Cultivating Creativity

These days it seems like everything is focused on commitments and obligations. That isn't a bad thing but it does leave little time for the creative, expressive side of me to flourish. I miss that. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time creating as most kids do. As children we entertain ourselves and explore life with imagination and expression. Some of us are lucky enough to have that tendency encouraged. I was. Whether it was music, dancing, drawing, whatever, I could escape most daunting situations through creativity. As an adult and, oddly enough, the older I get, the less that has been cultivated because of time constraints, lack of outside encouragement, excuses and just plain lack of motivation. Not that I don't have it all in my mind. I see things in my mind's eye all the time. I remember the excitement of taking photos of leaves falling against a beautiful blue sky, printing them, mounting them to poster board and writing a poem about Autumn. I was consumed by the project. It wasn't for any reason other than expressing a part of me that felt good, made me happy. I don't know that anyone even saw it. After a few years I looked at it and thought, "hmm, don't need that taking up space anymore" so I tossed it. No big deal. It served it's purpose. What happens as we get older? Now I feel like there needs to be a reason, a justification for creating something. For taking the TIME to be creative. It isn't "productive" if it doesn't have a reason. I pledge to myself that I am going to allow myself the opportunities to be creative, even if it means some other things have to be put off. This will have to be a balancing act as putting things off can sometimes cause stress and the whole point is to feel more emotionally and mentally balanced. This is a good time to start this process since it is the Christmas season. There are many ways to be creative and still be productive. Well, here I go....a project that has been on my mind for a while will begin. Support will need to come from inside. Motivation will have to be conquered. A lost way of prioritizing will be brought forth again.