In these times it is easy to let creativity escape us. We work longer hours, commute and sometimes have more obligations than we did ten years ago. Most of our “downtime” is probably spent in front of the television or folding laundry.
How much time can we carve into our daily schedules? Fifteen minutes? One hour? Two hours? Did you know that John Grisham wrote his novels on his commute into work at a law firm? J.K. Rowling wrote with her children in tow.
I, like many of you thought that I didn’t have enough time in my schedule to be “creative”. My biggest influence in my “creative life” has been my husband. An underwriter at a bank by day he is a professional musician by night. Orphaned at the age of thirteen and in order to find solace he taught himself how to play bass. He has now been playing over 35 years and has had some success playing on award winning CD’s as well as appearing on television. He is living proof that you can have a professional life and still live your creative dreams. His music has carried him through many rough times but he has always remained a positive and outgoing person. It is his enthusiasm which has helped me regain my love of writing. At this moment I work a full-time job, edit part-time, am taking a creative writing course and manage on my one hour commute to work to write. Even if I only write two lines I am still writing. The saying “a journey starts with a single step”, applies to "a story starts with a single word". Eventually those two lines lead to four, lead to six, lead to 10…in time you have the beginning of a novel or a short story. Whether you attempt to create or not life still goes forward, is it better to regret not doing anything or gain satisfaction for accomplishing at least part of a project?
Since rediscovering my creativity my life has definitely changed, anything is possible; creating is not work but is fun and makes each day fulfilling.
“This time, like all times is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Creative challenge for this week: Write out your daily schedule, be realistic. How much time do you have waiting while picking up a child from soccer practice? How much time do you spend watching television per week? How long is your train ride to work? When done, take a look at your timetable where can you fit in fifteen minutes. Try to pencil in three fifteen minute creativity sessions. Please feel free to post your results on the discussion board.
This Weeks Affirmation:” This week I find time to create”
Belinda Witzenhausen - Toronto freelance writer, editor and online radio show producer Belinda Witzenhausen has diversified experience writing non-fiction, ...
