Wednesday, June 23, 2010

"If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"

Boy, is this true for me! There was a time, not so long ago, that I wasn't getting ANY time in the studio. I was unhappy in a way that I couldn't really define, just this vague sense of discontentment. I was impatient and irritable with the rest of my family, and I knew it and I hated it! I wasn't doing anything creative and I felt like I wasn't in touch with what the universe had in store for me. Once I identified these feelings, things began to change. I started to make sure creative time happened for me. We got a babysitter twice a week for me, and I made sure to get into the studio during that time. Even if I just wrote in my journal or sipped a cup of coffee while reading a creative magazine, I just felt better by being in my studio. And then things began to happen. I was feeling better, and I started to get the itch to get my hands into clay. And I was rolling, on those two days, for just a few hours.


(This is a clock I made with stained glass a few years ago) Even today, I am still struggling with the whole "time management" thing. I am currently just about to burst with things that I want to do. I want to make changes to my blog and website, I want to create more (and more and more) sculptures, and I have lots of creative goals I want to work toward. But the important thing I try (and sometimes fail) to remember is that it will all happen in time. It can't all happen right now, at this moment, but it will happen. This helps me to stay afloat on those days when my daughter won't nap, or when I'm so tired I have to nap instead of working. She's 2 now, and I know she will be going to pre-school in the fall. I'm excited and terrified about that, but more on that later. For now, I work during her naps and when we have the babysitter, and that is working for me right now. I know our schedule will change again, when she goes to school, but when that time comes, I will rearrange my schedule to make sure that Mama gets her creative time. Because when Mama's happy, the rest of the family is happy! :)

6 comments:

  1. Thanks, awesome post. So true. Hopefully I'll get there (happy contentment etc.) too.

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  2. I can totally relate about feeling edgy if I'm not getting time to be creative mixed in with the chaos of life. It is also hard to be patient when you have a long list of things to accomplish and create. But if we just concentrate on getting a little bit done at a time, things will get done. I'm glad you've found a schedule that is working for you (I miss naptime).

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  3. This was so me a few years ago. Finally my mom sat me down and told me I NEEDED to do something creative. It was funny because she saw it, my husband saw it, I just hadn't connected my unhappiness and frustration with being seperated from the creative. That was when J. was little and he's getting so big.

    Thanks for sharing!!!

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  4. It is so difficult to demand that time for ourselves, but definitely necessary and worth it! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Kelly I have peeked at your blog for 2 seconds and am already IN LOVE. Your clay stuff is gorgeous! I thought about our discussion in class the other day, and another thing I've done to increase studio time is that I've combined my exercise time with my son. Now the time I used to exercise alone, I can get to work instead. This is much easier than trying to get work done with my son, although I do miss my speed walks through the woods... I'm so happy you get a regular babysitter. Keep going! You'll get there... happy creations from tj in germany

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  6. Sorry, BTW - the name of your blog is AWESOME. This is seriously one of the best names I've come across. I smiled the moment I got here... tj

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