Personally I just want to spend time on the making of my art work, I hate to have to promote it. But that is too bad, takes me nowhere. Also I want my work to be seen. Some people say that you have to do a 50/50.

I could not agree more with Maria, wouldn't we all dream to spend our time on just making the new work? However, even our modest presence on this modest site makes one continue to ponder. Regarding the 50/50 ratio, it certainly seems to me very reasonable. I wonder though, if anyone gets closer to the much less balanced state, and what happens as a result?

Nowadays it seems like at least 50% of my time goes into not only promoting my work but basically trying to understand how the London art world functions and meeting people... It's all very time consuming and while it is fun, it is also tiring and it leaves me with a lot less time to create. Add all the bureaucratic bits to it (insurance, etc), plus framing, packing, organizing, delivering, travelling, writing statements and filling in entry forms in the precise format curators request (while I'm sure they have their reasoning for their particular formats) and you can easily go over 50%... I do wonder how other artists handle it...

I'm an early career artist, so not sure there are that many other options though, at least not for me at the moment.

OK, it looks like 50/50 is a realistic, and even a reasonable, proportion. Now let's try to imagine how much of this remaining half (time spent on actual making your art) is truly inspirational. Well, we are getting closer to the real picture here...

Time...
Sometimes I spent most of the time not at the studio but writing applications, reading art mags, answering mails, keeping up with my blog, writing to justify my work, editing photos, looking for more paid work, taxes, researching/planning for my projects, going to exhibitions, peer groups, etc etc...

More and more often I have fun with this PR and administrative side of my practice.
Also sometimes it inspires me, and sometimes I make the necessary links to define a project or artwork while at it.

My point is that everything is linked, so there is not a clear division for my time. I would not have had some inspirational ideas for my work if I was not dedicating some of my time to the boring side of nowadays artistic practice.
Or I am just feeling positive today.

I assume that when artists are well established they have people to deal with most of the PR and administrative work for them. I would, no doubt.

Now I will be nasty:
Some of the artworks nowadays seems to be done by administratives, researchers, PR, or bureaucrats.

Dear Maria,
it seems to me too, that you felt very positive when you were writing this. Which is, of course, great - because I take Hope equals Inspiration, as it applies to an artist. As you said, everything is linked. I very much like to think it really is.