Finding time and space to express our creativity is no easy feat.
Culture and family dynamics during our formative years seem to have something to do with it. Even if we aren’t struggling to make ends meet, the demands on our time between careers, spouses, kids and schools can make it seem as if there is no way for us to be creative or artistic. Few of us follow our creative bents in our education or career because our parents didn’t encourage us and sometimes outright banned us from following that path.
Now we’re adults with responsibilities, yet the yearning remains. So how do we create a lifestyle that allows us the freedom to express our creativity? Especially if we’re in a season with small children or an intense workload? Yet that’s when we must incorporate our creativity into our down/recuperation time to prevent and alleviate burnout.
Here are a few ideas on how to do that.
- Play. Have fun. Relax. Laugh. Instead of vegging in front of a screen to unwind, play as a child would. Even better, play with a child. Play make believe. Build with legos, tickle the ivories or any other musical instrument. Doodle. Decorate a sidewalk with chalk.
- Work your body with exercise or hard physical labor that doesn’t require brain power so your mind has a chance to wander.
- Be bored. Daydream. Watch the clouds. Allow your mind to wander.
- Read widely and outside your favored genres and outside your comfort zones. Explore genres you do not like and topics that you do not agree with. Form your own rebuttal. Some of the best art comes from someone deciding they can do it better than someone else did.
- Practice your craft. It’s easy to fall in the trap of not wanting to work on our art if we don’t have time to work on a masterpiece. Forget that. Do a little here, a little there. Practice produces masterpieces. In a boring meeting at work, sketch while you listen. Just don’t forget to participate in the meeting too. Have 15 minutes while dinner cooks? Practice your piece. Make sure to set a timer if necessary.
- Declutter. Declutter your time. Declutter your home. Declutter your life. The more you simplify, the more time and space you’ll find for your creative endeavors.
- Plan for it. Create routines that allow time for your art. Write it on your calendar. If your calendar is electronic, add an alarm and reminders. Consider your daily, weekly and monthly schedules. Maybe a daily art time isn’t realistic for your life, but perhaps 15 minutes to an hour one day per week is. Maybe a monthly art date will inspire you. Make a date with your inner artist.
- Play with art, in and out of your medium. Are you a woodworker, but don’t have the time or space for creating? Spend some time drawing or painting. Do you paint, but are you out of town? Take some yarn and knit or crochet instead. Learning to use a different medium can stretch your creativity and inspire you in unexpected ways.
Expressing our creativity can bring peace and calmness to our souls in unexpected ways. It’s worth the effort to replace our time being entertained with creation. I hope you take a step or two toward living a more creative lifestyle today.