5 Reasons to Practice Creativity While You Have Young Children
By Alissa Marquess Zorn on May 25, 2011 (updated October 24, 2016)
As a mother of three young kids I am more tired that I have ever been in my life, more busy and more interrupted than I previously knew was possible. So why should take the time to develop my creativity? Here are five (of the many) good reasons:
- It’s fun, it adds spark, light and interest to your life. Often days with children are spent doing repetitive and mundane tasks (laundry, and laundry, and, ooh! wiping a butt!). Delving into a creative pursuit increases energy and patience because it nurtures your soul.
- It’s inspiring. Your creativity opens windows for your children and others around you as to how they too might lead an interesting and fulfilling life.
- It’s rejuvenating– Even if it’s just ten minutes that you work on a creative task, it is refreshing to feel the flow of creativity. That ten minutes can bring you more fully into the present and help you recenter and refocus.
- It makes your brain more flexible, and the more flexible your brain is, the easier it is to respond to the challenges of raising children. When you’re so angry that you feel like screaming at, or smacking, your tantrumming three year old, creativity gives you ability to gather yourself and come up with more productive and peaceful solutions so that you can be the sort of parent you want to be.
- You have so little free time– Seriously, I know how hard it is to get a few minutes to yourself. When you get a free moment hundreds of undone tasks vie for your attention. Making it a priority to do a creative practice gives you the satisfaction of knowing that while the floor might not be mopped, you, at least, have not ceased to grow.
The only truly happy people are children and the creative minority. ~Jean Caldwell
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Great list! Creative people are never bored and are like children!
You are right, it is so important. I find that my creative pursuits now need to be things that I can complete quickly in the little snippets of time I have available every now and then,
Yes- for me it took a long time to come to grips with that “snippets of time” concept. When I first had kids I was still clinging to the creative things I did in college and it just didn’t work- I no longer have those long stretches of time! It got easier for me to have fun with creative projects once I let go of the expectation that I’d be able to work on something for hours at a go.
Nicely put!