Making time to fill your cup. I’m sharing a few ways I’ve prioritised my creativity by making drawing a daily habit.
Allocating a set time each day and making it a habit
For me, drawing fills my cup and makes me feel like me. This year I’ve allocated 20 minutes a day to just draw for fun. This drawing time it isn’t for a commission or to make a product for my shop, it’s just for me.
Making drawing part of my daily routine has freed me up creatively, taken the pressure off and loosened my grip on perfectionism. However, where the real magic has happened is that by giving myself this allocated space I’ve leaned into my thoughts and feeling, and been able to draw new illustrations.
“I honestly don’t think this creativity would have surfaced if I didn’t show up every day, pencil in hand and just draw what was on my mind. “
Some days I can fit in 20 minutes while other days its 2 hours. Some days I don’t feel like it and think everything I draw is terrible, but it’s funny the next day when I look at these sketches I find a thread of an idea that inspires me.
How did I find the time?
I made the conscious decision to allocate time in the evening after Harry is in bed to draw. I traded scrolling through Instagram, watching TV, folding laundry, reading or working on my shop for drawing. I started small with 20 minutes, but it has grown. I actually now find that if I’ve got caught up doing other things in the evening, that I crave my time to draw.
What I’ve realised is that when I’m drawing I’m totally present and not thinking about anything else and that its my downtime. Drawing fills my cup and gives me so much joy that I don’t feel like I’m missing out by not binge watching the latest TV show or missing out on that Instagram post. Though side not, I still make time for a bit of Netflix each week, hello Queer Eye!
How to find your creativity
What I would like to say is this. Make your creativity a priority in your self-care tool box. While drawing is how I like to create, yours could be cooking, writing, photography, knitting or even dancing. And if you’re not sure what sparks your creativity think about what you liked to do as a child. It was asking myself this question three years ago that opened the door to me drawing again.
