The price of anything is the amount of life you pay for it.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Prior to even deciding what to create, ask "Why do I want to create?"
Before we can make space for creative endeavors, this is an important question to ask yourself that may help determine how much of a priority a creative practice is to you.
- Is it because you enjoy making art for yourself and you're looking for a hobby?
- Is it because you want to become a full-time artist?
- Do you want to share your art with the public and participate in shows?
There are many possibilities, what is your "why"?
After you've come up with your "Why", you may want to consider everything else you have going on in life and determine some things such as:
- What is most important to me?
- What improves my life / bring me joy?
We all have the same number of hours in each day and we all have things we have to do. If we want to do 15 things but only have time for 5, what are the options?
Be honest with yourself.
We can spread ourselves thin and try to do it all, at the risk of not doing it well and eventually burning out. We can do the most urgent and easiest things, missing out on what will bring us joy and potentially leading to burnout.
Or we can decide what is truly necessary and what adds to our quality of life and reduce or eliminate the rest.
I think it's like de-cluttering your home. If our homes are overflowing with lots of stuff, we can't see the things we treasure most. We also waste a lot of time searching for stuff.
If we keep what is useful and beautiful, not only is there more space, it allows us to bring the important things to the foreground and highlight what is beautiful.
The bad news is, you probably don't have time do all of the things you want to do.
The good news is, prioritizing will allow you to fully engage in the activities that most enhance your life.
What have you done to make time for your creative endeavors? What challenges do you currently face?