Over the past month, I’ve taken the advice of other artists, bloggers and at times my own advice to others. In a nutshell, “Give yourself time to create” It sounds easy, but when we all have a major list of things that need to be done, it SEEMS impossible.
This month has been a perfect example of going, going and going from one thing to the next without really accomplishing what I set out to do.
September was the month for our gallery to be showcased during the Sanford Art Walk. This is a monthly event when the galleries are opened late on the fourth Friday of each month to present new artwork, selected artists and invite artists to show their work at the Welcome Center. Most times, Alfredo will show one his latest pieces of art or have a work in progress to entertain our guests. This month, he just started teaching again at a small school and was focusing in on his teaching groove. (I would have loved to be one of his little students!) So, I stepped up to the plate and challenged myself to create a small (literally) collection of art studies. I gave myself some leeway by calling them ‘studies’ in order to take the pressure off my creativity by trying to produce a “masterpiece”. This enables me to play and explore. Guess what? It was fun! I didn’t try to make anything that was perfect and it was a blast to mix and mingle the colors that I ‘enjoy’ seeing.
OK, the deadline is near, they need to be matted and framed. EEK! True enough, I do have the advantage of having the materials readily available that most artists don’t (leftovers, at that) but I also have a full schedule planned for the final week. (How does that happen- everything at once?) End of month business tasks, networking, business dinner/gala, art walk event on Friday and its preparation, large frame projects to complete, prepare for a presentation on Saturday to an art group and Monday, pray that we really completely cleared that drain pipe after we hook up our new, used washer (over 3 weeks without one really makes us appreciate this convenience)!
Now this may not sound like a hectic schedule for some folks (as there are a lot of other things going on a the same time), especially those with children, young and old, but after several weeks of ‘busy’ and not taking time for a bike ride, a walk or US, I wore down my spirit and my body. I let stress latch on to my psyche and let go of my better judgment and ate some non-food (sugary desserts). This gave my body the opportunity to shut me down and force me to rest. Sixteen hours of sleep later and I felt like ME again!
The downside is that I slept through the Sanford Art Walk which is slightly embarrassing, or not, since we were the feature gallery. I didn’t get to share my new explorations either.
On the bright side, I was a bundle of energy at the art club presentation, made people laugh, and shared creative experiences that might inspire other talented artists. I also had the fortitude to come up with a better solution to finish that framing ‘challenge’.
When things don’t go as planned, Alfredo often asks the dreaded question, “What did you learn from this?” At first it was ‘ Don’t take on such complicated projects’. Deep down I knew it wasn’t the right answer, because there is that ‘little-problem-solver, bring-on-the-next-puzzle kid in me that finds it hard to turn down a puzzle. So the question really has several answers.
- Breathe. Take time to go for a walk in nature- rest.
- Good energy in – good energy out. Bad energy in (junk food) – yuk out!
- Did the world come to a stop because or did I cause harm to anyone by not being open for the event? No. Am I perfect, no way and neither is anyone else. Can you imagine what a burden that would be? Whoa!
- Learning to say no is a good thing. It’s a bigger disappointment to say yes and then not be able to follow through.
While doing our laundry and feeling grateful, all these thoughts were rumbling about in my little head. I wondered if presenting them here might actually help or inspire someone else having a tough time. One of my little sayings is that, “the bad days make the good days even better”.
So how do you take time for yourself or
with family?
Do you incorporate ‘Creative Time’ in your schedule, or just let it happen?
Lately, I’ve had the good fortune of finding inspiration from some writers, artists and business groups.
Give yourself a moment (or two), prepare a nice cup of tea or coffee and check out their links below:
Tea Silvestre with Story Bistro http://storybistro.com/
Alyson Stanfield with ArtBiz Blog http://www.artbizblog.com/
Get Found by Designs Mastermind Group series http://getfoundbydesign.com/services/insiders-mastermind-group/
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