Art for Busy Creative People
After 5 PM
Hello, Medium creatives. I am happy to be back. Reading your stories and writing my own.
In mid-July, all my friends left for vacation to Italy. Beyoncé started singing about a new foundation. And I was losing my spark for imagination. Anyone that has felt the thunderbolt of â creative new idea, recognizes what I will say next. The emptiness of inspiration is different than writer’s block.
A 9 to 5 job will get me out of bed. My errands pile up if I don’t give my mind something to play with. I felt stuck. The inspirational muse in me felt sick. I wondered if it was all the non-art responsibilities taking all of my energy. I very much understood the saying whatever you give energy to, grows.
A busy life is a messy life. Wake up. Messages. Errands. Stress in the veins. Phonecalls. There is never enough time to call everyone back. Mhm. After creating a 15-minute rule of creative solo time, things changed for the better. I ended up finding my new foundation and creating something small, yet golden. A small book of poetry about cottage trips. I love it. All the I wish I had time turned into craft.
I found out how art can actually help me. By dedicating two hours per week to it, I managed to balance my own priorities better and escape the constant flow of being a machine in oil. Art grounded me.
Art Initiatives for Busy People
Art drawing book, art group, or art cook
- No sketchbook, no preparation, no need for pushing a mind that was already burned out at work. A coloring book is perfect for already having drawings inside. I made the mistake of first getting a sketchbook. The issue is when I didn’t do what I wanted, I was left with a failed taste in my mouth. The coloring book is much better. Less complication. And I love mixing the colors of my oil pastels. Preferably, I still go for the floral designs than the harry potter ones. Less work.
- Finding someone to motivate you and force you gently into making time for art is helpful. I joined an art group for a few weeks and I met some same-minded people that gifted me with a good time. In the end, we created a collection of sunsets. Why not do the same?
- I made the most delicious cookies this week but that’s not the point. I wanted to play with the process of cooking. And who says cooking is not art? I got a simple vanilla cake mix and blended it with different fruits. To add more fun, I used some pastry cream to write funny words for my partner. Have fun with it and don’t burn the apartment down.
15-minute mark
5 pm was not the time I’d grab the brushes. I had no time for craftwork. I felt like it will drain me more. What I had to do was take out all the thinking about it.
I set 15 minutes of the day. If I accomplished staying in my craft for 15 minutes, I was proud. Slowly, words started unraveling, my poem collection started growing. 15 minutes after a 9 to 5 is possible. Yes, you can. Whether it’s a small notebook or writing one paragraph. Creativity has no gate. All are accepted.
Motivation for creation
- A novel idea will not hit me in the head on Monday or Friday or Sunday night. But, a meaningful act always gets my attention. I love to create beautiful things such as gifts for my loved ones. Figuring this out gave me a lot of motivation to begin. The poetry book was a gift. It granted me all the good energy to begin and finish it.
Nothing can really stop you from starting something small. Beginnings are not that threatening.
- The second thing that motivated me, that made me feel proud of my little steps every Sunday was me. I was so proud of myself. Whatever progress I made with my book I put it up on a wall to see. Whatever new ideas I had for the cover or the finale poem, I put them up on the wall. The feeling was gratifying.
Final Notes
Art projects and creative hours are possible for busy people. It is a matter of expectations, the image you carry in your head. Pushing yourself to match the idea of Picasso in your head will only keep you trapped in a cycle of not starting. Artistic people tend to put the meter very high.
But, art can be gentler. Saving one or two hours of the week is a beautiful way to go back to her arms. Keep in mind that when you create it’s for creativity, for you to express and practice your hand movements. It’s not for an atelier. Your ideas are worth putting on paper though because no one else has the same ones.
Enjoy an artful hour this week. Thank you for reading.
