Real Life

Sometimes, life is busy. Alright, most times life is busy, LOL :) You have families (many with young children), bills, jobs, pets, grocery shopping, etc. etc. etc. So it can be difficult to find the time to work in your art journal, or knit that sweater, bead that necklace, paint that picture, whatever your forte (sp?) may be.

But fear not! 'Tis not impossible :) Trust me. I have found the key is to respect your artistic/creative pursuits as PART of your life, rather than something you reward yourself with once you have the time. Because, let's face it... you may NEVER have the time. That's just the way it goes. But, if you include your particular artistic endeavors in your daily routine, even if only for a few moments here and there, you will feel so much better... and, you'll get more done because you'll be more balanced. If you are a creative type, then you NEED that outlet to be part of your day. Heck, that's why we adults STILL doodle on napkins while we are waiting in an office... we are working out our next idea ;)

See? In no way is this even remotely perfect. The lines are all lopsided and sketchy, but it's something I threw together quickly while my children played on the playground last Friday. It's a nice memory, so I added some text so I'll remember it :)

This is another good example. While my babies were taking a bath this evening, they were playing with their bathtub markers (which they ADORE), and the ink from the markers were running in beautiful lines down the side of the tub. So, I took a blank spread of my journal and pressed it up to the tub... wallah! A background to begin working on at a later time! :) Plus, my kid's got the feeling of happiness knowing I'm using something they've done in my art.

And, just for your viewing pleasure, I present a spread that I'm working on... NO idea where it's heading, but heck, if we always knew how it was going to turn out, it wouldn't be half the fun!!! Keep creating, everyone!!! God bless :)