How to Make Time for Art

The key to making time for art is the ability to say "NO".

If you say "yes" to everything that is asked of you, you will not have time to be creative. And it is so easy to say "yes" to all kinds of things and so hard to say "no". It is hard to say "no" to immediate family, extended family, demands of friends, organizations, messy houses, cluttered basements--the list is endless.

Making art takes lots of time. It not only takes a great deal of time to do whatever it is you are creating, but it also takes a great deal time for what most people would consider "down time". Artistic down time is a foreign concept to people who are not artists. Our society values busyness over artistic incubation, but you cannot create art without it.

You will feel immensely guilty saying to yourself that your art is more important than time spent with a certain friend, organization or clearing out that large dust bunny that is appearing under your bed! But ask yourself, if there was something really crucial, wouldn't you slash everything that was unessential in your life to take care of it. The answer is yes. Do the same thing with your art.

Learning how to say "no" takes practice. You may want to communicate to your nearest and dearest your new priority, so they won't feel emotionally abandoned. From time to time you will get sucked into situations and events; and it takes a great deal of effort to find a balance between creating art and also having a meaningful life outside of that endeavor.

But remember, "no" is a complete sentence. It will take everyone some time to adjust to your new way of living. There may be a lot of grumbling from a lot of people, but if creating art is really important to you, let them grumble away. You'll find out who your friends really are. The ones that really care about you will want what's important for you--to create art!

© Mary Baker 2005

Mary Baker is a contemporary realist painter, whose studio is in Newburyport, Massachusetts. This New England city, north of Boston, has been the inspiration for the artist's realistic oil paintings. Mary Baker is a professional artist and has shown in New York art galleries.

You can visit Mary at her website, Mary Baker Art, http://www.marybakerart.com , see her beautiful paintings and read her commentary on a variety of subjects concerning art, including Why Buy Original Art and Art, Artists and the Web--Why Every Artist Should Have Their Own Website.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Creativity Information:

Related Articles

Unleash Your Creativity and Think Your Way Out of the Box
The brain is a strange organ. It works in ways we don't yet understand and manages to create everything we see.
I Want To Create...
What would you like to create? A peaceful life, a successful life, a good life, a sculpture, a piece of art, a book? What is it that you would like to create? Whatever you want you can achieve it. All you have to do is follow your natural compass.
Our Limitless Quantum Reality
Modern science tells us that on a sub-atomic level -- nothing is solid. That the entire universe is really one big web of vibrating "energy stew.
Computer In The Shop? What Do You Do Now?
Have you ever had one of those days when you just feel like something is missing? ? something just doesn't feel right? like you should be doing something but you can't remember what?Well, I had one of those days recently? my computer was in the shop for a minor repair. Ahhhhh! What was I going to do?Ok, so I planned to take my computer in for the repair.
The Secret of Intuitive Intelligence
The word intuition comes from the Latin word intueri, meaning "to look within." Webster defines it as "the power or facility of attaining direct knowledge without evident rational thought.
Creativity Stereotypes - Are They Holding You Back?
Here's a quick quiz:1) When I see a see a sunrise, I'm moved to:A. Compose a poem.
Creative Thinking versus Critical Thinking
The process of creative thinking is often, mistakenly, intertwined with critical thinking. There is a tendency to write and edit simultaneously, couple hypothesis generation and evaluation, combine problem identification with solution.
How to be More Creative and Enhance Your Creativity
efore thinking about how to be more creative, let me begin point out some real barriers that some people seem to have when wanting to enhance creativity, have a think if any of these things are applicable to you and your life;1. Lack of time.
We Tend To Make Up Our Own Truths: What Stories Are You Making Up?
Someone once said that man keeps looking for truth that fits his reality. Oddly, more often than looking for truth, we tend to make up our own truths.
Improvisation in Life and the Arts: What I learned from Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch
Can you be an artist while you're washing the dishes?In this article I share some of my learning and impressions from a chapter of the exceptional book, "Free Play", by Stephen Nachmanovitch.This subtitle of this book, "The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts", speaks of bringing the improvising we do as creative artists into our daily routines and interactions.
7 Things Sapping Your Creativity Right Now
This was a very easy article to write. I was late in getting started this month, and as my publication deadline got closer and I could no longer wait until I "felt" like writing an article, I was forced to sit down and do it.
Mind Power Games
Want a fun way to tune up your brain? Why not use some classic mind games to help you increase your brainpower and get you out of your thinking "ruts." Good mind games habituate you to using creative problem solving as a normal part of thinking about things.
Turning Obstacles Into Blessings
"Your capacity to be creatively alive in virtually all life circumstances will depend in large part upon the kind of attitude you choose for yourself."- Dr.
Learn A Life Skill TODAY!
Did you ever watch your grandma knitting?Wasn't it boring? Didn't it seem to take forever?Most of us live life in the fast lane.Who needs to buy balls of yarn, search for patterns and spend - heaven forbid - the next three months making a jumper, when we can buy one in the high street for next to nothing.
Self-Care for Creative Artists: 5 Ways to Start Today
Self-care is the path to creative expression. By paying closer attention to your self-care, you can have easier access to your creativity, to your muse and to your inner strength and resilience.
5 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity
We're born creative. However, this innate characteristic becomes buried as we get older.
You Dont Have To Be An Artist To Be Creative
Imagine that a block of ice has been set on your desk. Now describe it.
Creativity, Innovation, and Market Performance
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.
Top Ten Creative Strategies for Inspiring Creativity Where You Work and Play
Websites, automobiles, milk cartons, living spaces. Design saturates every aspect of our lives and the difference between success and failure could be the color purple, could be the person that you talk to every morning when you wake up, or could be the amount of light that streams into your office every day.
Connect With Your Creative Dream
We get so busy in our day-to-day life, with all the doing and actions and daily chores, that we can quickly lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. What's it all for? What are you working towards?If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?Taking the time to connect with your creative dream allows you to visit (and then revisit) the big picture.
>