few times of forgetting to clean them for a day or two after painting- nobody's perfect!):

My beauties fresh after cleaning

Notably, other bars of soap will do the trick, I just generally go for the cheaper option that's readily available to me, and I encourage you to do the same. It's also worth noting that I use golden synthetic brushes, but if you use expensive brushes with delicate bristles (such as sable hair) and you're concerned about harsher soaps affecting the bristle quality, you can use a soap that's designed to be more mild on the skin and unscented, or a gentle shampoo (such as baby shampoo) and swirl it on your hand.

Keeping your brushes clean can be an annoyance, but this method saves it from being an annoyance to your wallet and health at least! Happy painting!

Art Studio Hacks for Small Spaces

It can be hard to find space to create sometimes, especially if you live in a small space. However, if creating is an important endeavour to you, whether you're an aspiring artist or simply a passionate hobbyist, working with your space is a must, so here's some hacks I've developed over the past year of working from a tiny space.

A Sketch Easel is great for portability and storage

If you're stuck for space but still want the ease of an easel, a sketch easel is perfect; just fold it up and put it away when you're done! Sketch easels are intended for portability, so they're also great for saving storage space when they're not in use. Alternatively, if you have a desk, you can use a desktop easel, many of which have built in storage such as this one.

This small trolley is great for moving around art supplies and a small desktop easel!

Have an "Art Cart" for both storage and drying

Having a small trolley, depending on the size of your space, can be handy for not only organising your supplies, but also for drying your paintings. Simply lay smaller paintings over the shelves, and you can dry several paintings at once. If you want to bring it a step further, simply put a desktop easel on the top shelf, and voila: you've got yourself an all-in-one art studio.

Keep your art supplies organised with beautiful containers!

Use old instant coffee containers to stay organised

Staying organised is a must if you only have a small space, and using old containers is a cheap (and sometimes funky!) alternative to buying storage accessories. I personally use these Nescafe Azera containers, because they're perfect for holding brushes, turps, water, or whatever you might need, plus they come in beautiful designs and I'm addicted to the coffee!

Take the time to tidy your space 

This is probably the most important one on this list; even if you organise a beautiful tiny art studio, if you don't tidy it regularly, it can turn into an absolute mess. I'd recommend doing a small tidy after every session or so, to keep everything as neat as it can be.

Make sure everything has its place

If you're struggling to find things in your studio, perhaps it's time to rethink your setup! Organise things in such a way so that everything has its own space. This can be a fun process; don't be afraid to use sticky notes, stickers, labels, and get creative. Just make sure it's easy to tell where everything goes!

Use a storage box as a handy table

A cheap storage box with a lid doubles up brilliantly as a table; you can use this to keep your palette, brushes and whatever else you need on, and store things you won't need as you're painting inside, such as extra canvases, sketch pads, and so on.

Brush rolls are a beautiful and convenient way to keep your favourites handy!

Use a brush roll to keep your most-used beauties handy

If you're not a fan of keeping your brushes in old containers and would rather a more portable alternative, brush rolls are your best bet. They're convenient, can hold a variety of supplies should you need it (including palette knives!) and also they're pretty beautiful. It's lovely to open up the roll and see your favourite brushes laying there, just waiting to be used.

Although organising a space for your creative process can be difficult, it's incredibly fulfilling and time saving once you have; not having to dig out the paints from packed drawers and find a spot to paint makes making art hassle free. I hope it helps your creative juices flow!