How to Use Practical Minimalism to Change Your Life and Art Business

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks and starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

There is a saying loaded with wisdom about the most popular poker game: it takes only a few minutes to learn Texas Hold’em, but a lifetime to master. Practical minimalism works the same way. You can start winning right away, and your performance will only improve as you progress.

Practical minimalism is the art of doing fewer things better—consistently choosing quality over quantity in every aspect of your creative business. It’s about making intentional decisions that protect your creative energy while building sustainable success. It utilizes the simplest methods, apps, and tools to accomplish the task effectively. You’re not looking for the cheapest option, but the right choice—the one that delivers results without adding complexity to your life.

The concept is simple enough to grasp immediately. Still, developing the skill to apply it consistently—that’s where the real work and resulting payoffs begin. And here’s the good news: even slight incremental improvements over time can substantially change your life. Minimalism does not mean a less fulfilling life; if anything, it’s quite the opposite.

Practical minimalism results in a significant reduction in stress and an improved quality of life. It’s a relief, a breath of fresh air, that comes from simply choosing to make more conscious decisions when they matter the most. Your resolve and confidence in your choices grow with use.

Minimalism as a Mindset You Grow Into

Most artists I know are drowning. They are drowning not in water, but in opportunities, advice, platforms, techniques, and well-meaning suggestions from everyone who believes they understand the creative life. The irony is that in our attempt to do everything, we often accomplish less than if we’d chosen fewer things and done them well.

Practical minimalism isn’t just about decluttering your studio or owning fewer art supplies; it’s also about embracing a more intentional approach to your creative process. It’s a philosophy that can revolutionize how you approach your entire creative business. But here’s what most people get wrong: minimalism isn’t a switch you flip—it’s a mindset you grow into.

It requires forethought. It’s not just about being clear about your ability to implement a change or determining if it’s the best course of action; it’s also about being aware of the potential ripple effects that may arise. What will this change do to your schedule and your relationships? You’re already busy. What can be adjusted to create more time in your schedule?

At times, it’s prudent to remain in one place and not adopt change. This isn’t due to a lack of ambition but rather a comprehension of the expenses involved in pursuing every opportunity. Every ‘yes’ is a ‘no’ to something else. Every new project is time borrowed from existing commitments. Adding a new platform to your marketing mix means dividing your attention from platforms that may already be effective. Success comes from knowing that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you’re obligated to do it.

The Practice of Intentional Decision-Making

Think about your current art business for a moment. How many different revenue streams are you juggling? How many social media platforms are you “supposed” to be on? How many networking events, online courses, and creative challenges are sitting in your mental queue?

Now imagine if you could cut that list in half—and see better results.

This is where practical minimalism becomes powerful. Practical minimalism involves a consistent and intentional decision-making process that gradually becomes ingrained in your routine. Rather than asking, “Can I do this?” or “Should I do it?” you begin to ask more insightful questions:

• Does this align with my core creative goals?
• What commitments or opportunities am I sacrificing by agreeing to this?
• Will this add quality to my work or just quantity to my schedule?
• Am I capable of performing this effectively, or will overextension hinder my efforts?

The better you become at asking these questions, the better your results will be. And the more you’re inspired to embrace the philosophy—not as a constraint, but as a source of clarity, confidence, and creative freedom.

As you become a more astute and practical minimalist practitioner, something else happens. Your reputation, or brand, which is essentially your audience’s impression of you, grows stronger. By consciously incorporating practical minimalism into your life, your minimalist consistency becomes apparent to others, shaping their perception of you. The consistent application of this concept in both life and business yields noticeable and commendable results.

Practical Minimalism vs. Second-Guessing

Strip choices to the essentials. Decide, commit, and move forward. Good enough is plenty. That’s how you beat decision fatigue—with clarity, certainty, and less stress.

From Chaos to Creative Clarity

I’ve watched artists transform their entire relationship with their work through this approach. Instead of frantically trying to be everywhere and do everything, they choose their battles wisely. They say no to the good opportunities so they can say yes to the great ones. Instead of attempting to diversify into a dozen income streams, they concentrate on creating two or three exceptional ones.

The paradox is beautiful: by doing less, they accomplish more. It’s the same principle behind the seminal marketing concept of positioning—owning a top spot in your audience’s mind. But what makes that possible isn’t volume or visibility—it’s focus. Narrow, intentional focus is what gives positioning its power. It’s not about being everywhere; it’s about being unmistakably somewhere.

For artists, choosing fewer opportunities often leads to better ones. They create their best work when their creative energy is shielded rather than dispersed. It’s a testament to their efficiency and success.

It’s about becoming strategic. It’s about understanding that your creative energy is finite and precious, and that every decision you make either conserves or depletes it. So, while having multiple side hustles is desirable, it only works when it’s intentional. As Stephen Covey taught us, “Keep the main thing the main thing.”

The Ripple Effect in Your Creative Life

When you start applying practical minimalism to your art business, something intriguing happens. The benefits ripple outward into every area of your creative life:

Your studio becomes more functional because you’re not trying to accommodate every possible project at once. Your marketing becomes more effective because you’re speaking clearly about essential things and being intentional with your targeting.

Most importantly, your relationship with your art changes. When you stop worrying about what you’re not doing, you can focus on what you are doing. You can focus on one project at a time.

This transformation enables you to create your own virtuous circle around your life, creativity, and business.

Putting This Into Practice

Practical minimalism guided me to publish “The Artist’s Guide to Creative Side Hustles & Hybrid Careers: A Practical Minimalist Approach”—an intentionally slim volume that applies these principles directly to the income challenges artists face.

This book—The Artist’s Guide to Creative Side Hustles & Hybrid Careers: A Practical Minimalist Approach—is more than just a resource. It’s a reflection of the philosophy I’ve laid out here: do fewer things better, and build a creative life that’s both sustainable and satisfying.

It’s intentionally slim. Not because the topic is small, but because the solutions should be clear. It’s designed to help artists navigate income challenges without overwhelm, offering practical strategies rooted in focus, alignment, and creative integrity.

Getting Started Today

You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to begin practicing practical minimalism. Start small. A simple action you can take right now is to conduct an app audit. Consider reducing the number of paid and free apps you have and keeping only the ones you use most frequently. Review everything you have going on in your art business right now. Is there anything you might consider discontinuing that would go unnoticed? How about politely declining a specific opportunity that’s tempting but not aligned to your plans?

Remember, overcoming obstacles, having clarity, and making good decisions are skills you develop over time. Just like in poker, painting, or any other valuable practice, you improve with practice. Each intentional decision you make builds your confidence for the next one. Each time you choose quality over quantity, you reinforce the mindset that will serve you for the rest of your creative career.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is progress. And even minor improvements in how you approach decisions can create substantial changes in your stress levels, your creative output, and your overall satisfaction with your artistic life.

Sometimes the most powerful move isn’t what you add, but what you choose to leave out—because omission, when intentional, is clarity in its purest form. That’s the essence of practical minimalism: protecting your energy by choosing with intention. Use it to guide yourself with confidence.

Your creativity deserves protection. Your art business deserves that kind of clarity. And you deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’re building something sustainable, not just busy.

Practical minimalism is a gift to yourself. I wish it for you and all artists.