In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis talks
about the virtue of temperance.
moderation.
A virtue which I severely lack.
(I would love to take this class.)
I 'm an all or nothing type of girl.
I dwell in superlatives...
I'm going to exercise every day for the rest of my life.
I'm not ever going to __________ again.
I'm going to ___________ every day.
For reals this time.
In truth,
I think it's an excuse.
I don't have a full hour, so I won't...
go for a walk around the block
or have that quiet time I know I need
write that friend a letter,
or even blog, for that matter.
Michelle Allen at Michelle my belle
And it spills over into my art.
If I don't have at least an hour, forget it...
What's the point?
But the more I read about other artists' art making schedules and practices...
no one with small kids has huge chunks of time and energy. no one.
they all seem to say... I take my time where I can get it.
in little doses here and there and an ocassional long nap time or late night.
Right?
So, that's what I'm gonna do.
I'm going to work on taking little snippets of time here and there
to do whatever it is that needs to be done.
Or that I want to do.
These are friends and their art journals that have been inspiring me lately.
I've wanted to art journal for so long.
And I've never made time.
So I'm going to try (TRY)
to do a little each day.
even if it's only 10 minutes.
whatever.
just something.
I will let you know how it goes...
How about you?
How do you find time to do the things you love?!?
I finally incorporated this concept into my life after following Flylady (for keeping up with housework), but it is still so challenging! I wish you success!
ReplyDeleteI have always taken time to do what I LOVE:O)Even with my kids we always did art projects, housework I have learned to not stress over but I do have a schedule I keep in doing all the things needed around the house. Have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteI love it!
ReplyDeleteSnatches and snippets, like you said.
Or in the wee early hours
when my body cooperates
(although I always pay a price
for this later,
I'm sorry to say)
Thankfully, my favorite art supplies
are words
and I play with them
whenever I have to wait at a traffic light
or somewhere else.
I cheer you on
as you dance this balance dance:)
-Jennifer
DO IT! That is all I can say about art journaling. I have a 9 and 4 year old and art journaling for me has to be done exactly like you said. With 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there but it is so worth it. Frequently the "How do you eat an elephant?" question runs through my mind because, I too, am an "all or nothing" personality. When my daughter was an infant, I learned how to cut, glue, paint, etc. with one hand while she sat on my lap and just watched all of the colors. Ideal? No, but if we wait for "ideal conditions", no art would ever be made and there would be a lot of crazy mom's in the world. Did I get things done as quickly as if I didn't have "help"? No, but it didn't take long to learn that a little step here and there got me further than waiting for time to work. Where there is a will there is a way and I have EVERY faith in you.
ReplyDeleteyes, just a few moments a day..,what's so great about journal pages is that you can do them in stages...a little paint here, a little collage there...and when you have a few backgrounds completed they are ready for journaling when you need to. and if all you have time to do is write down a few ideas for future journal pages, that's okay too.
ReplyDeleteyour gonna do just fine!!
xxoo
Erin, I am right there with you!! I have really tried lately to take time...like you said - maybe just minutes for "me" time. It's hard - but keeping me sane!! I can't wait to see what you can create in those stolen moments. :) Have a beautiful weekend.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine a day without some type of art in it--even if I'm just looking on the web. It's what makes me happy which makes me a very happy person when I'm not making art. So, I agree with you--just fit it in when you can.
ReplyDeletethanks for the linky Erin! how's the journaling coming along? for me i may not apply paint every day but i usually at least add a little doodle while on the phone or some quick words. i think it's kept me fresher. and when i hop in the studio i feel like i'm always quicker to find creativity than before when i didn't art journal. hope it's going well for you! xoxo :)
ReplyDelete