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How do you make time for creativity every day, or once a week or however many times you make work?
For me, I'm excited to reclaim my early morning creative time. Getting up at 5:15 and brewing that coffee, letting to the dog and feeding her breakfast. Then she finds me in the studio for her teeth brushing bone and we hang out for an hour or so!
Share your routine or logistics. I'm always curious how others make time for creativity!
I stamp nearly every day in the evenings after dinner. I find this is my 'winding down' time from the pressures of the day and its a real stress buster. I try to hold to this schedule on the weekends also. It's my 'me' time and I wouldn't trade it for anything.:razz:
__________________ "I have cats, but they don't smoke or associate with dogs...."
Last edited by pepperann; 11-09-2022 at 06:10 AM..
My creative schedule is "whenever I can fit it in" :rolleyes:
I always have a project sitting on my dining room table so if I have a few minutes in the evening, I'll go over and work on it. We have a very long dining room table and I stamp at the very end of the table so the rest is available to use.
I get most of my stamping done on the weekends since that darn thing called "a job" gets in the way of me stamping all day, every day - ha! Plus add in cooking, cleaning, housework, laundry, volunteer work, etc..:twisted: When I manage to get in big chunks of stamping time, that's pure bliss to me!
__________________ Lorraine
Wife to an awesome DH, Mommy to an adorable DS who is on the spectrum for autism, and Twin Sister to Linda
Since I don't work and my kids are older, there's no need for me to create time to stamp. Rather, I stamp when the mood strikes me. My creativity flows best with a large block of time (it takes me awhile to get "warmed up") so my routine is usually to stamp once or twice a week for an entire morning or afternoon. When the weather turns cold, I love to spend all day Sunday after church stamping in our family room while my husband and daughter watch football.
__________________ Nicole
The following 5 users liked this post by cnsteele:
I find that I have a "dead zone" in my routine from 3 to 5 p.m. Everything on my lists are done by then and it's too early to start dinner. Great time to stamp, scrap, journal, shop.
Mary Beth
The following 2 users liked this post by lutheran:
I’m so glad you asked this question as I’m very curious about how people “schedule” (or not) their craft time. I am quite disabled with severe chronic knee and back pain. I try to schedule “craft time” every day - but in some ways it is the most taxing thing I have to do, for example - more taxing than housework, exercise, shopping, reading (obviously), etc. (I do not work and I live alone.) By the time I get the things done that I have to do, I’m too exhausted to do any crafting. It may sound strange - but because crafting involves a lot of precision work, concentration, getting up and down - I break out in TERRIBLE sweats very quickly and the pain and fatigue build up very quickly also. So I have to stop and take a break - usually after about 30 minutes, just when I’m getting into it. I have to say - the idea of getting up really early and crafting BEFORE I do anything else - I’m thinking - MAYBE that could work for me.
Despite all the pain, fatigue and SWEATING (haha) - I love crafting more than anything- but because it’s difficult, and because I can’t work at it continuously - I find myself avoiding it at times, even when I do have the energy.
Anyway - I’m gonna give the “first thing in the morning” a shot and see how it works out. I’ll be curious to see other answers to this question as well. I think everyone has different constraints on their “creative schedule” so it’s interesting to see how people manage that. Thanks for the thread.
The following 2 users liked this post by KSStammper:
I craft more in the morning than any other time of the day. My energy is better in the morning for everything. I have MS, so like you KSStamper, fatigue is part of my life. Fortunately I have family members to assist me with many tasks. Often I wake up with an idea. I wish I would remember to write them down more than I do.
Ugh! You in the morning and me at night! I get ideas when I'm relaxing for sleep and never write them down. LOL
If I am working on an idea, I will think about it for quite a while before actually getting started. I even brainstorm with my family as they often have great ideas.
I craft at night especially when there is nothing on TV or too many political ads. One night I almost alway make cards is Saturday evening as that night in particular has nothing to interest me.
__________________ My word for the year 2024 is CLEAR
I’m so glad you asked this question as I’m very curious about how people “schedule” (or not) their craft time. I am quite disabled with severe chronic knee and back pain. I try to schedule “craft time” every day - but in some ways it is the most taxing thing I have to do, for example - more taxing than housework, exercise, shopping, reading (obviously), etc. (I do not work and I live alone.) By the time I get the things done that I have to do, I’m too exhausted to do any crafting. It may sound strange - but because crafting involves a lot of precision work, concentration, getting up and down - I break out in TERRIBLE sweats very quickly and the pain and fatigue build up very quickly also. So I have to stop and take a break - usually after about 30 minutes, just when I’m getting into it. I have to say - the idea of getting up really early and crafting BEFORE I do anything else - I’m thinking - MAYBE that could work for me.
Despite all the pain, fatigue and SWEATING (haha) - I love crafting more than anything- but because it’s difficult, and because I can’t work at it continuously - I find myself avoiding it at times, even when I do have the energy.
Anyway - I’m gonna give the “first thing in the morning” a shot and see how it works out. I’ll be curious to see other answers to this question as well. I think everyone has different constraints on their “creative schedule” so it’s interesting to see how people manage that. Thanks for the thread.
