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As an artist keeping my creative flow juiced up is obviously important. I actually think keeping your creative flow juiced up is important to everyone, not just artists, but hey, that’s for you to decide for yourself! For me, it starts with figuring out what really makes me happy, inspires me, pumps me up…. And in the end what it’s really about is great self-care. Life can get so busy and I find I’m often racing to keep up, so I need ways to nourish my creativity that easily fit in with my daily life. Here are a few of my favorites that I find easy to integrate:

Listen to Music

Music to me is one of the greatest gifts in life. I find it to be a magical state changer. When I put on a great song, my mood changes immediately, and a new energy takes over and I feel inspired! I love almost all types of music, from the songs you can get lost in, to the songs that make you want to move… and I do! In my house dance parties are part of life! Live, Love, Dance!

Be Present

In Ekhart Tolle’s book, “A New Earth”, he describes ways to be more awake in your daily life, by staying present in whatever you are doing. So for example, if you are washing your hands, notice how the water feels, notice the sound of the water as it flows from the faucet, notice the fragrance from the soap, etc. In practicing this, I noticed that life takes on a greater vitality and richness. When I am out in the world and really take it in in this way, everything is more beautiful, when I am with my children and I’m really present, the moments are so much more special and my appreciation for my kids grows, and when I get back to my easel, I have much more to offer to the canvas because life feels that much more vital and exhilarating.

Create Space

Having downtime nourishes my creativity. I’ll admit it, I would love it if I had hours of downtime on the daily, to nourish my creativity or just be a bum, but lets be real, that will never happen and if it did, after a few days I’m sure I’d be so bored I would fill my schedule to the brim again. So, like most of you, I too am running from thing to thing throughout my day, without break. To revive myself, when I notice I’m loosing steam or feeling my motivation weaning, I take 5 minutes here and there to just sit down, close my eyes and take a quick rest. Sometimes I take these few minutes to flip through a beautiful book filled with paintings or photos that are inspiring, other times I grab a drink and sit outside to feel the sun and be quiet within myself. After just 5 minutes I feel rejuvenated and often it’s during these quiet moments that I get my best ideas.