Ep 98: 7 Ways to Honour Your Creative Practice in Busy Seasons
[00:00:00] Hey, my name's Sam Horton. In this episode, I share seven gentle, grounded ways to honor your creative practice When life feels really heavy, full, or overwhelming, you'll hear how to soften your relationship with creativity so that it supports you rather than demands from you. How to stay connected to your creative self, even when time and energy feel limited, and how to release the pressure to be productive so your creativity can become a source of nourishment, clarity, and inner connection.
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So we all feel it from time to time, even if it's not something we speak out loud or even really admit to ourselves. And it's that sense that life has become heavier, fuller, louder, busier. And it kind of creeps up on you. You know, your days are filled with responsibility, care for others, decision making, holding, managing, showing up, and just general busyness.
And somewhere in all of that, your creativity has started to [00:01:00] feel like the thing that gets pushed to the edges. And it's not because you don't love it, not because it doesn't matter to you. Um, but because life feels like it's weighing you down and your creative self feels like the soft sensitive part that doesn't quite fit inside all that weight.
So today I want to gently reframe what it means to honor your creative practice in seasons like this, not as something you either succeed or fail at, not as something that requires more effort, discipline, or productivity, But as a relationship, you can tend to even when life feels full.
and I want to share with you seven gentle ways you can honor your creativity in seasons where you feel stretched, tired, or quietly longing for more space. So let's begin.
Number one, commit to a small, regular artist date every week. This isn't about having a grand plan or a perfect [00:02:00] ritual. It's not a big block of time that never quite happens. It's something small enough that your nervous system doesn't resist it. Something regular enough that your soul can rely on it.
This might be 20 minutes to one hour once a week. It might just be sitting with your journal and a cup of tea. It might be painting or sketching, or simply sitting with your art for a short block of time. This is not about what you're making. It's about building self trust.
It's about showing up for your creativity, even when life is full in soft, gentle ways that feel rich, nourishing, and doable. And suddenly a 20 minute date, once a week turns into three times a week or a two hour block every Sunday. The point is to start small and naturally expand from there without pressure or expectations.
You can still have a nourishing creative practice even if you can't show up for it every day right [00:03:00] now.
Number two, let yourself be held inside a creative community. Creativity was never meant to be a lonely path. When life feels really heavy, we often retreat inwards and our creativity can start to feel isolated, fragile. Or even pointless. And being part of a creative space, even a very simple one reminds you that your longing is shared, that your sensitivity is normal, that your creativity is not indulgent or unnecessary, but deeply human.
Let yourself be seen, inspired, and reflected. You don't have to walk this alone. Try a free, engaged artist Facebook group. There are plenty of those. Or start engaging with other artists on Instagram. If face-to-face suits, you better join a local community art group that meets regularly. There is a real power in feeling seen, heard, and inspired by others.
sometimes this is the creative fuel we need to keep showing [00:04:00] up.
Number three, dream into the next season of your creative life. Busy seasons can shrink our vision. They make us focus on survival, maintenance, and getting through. So consciously give yourself space to dream again, not in a pressured way, not in a way that demands action immediately, but in a way that lets your soul stretch.
How do you want creativity to live in your future? What kind of artist are you becoming? What kind of relationship do you want with your creative self? What does your ideal creative practice really look like? And how much time do you want to spend creating? It's important to forget about how you're going to achieve these creative dreams and simply to dream life gives us what we focus on.
So instead of saying to yourself, I have no time for my creative practice, say I'm moving towards a future that allows me to complete one [00:05:00] painting a week, or to comfortably spend at least an hour on my art every day, or to have a creative practice that simply feels fulfilling and abundant. The more specific you can be, the quicker your vision will come to life.
But follow that intention, take even the tiniest action steps towards that vision. They're not leaps, they're not big overhauls. They're just quiet, tiny choices that say, I'm moving in that direction.
Number four, place yourself inside a.
Number four, place yourself inside a short creative container, a short class, a small course, a gentle commitment that has a beginning and an end. This gives your creativity something to lean into when your own energy feels thin. It's not about consuming more, it's about being held in a structure that carries you when you don't quite have the [00:06:00] capacity to carry yourself.
Choose something that feels exciting, something new, someone's art or style or creations that you admire and love to emulate in some way. Something you're curious about trying, learning, or immersing yourself in energetically. Let others guide your creative practice when it feels hard to get started and stay consistent.
Learning new skills and practices from other artists or creatives is an amazing way to re-energize your own creativity and expand your own creative practice.
Number five, let your creative practice change shape. What honored your creativity five years ago might not fit your life now, and that doesn't mean you failed. It just means you're evolving.
Maybe your creative practice becomes shorter, softer, simpler. Maybe it becomes a few lines instead of a page, a sketch instead of a painting. Maybe it's experimenting with new materials and [00:07:00] saying goodbye to old ones. Or maybe it's letting go of themes, symbols, and a style that you've outgrown, so that you can let in new ideas and new ways to uniquely express yourself through art.
Your creativity is alive and it will change with you. Honoring it means letting it evolve and not holding on too tight or abandoning it.
Number six, practice witnessing what you make. Don't just rush past your art when you finished it. Sit with it. Look at it, feel it. Ask it what it wants to show you. You know, art isn't something you just produce, um, and then say goodbye to. It's something that will talk back to you. Um, if you, if you listen, it's something that you can use to understand yourself better and understand your creativity better, and understand what it is your soul wants to make.
Next, [00:08:00] number seven, release productivity as the measure of creative worth.
Your value as a creative person is not measured by your output. Some seasons are about making lots of art. Some seasons are about rest, about listening inwards and slowly when it feels good, reflecting on what your heart wants to make next. Other seasons are about experimentation, new ideas, and allowing mess making and bad art.
While you give your creativity time to breathe. All of that is creative. You're not behind. You're just in a season,
so to close. Remember, your creative practice is not discipline. It is devotion. It is not a routine, it's a relationship. And like any relationship, it deepens through small, consistent acts of love. So if you've been feeling like your creativity has been slipping away from you, let this be your permission to soften.
[00:09:00] To stop fighting your season, to stop judging yourself for not making enough time for creativity to stop trying to force yourself back into a version of you that no longer fits. Your creativity has not left you. It's just waiting for you to meet it in the shape your life is in now. And before we close, I want to leave you with a gentle reflection.
What would it look like to honor your creativity in a way that supports you rather than demands from you? In this season of your life, so let that answer unfold slowly. There is no rush. Your creativity is not going anywhere. It wants to walk with you, whether quietly in small ways or loudly in grand ways.
When it feels hard to show up, start small and let your creativity guide you. Take care.
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