At least once a week someone tells me, I’d love to pursue my art, but I can’t find the time. To which I say, it’s not about you finding time . . . it’s about time finding you. It’s about making a connection to a project so captivating, you simply have to work on it. It’s about the dishes piling up in the sink and the dog going unwalked and the paperwork getting ignored because time demands that you work on that story or painting or new product.
I remember once sitting in my mom’s group when my kids were little and complaining about how hard it was to keep up on all the chores. One mother shrugged and said, “I never worry about it. If it’s a priority, it will get done. If not, it won’t.” That comment changed my attitude forever. Are the things you currently think of as necessary really priorities? If you gave up social media for a week and used that time on your art, could you start a project that would entice you? If you turned off the TV for one night, could you jot down some ideas that might actually excite you? If you took a day off work and devoted it to your art, could you find your passion?
Time is not the master, it is an obedient servant. It will stretch and weave and rearrange itself to serve you. So I promise, once your art starts calling to you, time will follow. In fact, you’ll lose track of it. You’ll look up at the clock and the whole evening will be gone. And the laundry will still be in the basket, and your e-mails will go unanswered, and your kids won’t pick up their shoes, and who cares? Once those things pile up, they will become the priority. Until then, why not enjoy your art?
