I know this struggle. Having the passion to create. Having that burning desire to make an object... hopefully of beauty. BUT having no spare time. Having to go to work part-time or full-time then coming home to housework and mum duties. Don't get me wrong, time with my kids is precious BUT I had this underlying yearning for something just for me. For time for just myself. For projects that soothe my soul and allowed my problems to melt away. I wanted to be able to create art. Can you relate? So today I have written this blog post for you... to help you to find time to make art.

A bit of tough love. Shift your thinking to "I Can" Thinking. Get out of your own way. If you want to make art, you need to first believe you can make it happen. If you haven't yet heard of the growth mindset, get researching. A growth mindset is essentially the opposite of a fixed mindset. It is flexible thinking, it focusses on the journey, on possibilities. It is a way of thinking, a belief system and almost magical. I am building an online art course at the moment and can't wait to dive deep into mindset with people just like you!

Be realistic. Carve out just 1 hour a week, block it in the diary, ask your partner to take the kids to the park or do it before the kids wake or after they're in bed if you don't have childcare support. You can also set the kids up with quiet, open-ended activities (a blog post for another day) so you can create even whilst the kids are about.

Keep it simple and small. Don't set out to create a masterpiece. Focus on sketching with pencils or on watercolour using a pan to minimise mess. Watercolour is great like this because it can be reactivated with water over and over again.

Try a sketchbook or journal. I adore this strategy! Sketchbooks stop any sort of perfectionism in its tracks and they encourage play, experimentation and bravery too. You can try new things without fear of others judging you. This is a great option for all artists, no matter what stage they are at in their creative path, because we should always be pushing the boundaries and trying new things.

Keep a small box of art supplies on the kitchen bench. I know artists who keep their watercolours on their dining table and paint little bits throughout the day inbetween mum duties. Anything is possible, if you believe you can make it work.

Let me know if you try and of these strategies. I love to hear from my readers.

With love,

Ros

x

P.S. You can get my free mini watercolour lesson HERE.