Video by Jan Phillips

Every Saturday I post something that inspires, something that touched me on my journey, something it’s my joy to share with you. This week, a powerful video by Jan Phillips encourages us to to know that we and our creative work is worth of time.

Of all the challenges people share with me about creative living, finding the time shows up the most. How do we take time for our creativity when we have demanding jobs, families, schedules, when we have errands, chores, responsibilities? How can we sit down and write morning pages or pull out paints or dance when there are dishes to be done, lunches to be made, bills to be paid?

Here’s the thing. There will always be other things to do – important other things to do. If you wait until everything has settled, until all the to-dos are done, until wide open spaces show up on your datebook, you will be waiting a very long time. Maybe forever.

That’s why it is so important to figure out how to integrate your creativity and your self-expression into your life as it is right now. It may not look like a 3-hour class on a Tuesday night or a whole day of painting or hours on end of delicious writing time but it can be something that will bring you to life, that will nourish your creative heart, that will sustain your creative soul.

When I get really, really hungry, I used to believe that what I needed was lots and lots of food so I’d get myself a really big meal. But what I’ve learned (after many, many way too big meals) is that I don’t need lots of food to satisfy my hunger – I need food now.

This is also true of creative hunger. If we’ve been feeling deprived, perhaps for a very long time, our need for creative expression can be deep, intense and painful. We are ravenous! And in response, we think that the only thing that will satisfy our need is to dedicate our whole lives to our art, to quit our day jobs, to be painting/writing/photographing/decorating/designing all day, every day. And when that seems unattainable, we get frustrated, overwhelmed, depressed and angry. We give up (at least for now). We stay put and we stay hungry.

Now, it may be true that our heart’s desire is to become a full-time artist of one kind or another, but it may also be true that what we really need is something creative RIGHT NOW. We need to make a flower arrangement or create a stellar outfit or go to a coffee shop and write a poem. And tomorrow, our creative appetite needs to be satisfied again. And the next day, we need to be fed again. And again. And again. And again.

So start today. Find one way to invite creativity into your life as it is right now. How can you express yourself today? What can you make more beautiful, more interesting, more provocative? Where can you let your mind wander and explore? What words can you choose? What outfit will you try? Write one sentence. Take one picture. Draw for 3 minutes. Dance to one song. Sing along.

You are a creative spirit every day. Bring your self to life.

What do you wish to make time for?

You can be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt above on your blog and then add a direct link to your post in the box below. Support wishes by visiting other participants, leaving a comment saying “As (insert name) wishes for her/himself, so I wish for her/him also.” It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together.

I’m sorry for this being a bit late today. I’m suddenly having trouble with WordPress missing all of my scheduled posts. Ack! I’ll be working on sorting out these technical difficulties.

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