Balancing Three Studio Classes in One Semester
As a BFA student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) at Tufts, I need to take three studio classes in one semester multiple times during my time at Tufts in order to fulfill my Studio Art distribution requirement. These studio classes are a significant time commitment as they last five hours, require extensive work outside of class, and take place at the SMFA in the Fenway area of Boston meaning that they generally require two hours of commute time. As you can imagine, taking three of these classes in addition to your other courses can challenge time management and planning skills. As a three-studio semester veteran, here are my top three tips for balancing that challenging workload!
1. Schedule Everything
The best thing I do to help myself stay on top of my work is keeping a detailed calendar; my Google Calendar is my blueprint for everything I do each week! This way I can keep track of scheduled commitments like classes, work, and extracurriculars as well as block in time to commute between campuses. Once I have my full schedule assembled, I can see when I have a long enough block of time to go to the studio and get homework done. I also enjoy that Google Calendar has so many fun colors!
2. Location
Whether it is alone in a silent library or surrounded by friends at a cafe, everyone has their own space that they work best in. It’s worth noting of course that, because of this, there are also spaces that you do not work best in! As tiring as it can sometimes be, I think that going into the studio to complete work is your best bet at guaranteeing that your work gets done. Whether or not you actually have to be in the studio to complete the homework, being forced to plan your travel and work time creates motivation and a time limit to get your work done, leading to more productive time.
3. Rest
Three studios and the amount of creativity and time that they require can be draining! Just as important as blocking off time to work, is blocking off time to rest. Resting and caring for yourself will ensure that you get the most out of your extra art-full semester!