Taking Time to Create for Yourself: A Resolution for Everyone

art journal

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One of the many purposes of this blog is to inspire moms, dads, busy people without kids, basically anyone who reads it, to create something of their own. My craft ideas are here as a jumping off point, but I really just want you to know that it is possible to make things while there are kids in the house, you’re busy with your job, whatever.

Not only is it possible, it’s completely necessary.

Making time — taking time — to create for yourself is one of the most important things you can do to assure your well-being through all the craziness that is the rest of your life.

start scrabble
Start by flickr user jakeandlindsay.

As humans we need to create, to express ourselves. We need an outlet for emotions and ideas that we don’t always get in our jobs or relationships or in parenting our kids.

If you haven’t listened to me all the other times I’ve said this, now is a great time to get started making creating a priority in your life. This is a resolution that works for crafty people, writers, people who don’t think of themselves as creative, people who want to be more creative, people who’ve felt creative in the past but are missing that piece of their lives right now.

It’s so simple to begin.

Just start.

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I know that it feels like you don’t have time for creativity, but just like any other meaningful resolution, you have to make the time. You have to take the time, which acknowledges you’re choosing the act of creativity over some other thing you could be doing, even if that other thing is nothing (or something that looks like nothing, like resting, or watching TV).

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10 Ways to Take Time for Creating

  1. Five minutes before the kids wake up.
  2. Ten minutes on your lunch break.
  3. In the pickup lane at school.
  4. Fifteen minutes after the kids go to bed.
  5. Five minutes before you get ready for bed.
  6. Create while your kids are working on a project.
  7. Take 10 minutes while they’re watching TV instead of doing chores.
  8. Have an easy dinner one night and declare a craft evening instead.
  9. Plan a mom’s night out at a crafty locale (a painting place, knit night, even a cool bookstore) or a playdate for the kids that involves creating and get involved yourself.
  10. Declare one evening after bedtime each week or every other week to be for personal projects.

Some of these may be a little more difficult than others, and clearly everyone doesn’t have kids, but we all have commitments we have to work around to have time for what we really want.

And that’s the key: we have to work around them.

If you wait for extra time to magically appear in your schedule, it’s not going to happen.

And you may have to actually schedule time in the beginning to show yourself that you take it seriously, but please don’t make it a chore.

Creating is fun. It’s essential. It will make everything else a little brighter and warmer and make you think about your everyday in a new way. Who couldn’t use that?

My Creative Commitments

art journal
An art journal page I made last year.

This year along with my little word I’m trying to challenge myself to focus on a particular genre or kind of crafting or creative act that I’ve never tried before or never delved into very fully in the past. And I’ll be sharing my experiments and what I learn with you so you can try it, too, or just be inspired by my act of trying.

This month is art journaling. If there’s something you’d like to know about art journaling, what it is, what you need to get started or anything else, please let me know! I’m learning, too.

Are you committing to creativity this year? I’d love to hear what you’re doing and how I can help!


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