A friend asked me, "So tell me the truth, do you just make seven squares at a time and then post them later one each day?" I was a little shocked. I do make the squares every day and then post them on Instagram. Yes, there have been times when I've been in the car all day and unable to machine sew or even hand sew. On those occasions, I do pre-make the daily squares and then post on the day but I could count on my two hands how many times I've done that in two years. But that's not really the point. The point is I create and post every day for selfish reasons. I am glad my Instagram followers enjoy a burst of color on their screen every day. But I truly do this for myself because the daily creative habit is like a steady current running through my life, like a flowing river.
I used to think that it would be much easier to create on the days where I have less going on. I do enjoy the days in the studio where I have time to daydream and play around. But I found the days that are stressful or full of activities can be just as rewarding, if not more. It allows me to do a "reset" no matter how busy or stressed I am. When I walk into that studio, I leave all that behind. Turn on my iron, get out my fabric and start thinking about possibilities. Everything else stays outside the studio.
You can create when you're angry or sad or mad or frustrated. But in my experience, these strong emotions fall away as you start creating. There's no room for drama in my studio or at least not in my world.
So... full disclosure, last weekend we took our son to college. We had 3 busy days so I pre-made three days worth of squares and posted them on each day in order. But instead of thinking... "What a relief, I do not have to create a daily square!" I missed that time in the studio where I step out of daily concerns and worries and enter the world of color, fabric and thread.
So if you are resisting a daily creative habit because you think it'll be hard to fit in your schedule because things are a little too busy right now or a little too stressful, I encourage you to rethink that and consider adding creative time in your day as the time to put those feelings aside and focus on making your art of choice.
The key is making it just part of your daily routine and to make it doable.
Need help starting a creative habit? Creative challenges can help kick start your creative habit. Creative challenges are not complicated. You decide what you want to do and for how long. Then just do it. The hardest part is just starting.
Serena from @sirensfinds and I are hosting a Q&A session to help others start their own unique daily creative challenge to see the benefits for yourself of adding creativity into your life. We will be chatting together on both of our Instagram accounts answering your questions. So ask us anything.
Our Q&A session will be held on Instagram the week of September 5-9, 2016.
We have a question theme for each day:
Monday, September 5: How to get started
Tuesday, September 6: How to make it doable
Wednesday, September 7: How to make time
Thursday, September 8: How to stay motivated
Friday, September 9: How to use what you learned
You can ask us questions through Instagram comments, email or comments on our blogs. Our contact information is below.
Go ahead and send the questions anytime before that week if you want. We will be answering the questions relating to the daily topics in the afternoon on this days.
Not on Instagram? That is ok. We will answer the question on Instagram and then email the written responses back to you.
Start thinking about any questions you may have about designing your own creative challenge.
You have one and a half weeks til the Q&A starts on September 5, so start thinking about your questions!
Find Serena @sirensfinds on Instagram and hello@sirensfinds.com for email. Her website and blog are at sirensfinds.com.
Find Kathleen @blueskyquilter on Instagram and kathlenwarrenstudio@gmail.com for email. My website and blog are at kathleenwarrenstudio.com.