Ah, the time factor. Have you ever wanted to jump into a creative project and then talked yourself out of it because of the time involved?
Maybe you imagined hauling out all the fabric and sorting it. Or searching through your closet or drawers for the knitting needles. Or driving over to the store to buy the one item you’re lacking.
Maybe it felt like too much of a pain to follow through, though now you have to deal with I-want-to-be-creative-but-I-never-have-the-time guilt.
Well, today, I want to encourage you to think of our time a little differently. Let’s talk about three ways to find time for creativity. Three very simple ways, because I’m all about simplicity and actually doing the thing.
Redefining creativity for now
I like to redefine things. Mostly because I think we get stuck with ideas that worked in the past and since they don’t work now, we think we can’t do them at all anymore.
Case in point: I used to think of a project while I was at work, brainstorm it on the way home, and make the entire thing that evening. Oh, it was so fun! It was like living in creative endorphin world. Whoohoo!
But now. Um, not so much. But I wasn’t willing to let my creative spirit sit on the sidelines until I became a little old lady.
So for me, creativity has become about moments here and there. Sometimes it is projects that I create. Most of the time, it’s creating for the sake of creating. (I know, gasp! Is that even allowed anymore?!)
Schedule it
Imagine with me . . .
A book where you listed out projects one by one that you’d like to try someday. Not ALL the projects in the world, but the ones you are interested in . . .
Stars next to the ones that are super easy, that would take you 15 minutes or less to fill up your creative soul . . .
It’s something so simple that it might even work!
You could do this in your planner, bullet journal, even a big Post-it Note on your fridge.
Another thing? If you schedule some time for yourself, you are more likely to have the time for it. I didn’t even know I was going to go to three birthday parties this month, but when we were invited, you better believe we made the time to go!
One project only
My last tip stems from a problem I call I Want to Do All The Things syndrome. Moms with young children and working women are particularly susceptible to this one. You finally have a moment to create and rather than sitting down to tackle one project, you try to do all the things.
Oh, I’ve done it. I caught myself one day with my watercolors set up, a book on my lap, and my sketchbook over the book. How was I supposed to paint, draw, and read at the same time? I don’t know, but it felt totally doable.
The truth is, when we succumb to doing all the things, we often are able to do a lot of them. But when we’re finished, we’re fried. We’re exhausted. We pick up the kids and feel like we’ve been running a marathon.
Treating your creative life like it’s a race will lead you to burnout. You shouldn’t feel like you need a nap after your crazy creative afternoon is finished.
That is the exact opposite of what we’re working towards, right?
We want peace, happiness, and that awesome creative flow feeling.
Don’t let a scarcity mindset rob you of this moment.
You WILL have time to create again. This is not your last hurrah. You will pick up the paintbrush, work on your novel, knit, sew, draw, or whatever it is that makes your heart sing again.
Take a deep breath. And let me repeat. Don’t let a scarcity mindset rob you of this moment.
What would this feel like?
What would it feel like for YOU to take a simple-for-you project or idea and play with it here and there this week? You don’t have to make it perfect. It doesn’t have to be something you’ll give away or sell on Etsy. It can be messy and full of “mistakes.”
Wouldn’t that feel nice?
A bunch of you learned you could draw simple stick figures for your happy journals last week. Here’s the video from my blog just in case you missed it. And another one from Facebook . . .
I would LOVE to know that you are creating something, even if it is very small.
Your heart will thank you for it.
And maybe, if you’re lucky like me, when you’re working on your tiny project, a little munchkin will come and curl up with you and watch. And maybe they’ll be inspired to make their own art.
Creativity is the best kind of contagious.
P.S. Some bonus tips to consider:
- Make easier meals so you’ll have more energy/time for creativity
- Consider a movie night once a week so you can work on your projects
- Research something fun for the fam to do while you work (check out your local library)
- Turn the notifications off of your phone, and
- Limit your own intake of media (movies, Netflix, social media, et al)
