External blocks to creativity come in many, many forms. Especially for those of us who are parents and have young ones at home. I try very hard to be an involved parent. I believe its the best foundation for my daughter's future success and I believe that family is of paramount importance.
I've pretty much always kept my weekends and evenings unscheduled and dedicated to family time. I actually can paint with my daughter around, but not when my husband is home. Not sure why, but he feels more high maintenance maybe.
So, I keep family time sacred and meet all my other obligations, but I am not nearly so protective about my art. Why is that? And how do we nurture our creative selves when the schedule is as full as it can get? How do we make time for art?
I carry a sketchbook with me and at least practice my observation skills with quick gestures during tae kwon do or at a Brownie meeting. Those don't really contribute to paintings, but they keep my eye and hand alert. And are a fun chronicle of my days. And I mustn't discount them because they aren't a gallery quality painting.
I have found that one of the best tools for my studio is a timer. When I have a little bit of time, I set a digital kitchen timer for 30 minutes and do a paint sketch (if I haven't wasted all the time trying to find a subject.) Its a great way to start a painting too. Give yourself a short time to mass in the whole scene.
A wonderful book I found at a used book store is Craig Nelson's 60 Minutes to Better Painting. Its all about the advantages of quick studies. I highly recommend it if you can find it.
How do you carve out time to create? Share your ideas in comments below!
-- Robin
1 comment:
Family is sacred for me too. I grateful to my children for the way they ground me. Now that they are getting older and more autonomous I am increasingly free to nurture my creative self. I find it helps me to have a "NOT to do list" instead of a "to do list" and I'm very reliant on my kitchen timer too!
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