How do you always create?

Do you work on your art every day?  How do you find time to make soap, dye silk, plan and attend art events, and still keep life together?  How are you always creative?

I hear that often, and sometimes these questions catch me by surprise.  Creativity, when it is not tied to personal economics, is purely for the joy of creation.  But ours is an endeavor that is tied to our ability to pay our bills, and maintain our life.  Our creativity borders on sheer production to earn income… but it is not a bad thing.

Motivations come in many forms.  Motivation to make things that will earn income to pay our bills is not a bad thing.

But how can we stay creative, keep it fresh, and still have new ideas, fresh perspective, and production?  Here are a few thoughts:

• Carve out time each week to have down time.  That down time should be time that really energizes and refreshes you.  I know of one woman that knits, and another person that goes for a huge walk with the dog.  These days i often think of a nap as a luxury… but the rest refreshes me like nothing else. Take time away.
• Look for inspiration always – Perhaps it is that pop of color that nature offers which jogs the creative juices, or a great article you just read.  It could be an idea spoken, or a solution to something.
• Work out that stress – I can remember when my mother was still alive and so very ill, and i was working full time, keeping up her house, my house and caring for both my husband and my mother I was massively stressed.  In the middle of that stress i turned to creating things, and for that hour or two i was lost in the place where my creativity assuaged the intensity of the stress.
• Take a class – Take a class in something you have no knowledge of … expand your knowledge and skills and you might find a new source of inspiration.  That is how i discovered Shibori!!!
• Solve a problem – Some of the most wonderful things this world offers have come from solving a problem with a creative solution.  Post it notes, for example were discovered only when the original intention of the adhesive used to make them special was an epic fail as originally intended.   When we began this art adventure I gathered free materials in mass and worked on making projects that people wanted.  Yes, it was my single handed attempt to save the world from trash heaps filled with plastic bags.  Stripping the bags down to yarn, and making purses from them sounded odd…. but they grew in popularity to the point I could not keep up.
• Check out Pinterest, magazines, books, websites – trends are all around us.  Don’t knock off someone else’s idea, but find inspiration to create something that does not yet exist.
• Eat Well – How you treat your body impacts your mind, your emotions and your thinking.  Make sure to eat healthy things and get enough fluids in to keep hydrated.
• Sleep enough – don’t try to burn the midnight oil unless you must.  Sleep matters as much as eating well… Each of us need different levels of sleep… but we all know when we have not had enough.
• Keep a notebook and pen/pencil with you always.  Inspiration can be fleeting, and it is important to capture thoughts before they flee away.

And I want to be fully honest and say that there are times when creativity packed up and left the scene.  In fact I thought that creativity took the bus to the coast, leaving me for several years.  But in those times of stress, looking for an outlet from the struggle creativity came to visit, and is firmly staying with me now.  If you are in a dry spot, staring at your canvas, or your pc, and nothing is happening know this is normal for all creative folks.  Allow yourself to rest, recharge the batteries and give yourself time to find your passion again.

The world needs your creativity!!!