Searching for time

Finding time to paint as a mother of little ones can be extremely difficult, frustrating, immensely challenging, and sometimes nearly impossible. My first priority is my children. Yet I also need fuel to be a happy mother. Whether it was a good day or a bad day in the studio does not always depend upon the success of a painting, but rather on the question, "What did I do with my eyes today?" Did I draw, or paint, or look at an art book? Did I print off photos, organize them into mini albums and curate their collectivity? Did I stare at a flower and ponder it's shadings and color ingredients for a possible future moment of creativity? Did I go to a gallery or view the artwork presented in Target, HomeGoods, or Pier1 (sometimes it's fun to see what's "popular").

So instead of beating myself up that I haven't completed a painting in a month or picked up a paintbrush in a week (gulp), I can be okay knowing that I used my eyes today. I took a moment during, before, or after my mommy role was fulfilled and tapped in to another way of seeing the world around me.