What does a normal or ideal working day look like for you? Do you have fixed working hours or do they vary from day to day?
Before I had my son Miles, a perfect working day would consist of waking up, going to exercise and then sitting down in my little home studio / office and writing. Now that I have a 13 month old, my work life revolves around his napping, childcare, and Dad. I do find that I am extremely productive in the limited times that I have.

 

How many hours per day do you work on average (writing, painting, practicing, composing)?  What is the best case result (two pages, one sketch, twenty bars)?
It really depends, but if I am working by myself, I would say a really productive day would be 6-7 hours working without interruption. I think you have to put in the time even if it doesn’t yield immediate results because the more time you put in, the easier it gets. It’s like working a muscle and keeping yourself limber.

 

How many hours do you add on average for ‘background work’ and everything else (research, office stuff, acquisition, website, social media)? How do you find the balance between all the tasks you have to keep track of as a free artist?
Some days I devote to only logistical things. Right now I am preparing to go on tour and release my new album. Basically all I am doing is logistics and organizing.

 

Are there weekends for you? What does ‘free time’ mean to you?
Free time is spending time with friends and family and eating good food and drinking good wine.

 

What is the biggest threat to your artistic work, what do you get distracted by?
Logistics. I find myself having to stay on top of a lot of un-fun things like scheduling, proof reading, pitches, emails etc. and I do not enjoy this aspect of the job.

 

Do you have strategies to protect yourself from distractions?
I keep my phone turned down and notifications off, but really now that I’m a mother, I find it a lot easier to focus when I have to because my time is so limited.

 

What is your working environment like, what is essential for you? For example, do you need absolute silence – and if so, where and how do you find it?
Yes. I do not like hearing people around me when I’m working and I have to keep my door shut. Creating and composing music makes you feel incredibly vulnerable so I like to have my privacy.

 

When and where does the most important part of your work happen, where do you find the greatest inspiration? At work at your desk or by chance – reading, relaxing, travelling, interacting with other people?
I think all the above can be great sources of inspiration. I find the peace and quiet to be an inspiring place because I can be in tune with myself and let inspiration come to me.

 

How often or easily do you get into a creative ‘flow’, and what helps you most to reach this state?
Doing it constantly. As I said before, being creative or inspired isn’t always like lightening. It takes a lot of hours fumbling around in the dark before the inspiration can strike.

 

What do you do when nothing works out – when you cannot come up with ideas or when you don’t succeed in what you set out to do?
Usually I put it aside and I move onto another idea.

 

What helps you when your self-confidence is down (e.g. because of bad reviews, financial crisis, bad mood, personal worries)?
Talking to my Mother and my husband. I really miss being able to speak to my Dad too. He was my biggest advocate and always made me feel better when I was down.

 

Do you reward yourself when you have achieved something, reached a certain goal?
Sometimes! I’ve bought myself a piece of clothing or something for the house. My husband and I have also taken some trips after a lot of hard work.

 

Do you rely on the advice of others or on advice literature? Are there any books that have helped you to find courage on your artistic path?
Reading about Louise Bourgeois’s career and hearing her thoughts on being an artist have been a big inspiration to me, but I don’t read typical “self help” books. I never liked them, personally.

 

How much does the recognition of your art by others mean to you? What is the best form of recognition?
To me, it is the letters telling me that I was the soundtrack to a specific time in their life – that my songs helped them or inspired them. To me, this is extremely gratifying.

 

What are you afraid of?
Many things. I’m afraid of dying, my loved ones dying, the creative world going up in flames and not knowing what I’m going to do, not making enough money, climate disaster… the list goes on.

 

Are there things you regret or wish you had known earlier? What would you do differently if you were at the beginning of your career?
I would have trusted my instinct more. I was green and naive so I thought more experienced people knew better, but only you can know yourself and what you need.

 

Did working as a freelancer come about by chance, was it necessary or was it something you wanted and strived for? What is nice about it, what is difficult?
I always knew I was going to be a performer and artist. I feel like the path chose me and I had to obey!

 

Who would you like to read the answers to this questionnaire from?
Bonnie Raitt

 

@sophieauster
sophieaustermusic.com