Li’l Bit E’ry Day!

“I don’t have time!” This was a continual thought for me. I wanted to make art. I had so many ideas, but I didn’t have time. It’s true that I didn’t have time to make art all day, every day. It’s true that I didn’t even have time to make art for one day a week. But, I did have time for 20 minutes a day.

Can I make as much art as I want to make in 20 minutes a day? Of course not! But I can do something.

I asked myself honestly, what are my choices? My choices are, 1) since I don’t have time to do art as much as I prefer, I won’t do any and I won’t feel good about it or 2) I set aside 20 minutes a day for art and do what I’m able.

For me, the answer was to do what I was able in short periods of time because creating is such an integral part of who I am. Everyone’s answer will be different and they are all valid answers. Maybe your passion is painting, writing, dancing, cooking, botany, jewelry making, etc.

Whatever your passion, don’t underestimate the substantial progress you can make after a week or a few months if you work even 20 minutes a day on your project (This would be a great time for me to do the math and create a cute little chart to show you the hours that can be accumulated in a week, month and year by working 20 minutes a day….. but I choose to spend my 20 minutes today NOT doing math)! (big cheesy smile)

There are challenges that arise when I’m only working for short periods. For example, it can take 15 minutes to figure out where I left off yesterday and figure out what I should do today. Last month I wrote about tactics I’ve learned to make the best use of my time for these exact reasons, you can check it out here if you like.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had an idea or project you’ve wanted to bring to life but haven’t worked on? Then at some point you see someone who has done that type of thing and developed it to a level that you dream of? You get that ache in your belly and think that if you would’ve started when you first had the desire, you’d be there by now!

Please hear me, let that ache in your belly be your message to start now. You’ve got 20 minutes a day, right? Just start. Future-you will be SO grateful you did!

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Unlock Creative Blocks

What helps me when I’m creatively blocked…

When I feel creatively blocked I don’t get freaked out (anymore). I’ve realized a pattern that informs how I unlock my creative floodgates.

Creativity is play. It’s daydreaming then piecing that dream together in real life with the tools at hand. If I haven’t had time to play, if I haven’t been relaxed enough to daydream, I’ve shut off the floodgates.

I’ve found that scheduling time to rest, just rest, is essential. Another thing that helps is to consume some type of art for the sake of enjoyment, not for the purpose of getting ideas; I listen to music, watch a movie, read a book. I fill this soul up! Stuff it full of soul-food.

Doing something that’s restful for my body & soul, with no goal other than to enjoy myself, is a healing balm for creative block. There are so many things…dancing and going for a walk are two I love. And there’s something about going to a garden center/garden nursery that releases all sorts of stress as well as ignites my passions.

There are two other things I have to mention that get the creative juices flowing again. One is going somewhere totally new. I love doing this! I love exploring and surprising my senses. The other is following my interests. My creativity is unique to me and your creativity will be unique to you. Follow where it leads. Your curiosity holds power to open the floodgates of your imagination and passion.

Next time you feel creatively blocked, try these out and see what happens.

• Rest

• Consume art

• Do something enjoyable with no goal other than to enjoy

• Go somewhere totally new

• Follow your interests

I hope these can help!

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Start

Start.

Start. Start. Start.

I tell myself this all the time! It doesn’t matter that I love to follow my creative curiosities and I feel vibrant & alive when I do, still many days it’s hard for me to get started.

Seriously, so many days I just don’t feel inspiration. My gumption has melted out and snuck back to bed. Even making stained glass art on these days feels like a great big chore.

What helps me is to think of just the one thing I need to do next (with my current art project). Just that one thing. Then start.

Time after time when I didn’t feel a fire under my hiney to start creating, I focused solely on the next thing to do and made myself start. Soon I’d find myself thinking it really wasn’t so bad after all! I’ve been pleasantly surprised that my gumption usually starts to grow once I’ve started.

I mentioned last month that it helps me to have a detailed to-do list, mine is on a white board in the studio. The specific task I need to do for my current art is always at the top of the list. When I focus on that one thing, instead of thinking about the whole project, it’s much less overwhelming.

The bite-size tasks make it less daunting and it’s incredibly helpful for me to have that next task already decided! If I don’t have a plan, I get overstimulated thinking of everything I want to do and then get bogged down in my head and don’t do anything at all. Have you been there?

I’ve been there many, many times and that’s why I keep a list that’s broken down into small tasks then make myself start the top one. It’s a powerful key for me to get things accomplished.

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Welcome!

The mission of Betsy Rowe Art is to celebrate the art of living. To me that means experiencing life authentically & with a spirit of joy.

Joy is different than happiness. Joy is feeling the hard parts of life while also reaching above them to gratitude.

It’s my hope that we can encourage each other as we celebrate the art of living. One of the most impactful ways I do that is through creating.

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!