Is Creating Beauty a Waste of Time?

"There are so many creative projects I would love to do...

IF I only had more time!"

Sound familiar? I'm guessing it does. Of all the reasons people tell me they don't get to their creative passions as often as they'd like, "lack of time" often tops the list. 

(Click here to share what's standing in the way of your creative dreams for a chance to win Creative Oasis Goodies including a 30 minute one-on-one creative coaching session with me.*)

Even though you know in your heart of hearts that time spent in the creative flow is good for your mind, body and spirit, you're waiting for hours and hours of free time to magically appear. (Not likely, right?)

I get it. I mean I really get it! 

The truth is I don't have time vast quantities of free time to get to every single creative project I dream of either. (Is that a shocker?) 

In addition to coaching my awesome one-on-one clients and creating new Mid-Week Oasis Moments and Creative Oasis classes and workshops to share with you, I'm also a chauffeur for my daughter...upkeep manager of the household...payer of the bills...doer of the laundry...feeder of the dogs...sorter of the mail...buyer of the groceries...maker of the meals...planner of the vacations...you get the idea.

Though it may not look exactly the same as mine, I'm sure that you also have a to-do list that just keep coming day after day...week after week...year after year.  Here's the thing, as I like to remind my clients, the day we have nothing left to-do on our to-do list it's pretty much game over. 

So, if we agree that our to-do lists aren't going anywhere and that it's highly unlikely we'll suddenly have hours and hours of unscheduled free time out of the blue, I invite you to answer this question: 

Is creating beauty and restoring your soul a waste of time? 

Great news! If your answered a resounding no (perhaps even "Hell no!") then you're ready to the next small step...literally. 

If the number one issue my clients come to me with is "lack of time" ~ the number one take-away they leave with after working with me through my classes or coaching is this transformative bit of knowledge:

"Wow! I really and truly don't need hours and hours of unscheduled free time to enjoy creative fun, fulfillment and flow!" 

And guess what, neither do you. 

People who work with me are amazed at the amount of creative satisfaction they experience after something as simple and fun as coloring in a mandala for a few minutes. (Google "free printable mandalas" and you'll find lots of wonderful options!)

Click here to read more in my previous "Mandala Making Magic in Minutes" post.

Sure, your creative heart's desire might not be to color in mandalas with colored pencils, but it's a start. Plus, it's a great way to experience low-pressure creative play quickly. 

Want to hear another thing people who work with me discover?  

Once they give themselves permission to enjoy these small bursts of creative play their overall passion for creativity returns only now since they're actually diving in and enjoying some hands on creativity rather than waiting for loads and loads of free time to appear, the experience of being in the creative flow becomes real...doable...and something they can actually weave into their busy lives on a regular basis. 

Ten or fifteen minutes of dive-right in creative fun can be just the thing to spark your desire to dust off your piano and play, pull down your watercolors and paint or open your journal and write! In fact, why not try it right now? This very minute? 

I invite you to set a timer for 15 minutes and enjoy some simple, creative fun whether. You could play an instrument, do a few yoga stretches, fill a page with doodles, fill a page with words, take an inspiring book off the shelf and enjoy the next 15 minutes of uninterrupted reading ~ all guilt free! I give you permission! 

If by chance you tend to (every once in a blue moon that is) spend 15 minutes or more on Facebook, playing Words with Friends, or online shopping (Who...me?) why not try substituting one of those (very fun...but not very creatively fulfilling) habits for a new creative habit? 

If this sounds good, I'd love help you do just that. How? By sharing the gentle accountably, compassionate reminders and powerful tools and techniques of one-on-one creative coaching that will have you creating more beauty and restoring your soul faster than you can say "If only I had more time!" 

As of today I can accept two more one-on-one coaching clients. If you'd like one of them to be you please leave me a message in the comments below or send me a direct e-mail message by clicking here. 

Still feeling stuck? 

Click here to take my short 5-question survey to share what's standing in the way of your creative dreams. As a thank you for your time you'll be automatically entered for a chance to win Creative Oasis Goodies including a 30 minute one-on-one creative coaching session with me. All entries must be complete and submitted by midnight Monday January 26, 2015.

