Christmas time can drive us creatives a little batty.
So much to do and it feels like there is so. little. time.
December 8th? Already? Sheesh.
Life doesn't stop just because Christmas is a few weeks away. There's still a day job to attend to, families to care for, bills to pay, meals to make, activities to attend.
If you're like me, this is the time of year when the creative bug is really biting. I've already tapped out my current circle of friends for a craft day. (maybe the cat will be up for some DIY gift making sessions).
But there's some years when I've barely finished the shopping, let alone make a gift for anyone.
I started to think about this earlier in the year- the tension between doing what we want vs. attending to obligations. I wanted more time and I was having a horrendous time finding....time.
And it got me thinking: Is it really necessary to make a meal from scratch every night? Or vacuum every day? Or ....you fill in the blanks for what you do? What if I left the art desk messy and kept working in the morning instead of trying to clean it?
What if I ate pizza once a week?
What if I didn't clean so much?
I like a sense of order and cleanliness as much as the next person but I've felt the tension of trying to do it all- and something has to go. This year I started cleaning less.
Amazingly, nothing much has happened.
No one's dead.
Mold hasn't grown. (Oh, the joy of the quick-clean!)
To be perfectly honest, the only thing that's changed: I have a bit more time for my art. Not tons, but enough to make me notice the difference.
In his book, The One Thing, Gary Keller blatantly states, "there will be some chaos," when we focus on getting the most important things done. Focusing intently on doing the important things inadvertently means things of lesser importance won't get done.
That's why #7 in Create Everyday: 17 Ideas, Tips and Resources to Find Time to Recapture Your Art, the 7th tip is: Stop Vacuuming.
Vacuuming is a metaphor for whatever you spend excessive time doing that, ultimately, takes time away from what you want to do.
For me, it means getting a take-and-bake pizza once a week to spend less time cooking meals and more time finishing Christmas art.
It means letting the bedroom get a little messy and focusing on getting a book manuscript finished.
So today, especially in this month of eggnog and glitter and handmade gifts, I encourage you to be o.k. with a bit of chaos.
Perhaps the vacuuming doesn't get done. Maybe the dishes are left for the morning.
Spend time doing the most important things. Those are the things worth remembering.
What could you stop doing this week to have more time to create some art?
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The post One Thing to Stop this Week to Create More Christmas Art appeared first on Launch Your Creative Life.