Y’all have heard me say it time and time again: there is more to life than art, and there is more to YOU than being an artist. That said, I do believe that creativity is very intertwined in our lives. We notice the beautiful color palette of an autumn sunset. We enjoy experimenting with new recipes and creating art through flavor. We doodle a silly little bunny saying “have a great day!” on our kid’s lunch bag.
The point of this phrase is that art is not the be-all-end-all of life. We should not sacrifice our relationships or our health in pursuit of it. But as creatives, art is a part of our lives in so many ways, and we are never truly disconnected from it.
Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of Creativity Time outside of my usual art practice. Y’all know I have my regular things like Meraki Monday sketching, creating gouache illustrations, etc. But recently I’ve been branching out beyond those things.
With the advent of my church’s fall festival (which is a crazy fun Super Mario theme!), I’ve been spending an afternoon or two a week there to paint props and games.
I’ve been doodling in a copy of “Silverborn” for my sister’s Christmas gift whenever I have a few free moments (don’t worry, she already knew about this 😂.)
I’ve also been playing around with clay again and made this fun little candy jar! (Off-topic, but this clay actually smells really good)
Although I’ve been spending A LOT more time being creative lately, my creative cup has felt so, so full. The more I pour out, the more filled I feel. All the projects I’m working on are big YES’s for me. Every single one of them is something that I truly love and am truly excited about.
Are there still moments of frustration when something doesn’t go according to plan? Of course. Are there still times that I don’t really want to be creative? Yep, and that’s when I switch to a different task! But over-all, I’ve felt so good about my creativity lately.
There will always be ebbs and flows to the practice. Mountainous highs and deep lows. But I’m taking hold of this season of climbing the mountain while I can, and soaking up the joy in it.