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below!  If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

The Creative Magic of 15 Minutes

Does experiencing this type of creative transformation sound good to you? If so, I invite you to set a timer for 15 minutes and dive into one of the creative prompts below. If you like Click Here to download a free printable PDF version.

 ~ "Even When" Creative Prompts ~

# 1 ~ Even though I feel so tired...one small doable way to spark my creative energy for the next 15 minutes might be to...

#2 ~ Even though my to-do list is sooooooo long...one thing I can release from my list right now without the world crashing down around me is...

#3 ~ Even though I feel like I don't have any time for myself...I can hop off the computer for the next 15 minutes and enjoy some creative play by...

#4 ~ Even though I feel so uninspired right now...I open myself to finding some creative inspiration for the next 15 minutes by...

#5 ~ Even though I just want to zone out in front of the TV...I give myself permission to enjoy 15 minutes of Creative Oasis time right now by...

Here's to seizing the next fifteen minutes to experience the positive transformation of creative time!

Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

Jill Allison Bryan ~ Creative Oasis Coaching

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. ~ If you enjoyed this post please share on Facebook and twitter using the buttons below! 
If you'd like to receive bite-size bonbons of creative inspiration like this Mid-Week Oasis Moments plus a free copy of my e-book "Permission to Be Creative 101" join me here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html.

Mother Nature Makes a Good Point

Mother Nature gave me a wink and a nod last week when my friend took me to the beautiful Multnomah-Wahkeena Falls. As we hiked lush trails that wove in and out of moss-covered trees and flowing waterfalls I snapped photo after photo while soaking up nature's powerful inspiration with delight. Talk about Creative Oasis Moments!

Since the name of the workshop I'd come to Art and Soul Portland to teach was entitled, "So In The Flow" (Maintaining your creative moment even after the retreat) the serendipity of having the opportunity to spend time trekking alongside these falls was not lost on me.

I hope the above image and haiku serve as a nice reminder that the free feeling of being in the creative flow is as natural as a waterfall - not to mention as energizing and refreshing!

Here are three simple ways we might take a page from Mother Nature's book:

#1 – Water flows downhill. It doesn't fight gravity. It literally goes with the flow. When we remember that the struggle is optional and we can choose to try things the easy way rather than the hard way, we open ourselves up to enjoying our creative pursuits more easily and frequently.

This may be as simple as remembering to ask ourselves, "How can I make this easier?" or "How might I make this more fun?"

What's one creative project you might try this with today?

#2 – Running water is an extremely powerful force. It can move heavy tree limbs, boulders and people down a mountainside with great force. Our creativity gives us super powers of our own.  When we embrace our creative flow we have the awesome ability to turn bad days into good days…wash away negative thoughts from our inner critic…and add positive energy and joy to the people in our lives.

What if being in the creative flow was your super power? How might that look? How might that feel?

#3 – Simply taking a moment to drink in the beauty of a waterfall feels like a sacred creative act.  Giving ourselves the opportunity to just enjoy the creative output of others is an important and delightful part of the creative process that we sometimes forget about. We become so focused on producing…doing…making…checking things off our list that we forget the importance of filling our own well.

Why not read an inspiring article or gaze at the lovely images in a coffee table book…watch a good movie or listen to a new style of music…take a walk in nature or enjoy a stimulating TED Talk video?

What's one way you might enjoy creative exposure this week?

Until next time I'll leave you with a few seconds of the lovely sound and image of a waterfall and the the wish that you'll give yourself permission to try at least one of the suggestions from above to dive into your own Creative Oasis flow very soon!

All the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,

Jill

www.creativeoasiscoaching.com

P.S. – If you'd like to have Mid-Week Oasis Moments (bite-sized bonbons of creative inspiration) delivered each week please sign up here: http://www.creativeoasiscoaching.com/newsletter.html

You'll also receive a free copy of "Permission to Be Creative 101" – my e-booklet that will help you take the first small steps to make the time and space for creative fulfillment – your Creative Oasis – in  your busy life!