3 ways I make sure I have time to be creative

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Taking time out of my crazy life to be creative is not something I have placed value on. There never seems to be enough time in the day for chores let alone for making additional messes. In the last few years I have felt the slump of letting thing that refresh me slide down lower and lower on the to do list.

I told myself when I was younger that I would never become an artist that did not draw, but that was exactly what I had become. Do you find your self in the same place I was? The first step toward the cure is allowing myself to admit that being creative feeds me. I am refreshed when I take time to play even as an adult.

Here are three very practical ways I got back into the creative swing of things and the best part, all of these helps are under $20.

Join a challenge group or contest.

For myself, I wanted to write more. I joined the NaNoWrimo challenge last November and write 50,000 words. A feat I might have never imagined doing if I had not taken the plunge. They hold their annual contest every November and smaller Camps in the summer.

If you are looking for a smaller challenge to get you writing again, I suggest 750.com as a great motivator if you love badges and incentives. They do a smaller monthly challenge to write 750 words every day for one month. I have used the site for 5 years and though in that time it has gone to a paid site ($5/month) it is less than you would pay for a good journal and the site is indexed, private and searchable as well as exportable. This really got my writing back on track creatively.

Have supplies on hand that you find convenient to use

I had a nice drawing book and pencils that I loved, but they were expensive so I never used them. They seemed like they were for a real project, so they got dusty until I got practical.  Buy cheap drawing books whenever they are on sale. Hoard a small glut of them, they are much less precious looking when there is a pile. I love my watercolor set from Koi. It is easy to use but behaves like high quality Japanese cake color should. Everything is right in the kit so no looking for the lost brush or searching for a water cut that you can stain the inside of. You literally just add water.

I had a full set or Rapidograph pens, but a few needed repaired. Again, cost was keeping me from being productive. When I saw a set of 6 Micron pens for under $10 I decided it was worth trying a new brand. I was not disappointed. In fact these two items have become my top gifts to give friends this year.

Get a few books to get you started

I am a doodler. If you fill the margins of everything to then there is good news for you. The doodle has been elevated to an art form by the Zentangle. There are plenty of books on amazon, just search and you will feel like you are entering a respected art form. I have “The Art of Zentangle” who just put together a kit at a great price kits as well. If you are a perfectionist or are afraid to do “bad art” then zentangle is a great choice for you because there is no right way to do it. It is also great for a busy Momma, because you can break the page into a bunch of small portions and do them over time, so there is no fear of getting interrupted or distracted. I love the fact that I can take a few minutes every day to create something that looks very complex. In all truth was a bunch of repeating lines and dots, but I won’t tell if you don’t.

Want to play with the kids more but not sure where to begin so it is fun for even you. The folks over at Tinkerlab created “A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors” so you can go beyond the foaming volcano. Add some LED lights and even make a robot of sorts.

Whatever the activity might be, the point is to bring back the fun of feeling inspired. Whatever feeds your soul, find a way to do it.

This winter I am working on my hand lettering. What is an activity you would like to find the time to do? Try these three steps and let me know if they helped get you started.