We all know that being a mom is challenging. More so if you are trying to balance parenthood and your professional career.
Imagine if you are in the creative arts like a painter or professional calligrapher?
For instance, finishing an illustration is time-consuming. Meanwhile, taking care of your children requires your full attention. You will need to feed them, help with their homework, ensure that they are not burning the house down, and more.
Fortunately, becoming a great parent while finding time for your life’s passions doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Here are six helpful parenting tips on how to balance your art with family life:
Take it One Day at a Time
To avoid becoming overwhelmed, take one step, one project at a time.
If you have a project that you can break down into smaller steps, then do so. This is also where having productivity tools could come in handy.
When you try to get everything done all at once, it can come across as overwhelming. You might end up losing your momentum or train of thought.
But if you try to focus on one task, then start doing it, you’ll feel much better, and you’ll accomplish more. It might take longer to finish in some cases, but breaking down tasks into simple, manageable steps will let you achieve your goal.
You’d also find that there will be some days that are the hardest. So, be gentle with yourself.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t have the drive or energy at that very instant- it doesn’t mean that it won’t come back.
Make Time to Create
You shouldn’t make art every time ‘inspiration hits’ you. If you’re able to satisfy the inner artist within you whenever the feeling strikes, then you’re lucky. However, if you’re most people, these things take time.
Treat art as your necessity and not just a luxury. See it as something essential and valuable to your health and well-being.
Many creative moms recommend using your kids’ nap times to work on creative projects. You might also want to find the right time that works for you so that you can regularly exercise your creative muscles.
Plan but Stay Flexible
Although you can set a plan for the things you need to do, unexpected things come up in reality.
For instance, your babysitter might cancel on you at the very last minute. You’ve been getting more work than you can handle, or a family member or loved one might be counting on you for support.
Ensure that you carve out time to do your art even if you have a busy schedule. However, understand that you also need to be flexible as well.
Your children might get sick, you might wind up tired doing household work, or you might take a lot of time than you’ve expected. Your schedule or plans might change with that, but it’s okay.
Set Creative Goals for Yourself
If your goal is to paint, then you can add something measurable to your plan. Let’s say you wanted to paint for an hour each day, 4 hours per week, and complete at least six paintings every month.
Think of goals that you can achieve realistically. You can reduce that a little slightly to increase the probability of achieving success.
Also, remember that growing as an artist isn’t how many works you finish. You need to set goals that not only improve your skills but your creativity as well!
Make Your Creative Space
Being creative and staying “one the zone” isn’t always easy. You can create a “flow room” at home that’s dedicated to helping you stay creative. You may hang a wall art in your home to create personal atmosphere and unique style you may visit Kace Art to get idea about different wall arts for your home.
Having your spot at home where you can be creative makes it easy for your brain to jump into ‘creative mode.’ After all, artists have their studios.
Ideally, this should be a spot that will serve as your creative haven. Treat it well and give it the respect that it needs.
It also helps that you fill your space with plenty of inspiration. You can set up an inspiration board and make sure that you keep it comfy and cozy as well.
Take a Walk
Even just a quick 15-minute walk can get those creative juices flowing!
You can even bring along a notebook with you and try to capture anything that might grab your attention.
You can even bring along the kids with you! Remember that the goal here is to take quiet walks. So, if you have chatty toddlers with you, you can teach them how to play a casual game.
Teach them how to listen to the sounds, take in everything right in front of them, and then do the same. Even just a couple of minutes of walking will give you that much needed mental space.
Being a parent should not hinder you from pursuing your passion. In our opinion, it is just a matter of finding time and space for your endeavor. And with the help of the tips listed above, you can balance making art and raising your kids.