making space for creativity

Six years ago I became a mom.

My daughter, a precious gift, has taught me more about myself than I can even process (since, as a mom, I haven’t had much processing time in general)! I have learned how much space I really had before, and perhaps, how valuable space is for me in order to do my work. I realize I need a lot of it.

And yet, being a mom, having my daughter, has been a dream come true! Something that has brought me life in a way that is incomparable to anything else. THESE THINGS DON’T SEEM TO BE COMPATIBLE… AHHHHHHH!!!!!

My daughter is important. My creativity is important.

So how to reconcile these two truths?

1. I love motherhood and want to give my daughter the best.

2. I need an incredible amount of space to process, reflect, and create.

The truth is that my child is my greatest creative act… and that in learning how to be present, surrender, accept, work with what is and stop fighting what is not… that is my greatest creative teaching I could possibly be gifted.

**I should add, that I have been a single parent up up until this point, and therefore the ways in which I must be creative to find time to be creative, the ways that I must “fight” for my creative life to exist and be prioritized is a work of art itself**

So today I thought I would list out a few ways that I’ve learned to carve out space, amongst the chaos.

1. Make physical spaces for your creativity

   I have a designated art space in my home. It’s not fancy, it’s not big, it’s just a table with a small rolling kitchen island beside it with all my art supplies. I recently busted out a folding table to extend the area so that I could place my almost finished pieces there for contemplation and development purposes. You art needs to be out and speaking to you in order for it to evolve. Before I placed it in the art area, I designated a portion of my kitchen counter for working on it. When it’s in sight, and easy to access, it enables it to speak to you and become.
   
   I transformed a dining room into a piano / music room. It’s right beside the kitchen. The piano is always accessible, the room is inviting and its focus is on music. Be creative with designating these areas! Design is also an act of creativity :)
   
   I have many spaces in my home that lend to a variety of moods, and they all inspire me in different ways. If I sit down to write, for example, I can often get out of a loop or break through a creative wall by changing my location. While I like having lots of rooms and walls, this can also work with an open floor plan by creating nooks and focal points, like a chair with plants and books around it that is a designated reading space, or a small floating desk by a window with a bar stool.
   
   

2. Make non-negotiable time for your creativity

   My most recent organizational decision was to cut my work day in half. I have a total of 6 working hours while my daughter is at school, and now I am bolding declaring the first three as my creative time block. This means I can write, musick, paint, collage, dance, compose, design, dream… there are no rules other than protecting that space like my life depends on it (because it does). While 3 hours to do all my other work, manage my groups, deliver content and do all the back-end entrepreneurial stuff is not that much, it is also an act of creativity to get all of that done in a short time period.
   
   ps: put down your phone, put it on silent mode and do not budge.
   
   

3. Be gentle with yourself

   Although this might not seem practical, let me tell you just how damn crucial it is.

   When we are hard on ourselves, when we are placing pressure, unrealistic expectations, and unkind words into our creative space, we tend to clam up, fight, panic, experience anxiety and then the doom and gloom sets in.

   It’s SO important to create an internal environment that fills you with encouragement, ease, love and tenderness so that you can feel open, inspired, and capable of receiving the creative gifts and messages you are meant to receive.

   You do not have to do anything but show up, be curious, and be yourself.
   Nurture that space.
   Be your best friend.
   
   I promise it will lead you toward more beauty, more aliveness, more clarity, and deep purpose.