I am sorry for your pain. Arthritis (for me and another friend) has forced changes. I've modified what I can do (do more of what I like, and less of what I don't). I find that 'being in the flow' of creativity eases pain. Good luck. Keep crafting. It's all about Balance (reward vs. effort)!
In my case, the question would be 'How do you make time for everything else besides creativity?'
I'm retired and we live a minimalistic lifestyle, so the house is uncluttered and requires very little attention. I pretty much live in my craft room (with my cats). The room has a connecting door to the kitchen which houses the washer and drier, making that chore easy. My DH does all the cooking, but I am available to help if needed, and I do wash the dishes. With about 10 minutes prep time, the Roborock handles the vacuuming. While craft items are drying, or adhesive setting, I dust, mop floors, take care of my bathroom (DH does his own). Evenings, I watch YouTube videos or Britbox, and work on cards, color, play solitaire, play mahjongg, or do word puzzles -- I love word puzzles! Every few months I give all the appliances a thorough cleaning and do other little tasks like check expiration dates on products. When I worked, I had a highly stressful job and I would stay up until 2:00 am crafting as it was my relief. When I retired I tried living as if the housework was my 8-5 job. Then I said screw it! who cares if it takes two days to dust. I am going to do what I enjoy and any other stuff will have to get in queue. I am much more relaxed and happy now which my DH (and cats) appreciates.
__________________ AScrapofKindness
The following 8 users liked this post by AScrapofKindness:
Early in the morning?! I would never get to make anything again, seriously. *gasp*
My best creative time falls in the afternoon, for a 2-3 hour window. It was longer a few years ago until vision began to interfere. My crafty zone is not 'in' the house, but is attached 'to' the house, so I basically never stamp evenings or nights. (Sometimes Christmas cards are the exception!) I think this all started when I was in my last couple of years of college and we had our son by then. I studied late into the night, and the timing as been my best ever since. ;)
Retired. Not sick or busy (PTL) except for catching up with friends and keeping up with the odd bit of housework. I have a few church responsibilities, but they only take a few hours a month. The only thing that stops me from handicrafting is when I've had a big fail and the card or paint project is so ugly it ends up in the rubbish, or when I get stuck on a design or technique or am trying to fix something I've stuffed up, lol. Then it all sits there for a few days till I get the desire to go scrolling through my ideas folders on my phone, and suddenly I'm off again! I like going into my craft room, which opens out onto the living room so I can see the sea and the birds and be part of the action, after lunch. I can stay in there 15 mins or 5 hours, depending on what I'm doing. If I'm Gelli printing, I usually write off most of the day!! 😍
The following 2 users liked this post by Renata Joyner:
I'm retired, too. So when I did work always needed to work the early shift, used to be very efficient and enjoyed getting up with the birds!
Now we sleep till 7ish, drink coffee and talk about what the day will be about, DH has no hobbies but he likes to make lists so around 11 am my chores are done and I move into the family room which has become my lady cave. He usually has made a list of something he thinks we need or something he wants to eat so I break for lunch/early supper. By that time its close to 3ish and I try and get a little more time in the cave. Fall and winter Weekends are better for me because our son comes over both days so they can watch football. Most days he brings takeout food or fast food which leaves me lots of time to play with paper and stamps.
it's a wonderful time and I feel so blessed to be 81 and still have things I love to do.
__________________ We can't all be stars but we can all twinkle.
I usually stamp in the mornings or the afternoons. I have never stamped a single thing at night unless I was at a "stamping retreat" with other stampers. LOL
I am a VERY early riser (20 years working in electrical contracting, and I can't shake that 5:30 AM start), and so I'm done creatively by 3 or 4 PM. I craft somewhere in that window, and when I'm NOT at my craft desk - I do all my designing in my head, like Renata. When my brain is dead in the afternoon that's when I put on a true crime podcast and edit photos and videos.
In my creative window, I just use whatever time is left after working - so no real routine for a time.
Retired with no health problems, so other than house work and yard work, I can create whenever and I usually do! I'm a morning person, so may even start before breakfast, which is always around 7ish. I can't see well in my craft room at night, and that's usually when we watch TV shows anyway, so I plan a project I can bring to the living room to do while I watch---which works out well, as I can't stand just sitting and doing nothing. There are days when the cleaning and laundry are done, the weeds have been pulled and watering and feeding of birds is taken care of, that I craft all day, just taking a break to down a bit of lunch. By the time I need to fix dinner, I'm ready for a change anyway, so that's usually when I quit working in my craft room.
Creativity is a big part of my life and I can find even a little piece of time for it every day. I always was an art person and my whole life was built on this fact. I've recently prepared some papers for uni on this theme and was interested in other people's ways. Fortunately, I found this source https://eduzaurus.com/free-essay-samples/life/ and saw a lot of enjoyable thoughts on this theme. Life is hard sometimes but you can make it better in any way you want to!
Last edited by bowlingsod; 11-29-2022 at 01:58 AM..
The following 4 users liked this post by bowlingsod:
What's your creative schedule?
