Most people would agree that it is necessary to have some talent in order to become exceptionally good at something. But talent alone, writes Malcolm Gladwell in his best-selling book The Outliers, is never enough, not if your field is complex. It is also necessary to devote a great deal of time to the practice of your art or science or craft or game. Talk of the “Ten-thousand-hour Rule” became common as a result of the popularity of The Outliers, though it was often misunderstood (see ”Complexity and the Ten-thousand-hour Rule” by Gladwell).

Now that my children are grown, improving my watercolor skills is my principal goal. The challenge and complexity of watercolor is so exciting to me that I sometimes wish I had been able to practice it many more hours in my life. But I shall be optimistic: I have many more practice hours ahead of me!

As Gladwell points out, having enough hours to practice often has to do with luck. I am fortunate to have a supportive husband with whom I have made an excellent bargain. My side of the bargain includes cooking dinner for him every night. He does the dishes, the grocery shopping, most financial tasks, and many, many other tasks. I take care of the upstairs, he takes care of the downstairs. He takes care of the yard and the cars … maybe I should stop before you start wondering what he is getting out of the marriage! (Remember the dinners?) My point is that I am a lucky woman, and having such a husband, who is filled with humor and kindness as well as diligence, allows me to spend as much time as I would like to on painting.

But what if you don’t have such great good fortune, at least not yet? Fifteen minutes at a time can get you started. When I was working full-time and had two wonderful teenagers in our small house and no room for a studio, I set up an easel in the basement and used the washing machine as a taboret. I tried to carve a little fifteen-minute slice from every day to work on my art, which was then painting in oils. When I could, I went to the basement with a timer set for 15 minutes. Sometimes I could manage a little work on planning a painting or a little work on the painting itself, or sometimes I just mixed up a few colors on a palette in order to remind myself that I was an artist. If you paint in watercolors, 15-minute increments of work are even more convenient, as the cleanup is not so bad. If I had been a watercolorist during that time, I think I would have spent many 15-minute periods making color charts and playing with pigment and water!

You can also try to combine your art with other activities in your life. Practicing one’s art can be woven into the fabric of relationships. If you want to give a gift to a family member or friend, why not make it a painting? Want to donate to a charity fundraiser? A painting may be the perfect donation. While you are being loving and generous and enjoying your connections, you are also racking up your practice time, getting closer and closer to your 10,000 hours. Now that’s efficiency!