Making time for creativity.... but how?

how do you fit it into your day?

I’m so curious about how other people keeping showing up for their creativity, their making, stitching, quilting, knitting, art-work, writing, ceramics…. {insert your ‘thing’ here}.

And what this actually looks like. And why they do it.

I’m currently doing a stitch-along with someone else. I’m rarely a student in a group like this, and usually run them myself; so it’s been great to simply show up and do the set stitch work.

It’s a specific pattern, and is Palestinian embroidery - called Tatreez. Which is in essence cross stitch. When I joined it was for about 15-30 minutes of stitching a day, over a month-long period. We are now up to day 17.

During this time I have not done other stitching* and only spent my morning “stitching moments” with this in hand. Some days I have done 15-minutes while sipping coffee and sitting with my son while he has his breakfast. Then on to the morning get-out-the-door scurry.

Other days I’ve picked up the Aida cloth, thread and pattern again, once he’s out the door. Some days I’ve managed to stitch for close to an hour (washing up and floors needing to be swept).

And yet still I am only about half-way through the current design stitches for this stitch-along. While it’s not in any way a rush or a competition, or must be finished at a certain time, I’ve been curious seeing some people in the forum group who are keeping up with the daily reveal.

Are these people simply that much faster then me - this is a new-to-me process of stitching, once half stitch at a time, basically.

Or are they spending hours each day with their cloth and thread? And if so, how are they doing this? How are they showing up for this time? And also, is this something they do regularly, or only because this is a daily-reveal stitch project for a set amount of it?

For the purposes of this post I am talking about personal stitching, writing, illustration practice; rather than that which some of us do for an income. This - to me at any rate - is different. In a sense… sort of, but also not.. I’ll write about this another time - because turning your hobby and passion into a business is something I think about a lot.

Phulkari - traditional Punjabi embroidery

So tell me:

And what does this look like for you?

Is this 30 minutes at the same time day, before the rest of your family wakes, before the day fully begins? Or late in the evening, in the quiet of the home?

Is this hours each day - delving into your studio? If so, what are the dynamics that allow this to happen..?

Or do you take moments here and there whenever you can - no set time of day or week, no set amount of time. Just picking it up and doing the work whenever the time happens.

And - if this is the case… is this what you want? Or - perhaps, can we find other ways inside our lives to focus on our creative work.

Can we set time aside each week for a deep calm focusses flow session at our work table? How can we do this?

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I’ll be honest here and say that for me this is a little harder to define.

When I sit down and stitch it can often be with the ‘must make an income’ from it. Or at least, can this become something to turn into a course or a project idea?

Which is very much why I’m enjoying this daily Tatreez stitching. I’m barely showing it on Instagram, and it won’t ever become a paid thing - because it’s not my practice or my background or my skill set to teach.

So it’s a lovely ‘just for me, just for no reason except daily stitching’. And that feels good.

Which is why I’m making particular care to pick it up each day. To not come back to the other work at my table - for there’s a lot (I filmed and edited a whole new course last and this week - sign up for the waiting list for Making Zen here if you want).

There’s a new course I’m about to start filming to share with you - something that people have been asking me to create for more than a year. There’s videos to film to turn into reels for Instagram, which a creative business person tends to need to do to keep growing their list and audience (well me and those I know at any rate - us visual creative people).

Tatreez - Palestinian embroidery

So this has me thinking…

How do we actually make sure that we’re creating time making. Setting aside time in our daily hours and diaries. Making sure that each week we’re doing something something something with our head hands and heart that fuels us in a deeply creative way.

For me, there are a few different ways. Here are a few:

To have a project on the go at all times.

This needs to be portable and easy to take with me. It can pack up to go to the couch or bed, or in the car for long drives, or appointment waiting rooms, or those random times where I find myself waiting and wish I’d brought my stitching.

So, always have your stitching ready in a project bag. {Have you seen my online courses about project bags, sewing kits, things to carry to carry things. It’s here.}

Have a larger project ready on your table -

do you have a dedicated table? If not, then have it in a box ready to pull out when you have a bigger space of time available.

You can spend time each session planning out the project, and doing it step-by-step:

• Cut your fabric one night

• Pin it all the next night

• Gather your threads and needles - have that all ready

• Begin the first row of stitching. Just do one part at a time, one panel, one piece, one quilt block.

Small sections at a time, so that it feels less overwhelming and more worthwhile getting out for the allocated time space you have available.

Set time in your diary

Do this. It might sound selfish or unrealistic, but when you do it I promise a shift happens.

The people around you notice how important it is for you, and they start to take it more seriously.

You start to take it more seriously.

Just like booking a doctor or hair dresser appointment, you don’t schedule other things during this time. This is set in your calendar and you will show up.

Do this for your creative work!

Do it around life and family and friends

Not all creative work has to be solitary - though of course that is great if / when it happens.

Rather than looking longingly for a gap to open up in your endless to-do list be contented with what’s in front of you.

Pull out the paper and paints, or the yarn and weaving loom, or the notebook and pen. Or gather some clay and all the tools. And get everyone involved. Young children especially love doing this - sitting down and doing creative stuff — “making art”.

It’s a reminder to them of the joy it brings you. Children love seeing their parents happy and smiling. It fosters creativity in them so they’re more likely to learn how important it is to factor into their days.

It brings creativity into every day life, rather than something outside of it. Normalising that humans need to practice this act of making something. So, when you ask for your time, or when you have your fabric / yarn / paper on your lap a young child understands what it is and is more likely to settle beside you, rather than on top of you, and allow you to continue making.

For, after all, the most important part of making time and space for our creativity is just simply doing it. Not making excuses or reasons, or putting up blocks why you can’t do it that day.

So tonight, let your children eat toast or cereal, let the floors sit for another day and pull out your supplies. Tuck yourself in your favourite chair and just do the making.

Sneak peeks of my Making Zen project - coming up in May

And for me ..

I think I quite like this stitching project that is very directly not related to my selling-work. I have another stitch kit that I purchased from a maker, and it’s quite different stitch patterns to what I do. After I finish this Tatreez I will pick that up again.

Making time for my creative making that is separate to earning an income continues to be important for me, and a journey of small steps (stitches).

I’d really love to hear about how you make and create time and space in your days for your art, craft, creative practice. Please share your tips and techniques for showing up for your work.

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Some links to read:

Join the waitlist for Making Zen online retreat

The 100 Day project

Lina’s Tatreez stitching

Wenlin Studio - the next piece I’ll pick up to stitch on is this Phulkari embroidery.

Simple ways to make daily creativity easier

How to create a daily stitching practice

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