If you are a woman and around my age (older or younger, it doesn’t matter), you probably have a guilty conscience when you take time out of your busy schedule to do your artwork when you should be cleaning, baking, shopping, ironing, laundry…….well, you get the picture!  Do you find you are saving time for your creative juices to start flowing after dinner or once the kids are in bed, and when you yourself are too exhausted to even think? 

Yes, it is a problem we face in today’s busy world.  Okay, admittedly my house is a wreck from the week’s worth of company, painting for an upcoming show, and running around doing errands, but here I sit writing an article.  Well, to me writing this blog is very important!  (Actually, there is a cake in the oven and the kitchen is cleaned up.)  Trying to balance both worlds is not an easy task.

We all know women have been trained to be caretakers; care for the men in our lives, children, home, and in recent years, going to work outside of the home as well.  Men have been trained to take care of the family by going to work and coming home to a sweet woman, clean house, dinner on the table, clean and pressed clothes to wear the next day, and do a few ‘honey-do’ chores around the house on weekends.  They still have time to golf, play baseball or go to games, spend time with their friends or whatever their pastime interests may be.  
 

So what are your priorities?  Do you want to produce more artwork?  Are you willing to save one day a week for slaving on your housework and spending the rest of the week being creative; painting, photography, art classes, going to an art museum, getting together with other creative people, forming an art group in your community or other activities to inspire you and others having interests like you? 

If your lifestyle doesn’t allow you to spend most of the week doing the things you love, how about spending an hour or two a day (before you are exhausted, of course).  Each day before you get out of bed, write a mental list  of what you would REALLY love to accomplish that day.  Better yet, grab a pen and paper and jot down what you want to get done.  Try to forget about all the menial chores that can wait for another day. (They won’t go away, you know!)  You will find if you start out small and do something artistic every day, your creativity will increase, your desire to paint (or whatever you create) will become more important, and the end results will be amazing.  Besides, you will become happier and more content, and everyone will notice the change in you.  It’s not that difficult to commit to embracing your talents and showing the world what you can accomplish.  

My best wishes to you and your new endeavors.  Write to me to let me know your successes.  Thanks!

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.”