The time of your making

How do you do it all and keep time for creative pursuits? 

This was my first question for an occupational therapist mother-of-two I befriended earlier this week, who also happens to paint professionally. It spurred a half-hour discussion as our six-month-olds happily swung, unaware in the brisk March air, nearby.

My friend Brian Harskamp, Director of Development at the Hamilton-based think tank Cardus, is a brilliant cook. When, I wonder, does he find time between his work, civic involvements and other extracurriculars to peruse St. Lawrence Market and other local grocers for just the right ingredients? 

Me? At this stage it’s a three hour window every second Sunday, sitting in a lakeside arts centre in the company of six others, penning lines of poetry. I usually polish off my bi-weekly creative stint circling the perimeter of the lake on an early evening run. The rest of the time I scribble lines on scraps of paper as they come to me. Post-its. Backs of envelopes. Napkins. At the end of the day I write them in my journal or, more often, paste them in, ready for an article or a piece of yet-to-be-written prose. Sometimes I escape to a coffee shop between 6 and 7am to sit alone and read and journal. The occasional evening, after the dinner dishes are done, my husband is at his laptop and my daughter is tucked in bed, I scribble ideas on canvas (in pastel) for painting at a later date. 

So, dear reader, I’ve been wondering: When do you find (or, more accurately, make) time to create? 

[Adapted from this week's post on the After Hours blog]