I hear it all the time as a writer and film producer. “Oh, if I just had the time, I’d write a novel.” Or “I’ve always wanted to make a movie, but I’m too busy.” As much as I hear it, it can be a little jarring; it makes me think of myself at 22, working two jobs, in school full time, and still finding the time to work on my art. In fact, I wrote three whole novels that way, and although I work a lot less now, I still sometimes feel like I have to fight in order to work on my creative projects. When I share this with people, their first question tends to be how. People feel like it’s impossible to fit anything else into their busy lives, and they want to know how to prioritize creativity.
Why to prioritize creativity
The first reason to prioritize creativity is because you want to. Maybe you have an idea for a screenplay you’ve always wanted to write. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of getting back into painting like you were when you were a kid. Maybe you want to learn to throw ceramics, or try out knitting, or learn to play the violin. If you have any type of creative urges, they’re worth pursuing… even, or maybe especially, if you feel like it’s “too late.”
Another reason to prioritize creativity is that art, even bad art, makes the world a better place. Even if all your art ever does is enrich your life, it’s well worth prioritizing. Think of prioritizing creativity as prioritizing yourself. You deserve to make the time for the things that you want to do, even if they don’t directly benefit others. Spending time on yourself is good for you… and imagine being able to tell people you wrote a novel!
Of course, some people aren’t content with creating art just for themselves, and that’s okay too. Maybe you’ve always wanted to have a photography exhibition. To meet that goal, you need to start prioritizing your creativity NOW. I know plenty of people who plan to wait until their kids are grown, or until retirement. Gently, I want to remind you that your life is happening to you NOW, while you’re working and/or raising children, and that you deserve to fill up your cup as much as you’re pouring into others. I’m not saying you can spend your whole weekends making art or come home after work and ignore your family, but I am saying there’s a way to prioritize creativity without giving up everything else.
How to prioritize creativity
The first step towards prioritizing anything in your life is to take stock of what’s already taking up your time. Let’s look at my life for example: I work a full time job, I have three dogs that require care, I have friends and family I want to spend time with, I’m a homeowner, and I’m married. Being married both requires a time commitment (of course I want to spend lots of time with my husband) but it’s also a privilege: I’m not the only adult in my household cooking dinner, cleaning up, and caring for pets. I don’t have the same commitments I used to have (full time student, working multiple jobs) but there are other barriers now: I work in a creative field, so typically by the end of the day I’m not in the headspace to sit down and write.
I’m sure your life looks different from mine. Maybe you’re in the place I used to be, or maybe you have kids and have to allocate your time differently. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Once you’ve taken stock of what’s going on in your life, the next step is to figure out where you can make pockets of time. I work 9-5, so those hours are off limits for me. When I get home, I am not in the headspace to create anything other than dinner, so that time typically doesn’t work for me either. That leaves weekends and mornings. I can’t spend all weekend writing; like I said, I have friends, family, a partner, pets, other hobbies, and a home. So how do I use these pockets of time most effectively?
And what if you don’t currently have any pockets of time in your schedule? This is where you try and make time. If you have young kids, can your partner or another family member take them to the park for two hours every Saturday morning so you can work on your creative projects? When they go to bed, do you have 15 minutes to knit or paint or write? It’s okay if your pockets of time are short or limited. When you prioritize something, you make it happen anyway.
Your next step, once you’ve identified your pockets of time, is to ask for help. When I’m deep in a project, I ask my whole community for help. I ask my husband if he can handle taking on a few of my chores while I wrap up my project: it’s amazing how much time it buys if you don’t have to worry about laundry or cooking dinner for a few days or weeks! I reach out to my friends and let them know that I love them but that I’m going to be busy, and the best way for me to spend time with them for a few weeks is if they want to meet me at a coffee shop while I write. I create strict boundaries around work, and make sure I’m not checking email after hours or on weekends. If you have supportive people in your life, they will be happy to support you in this; if not, you may need to talk to them about how much this means to you and why you want to prioritize creativity in the first place.
Once you have your pockets of time, go ahead and get started. Don’t wait until it feels like the “right” time; there will never BE a right time. Sign up for that pottery class, or buy the yarn you’ve been eyeing, or start watching those Youtube videos to teach yourself piano. Get an adult coloring book. Read a craft book. Read articles on the blog about writing a screenplay or get our outlining workbook (it works for screenplays AND novels!)
I think you’ll find that once you start prioritizing creativity, although it won’t necessarily become easy, it will become a non negotiable. Think of it like moving your body; you don’t have to lift heavy weights 5 days a week in order for it to improve your mental and physical health. Simply taking the time to stretch or go on a walk on a regular basis will have amazing effects, and once you start, you’re going to want to continue. Art is the same way! It doesn’t matter if you’re a full time, professional artist, or if you set aside a few minutes each week to be creative. Either way, it’s good for you, and worth prioritizing.
Eventually, you’ll want to take the time to build a creative community and create a routine that helps you maximize your time, but for now, just enjoy the feeling of making art; good, bad, or somewhere in between. Happy creating!
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