being creative isn't just about crafts or art...it's a whole way of life

i admit i’m being challenged right now. it’s summer vacation and my kids are really cutting into my creative time. it’s so bad that i’m existing through my days in blocks. there are the “to do” blocks which i must overcome and tend to before i can get to what i am DYING to do – which is paint or draw. in a nutshell, it can’t be healthy. i imagine that drug addicts, alcoholics and every other person with a monkey on their back experience this feeling as well. and none of those people are healthy. so logically, this can’t be healthy either but i don’t have the power to turn it off. so i’ve been trying to inject creativity into all those blocks. of course there is a certain amount of socializing that has to be done during the summer when you have children. so i’ve been planning activities with others that will inspire me creatively. for instance, i’ve planned a trip to martha’s vineyard. great vacation spot for kids because the beach is there and it’s a getaway blah blah. but i’ve planned it around a calendar of events that will be happening on the island like art expos and gallery shows! i plan on bringing along my camera and my sketchbook to capture inspirations as they come. i’ve also started doing test runs for annual family traditions i’ve wanted to create. this year, the last day of school was renamed (by me of course), “dar day” and i invited a few of my daughters school mates. We did a treasure hunt (with leftover easter eggs from a neighbor), a water-balloon war, had tug-of-war and a sprinkler installed on top of the trampoline for some unusual fun. i intend that every year until my kids are grown, we will have dar day. and i feel good about being creative with the event and coming up with cool ideas. so think about how you can do the mundane things just a little differently than everyone else and hopefully you will feed your creative spirit. i know i’m trying!