Among the pleasures afforded by a warm summer here in Virginia, I am lucky to have the gift of work that I love, in part because of clients I am privileged to work with who I find inspirational and dedicated to their healing and creative lives. One theme that has been arising often lately is the challenge of finding time to make art. If you are a creative person like me, then you know how nourishing it is to have time and space to be immersed in a creative experience. Yet there are SO MANY obstacles to getting there. Sometimes it is a busy schedule, other times the inability to prioritize art, and for many, the struggle can arise through doubting that art is worth making time for.

One thing I know is that there is no magic bullet for solving the time dilemma, especially since we are all unique and need to experiment with what works best for us.

What I do know for certain is that CREATIVE TIME IS SACRED, and it is one of the things that makes life worth living, whether you are a professional artist, make art as a hobby, or have a strong pull to be creative in your life. If creative expression is neglected or denied, it can result in a deprivation of soul, and this can diminish life force.

Many people who have come to work with me are yearning for their creative life to be fulfilled - and in certain instances this need to express has been described as a matter of life and death.

Carpe Diem! How can we follow our creative impulses?

A few tips for prioritizing creative time:

• Schedule time for art like you would anything else you do on a regular basis. Even if it is 10 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week. Get it in your calendar!
• Have an Art Buddy for accountability who you meet with regularly in person or virtually.
• Create with a group - i.e. join a course or a community that has art time built in (like we do in the Art Cures Incubation Course!)
• Keep it simple - the important thing is to begin with small actions so momentum can build.
• If none of this works, it may be important to start by examining the underlying fears and doubts that are preventing you from making art in the first place.

Are there strategies that have worked for you? Are you feeling stuck in your desire to create without the ability to get there? Feel free to reach out to me directly to share your resources or to troubleshoot together.