Life often moves too quickly, leaving little time for the things that make our heart sing. I've spent countless hours juggling family life, the demands of running businesses, and the ever present to do list.
But it's in these quiet moments - waiting for the kettle to boil, while the kids are busy playing computer games- that I make that time, little snippets of time to doodle, or sit and write as I am doing now.
1. Keep Your Supplies Ready to Go
The best way I find is to make sure I have some supplies ready to go, now, admittedly it's not always that easy to do (what with living in an ADHD household and having to battle with it every day) but even though I try to live by my own advice I know its the best way so know you can do it too - I at least keep a draw or box of bits and bobs available in the kitchen and my drawing tablet and laptop is always ready to go when inspiration strikes. But here's a few other ways I make sure I can keep notes and doodle out what inspires me.
- Always have a sketchbook handy - Make notes on you phone - Use apps like sketchbook pro (for android) for little off the cuff doodles - take photos and screen shots to refer back to later (using the pen to make notes or doodles) -
2. Sketch during every day moments
Personally I tend to capture things in my mind and go home to sketch them out, but it doesn't always work out, or something distracts me and I end up forgetting what I had planned - the way I combat this is to use one of the ways above to document my ideas, or grab a moment while the kettle is boiling to quickly doodle something out.
Finding those moments can also bring inspiration, sometimes while washing the pots I can look out in to the back garden and observe the birds tweeting which inspires most of my wildlife pieces.
3. Prioritise Small Wins
Focus on short quick sketches, rather than elaborate detailed pieces. Having long stretches of time to create always seems to be daunting and make it unobtainable. So, little sketches which take less time mean you can accomplish more and celebrate completing pieces more often.
- Here are my own examples of simple sketch I completed over a week, and a master piece which took me over 3 years to fully complete - (and you know what, even though it printed and locked within a beautiful frame, I still look at it and think there is more to add) Maybe one day I will. But, you can see that each one is completed in its own way.
And I love them both in there own ways.
4. Find Inspiration in Routine
Look for patterns in the mundane. Being at home a lot, I mostly find inspiration in the patterns and shapes around me, the shadows cast on the walls, or the pattern created by the vibrant colours around us.
It's important to sketch these ideas down for later, so you can use them in later designs. Crafting through these moments and using every day items to create with not only passes the time, but repurposes.
Get the kids involved!
5. Sketch with Purpose
Set small goals - capture a specific type of scene, and focus on that theme for as long as you want to...
In his book 'Draw Buildings and Cities in 15 Minutes: The Super-Fast Drawing Technique Anyone Can Learn', Matthew Brehm explains;
'But, though it may seem a paradox, working within small windows of time is actually a good way to combat frustration. Brief drawings help us stay focused on repeated, short bursts of practice rather than elaborately developed drawings that require far more time without necessarily producing better results.'
Matthew Brehm
We don't ever stop learning, I'm certainly one that learns every day, having a library of ideas in my mind, but let's just say once you get past the beginner stages of learning to draw and you feel you can portray what you want to on the page without it looking too 'bad', then guess what, you should still draw as much as you can - with every time you will improve, and don't forget to celebrate those wins.
There are many barriers, well no, we say 'barriers' (that's just being polite, what I mean is 'excuses') to not doing something. Whatever it is, not just drawing and taking time to be creative, its cleaning the house, doing the laundry, fixing the shelf that's been lose since last Christmas. All these things we put off, and we leave until we have time, until we have to make the time.
We are all busy most of the time!
6. Make it about FAMILY
It's important to have downtime in a busy schedule. You know, most people will reach for the tv remote, and that's OK, no one will judge.
But maybe, like I do, look at drawing as downtime too. A gentle calming exercise to help us to be present, moments where we doodle a quick picture, or take a moment to colour in with our children.
'When my twins were little, our daughter would pick up a pen and doodle or colour in before she could write the words, she would draw little characters I would add the ears and faces, they were so cute'
But we lose that creativity as we get older - usually during school years when we're taught to not be individuals (that's story for another blog post)
As a home-educating family it's most important for us to bring the the kids along with us and encourage them to be creative daily.
7. Be imperfectly perfect
Give yourself space to create freely, make a mess, finger paint and doodle on the prints you create. Mark making, exploration and making a mess is not only important to generate your own creative ideas, but those of your kids too. Inspiring them in to their next project.
8. Connecting to others
If you're comfortable to, then joining groups, and meetups in your local areas and online can help keep you motivated, and give you plenty on inspiration for your next pieces and projects.
9. The Advantages Of Tech
Drawing digitally on a screen has been my new favourite - its so mobile and not only allows me to take my doodles anywhere, but I create drawings with exceptional detail. My murals on paper draw you in to a whole other world and take you on journeys through epic stories and memoirs of our world.
Using Sketchbook Pro allows me to create my own unique tools, brushes and textures. I curated my own library of elements, from metallic materials, fabrics and papers to incorporate in to the layers of my designs.
You can see my Murals on Paper here, or check out my bespoke designs if you're considering a custom piece.
10. Reflect on your Progress
Take a look back on your progress and refer back to previous sketches to see how far you have come.
I do tend to go back and then reuse my old pieces, either in journaling or repurposing them in to further pieces or collections.
If you want some help coming up with some journal entries, or help to begin writing your own story you can see my blog post here - 60 Unique Journal Entry Prompts
FINAL THOUGHTS
Drawing doesn't have to be perfect, and it doesn't have to take hours. By finding small moments in your every day, you can reconnect with your creativity and craft something meaningful. If you would love to bring your sketches to life in a personalised piece, or looking to capture a memory from photographs you have collected over years, or explore how I can help you turn your memories in to a timeless art piece, take a look at my bespoke designs.