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Things have been particularly busy lately, making it harder to make time for my beloved creative tinkering. I take my own advice and block chunks of time on my calendar (shifting not skipping when life gets in the way), which sometimes work. But more often these days it’s about finding the cracks in my schedule to be creative—those smaller bits of time that often spring up unexpectedly. What this can look like: Waiting at school pick up: voice memo a new scene or story idea Flight delayed: sketch the irritated travelers around you 15 mins between meetings: make a mini collage Waiting for water to boil: noodle on the guitar The dryer needs more time: work on this newsletter
I always have one of these pocket Moleskine in my purse to catch ideas on-the-go too. Even just 10 minutes of creative tinkering in the middle of a busy day makes me feel so much chiller and more clear-headed. Much more rejuvenating than scrolling socials. What you do in the cracks can be related to your Main Creative Thing or be the incredible and wonderful world of LOW STAKES ART. Low Stakes Art helps me and so many people I know get in a flow even when their Main Thing is stuck (logistically or emotionally). With Low Stakes Art, you don’t care about the outcome while still getting all the benefits of being creative. If you’re a writer, try painting. If you’re a musician, try cooking. If you’re a dancer, try poetry. I know there are a lot of hardcore people out there who would say this approach is too lax. Commit to more time, wake up two hours earlier, quit the job job, don’t get out of the chair, forget your friends’ birthdays. But that’s just not me or most creative people I know. For many, that kind of pressure can lead to creative paralysis. So if you find yourself spread thin and feeling like your creativity is taking the hit, try finding the cracks. It’s amazing what a few minutes of creative tinkering can do for the soul.
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