Making Space

I had a professor in college who told me no matter what season of life I'm in, I must always make space for my art.

As a freshman design student, I thought this was a given. I was my art, & my art was me, so that would be something very easy to make happen. A desk & a closet was something I always made a priority with each of my moves. Pencils were easily accessible, laptop always had enough room to be docked for charging, and any other tools and past projects tucked away in a drawer, cupboard, closet for when I was ready to use at a moment's notice.

Always make space for your art.

Then my studio slowly became filled with a bed, a chair, and a nightstand for guests. We needed a room for family when they came to town, a place for friends to crash late at night. I became more happy to host our loved ones than I did to take up space with my art. Something to do someday but not today. An idea would chime in my head and leave before I could find my sketchbook. Pencils were never within arms reach. Tools tucked away in boxes in the basement made an easy excuse to let the idea slide by.

But, always make space for your art.

I now see what my professor meant. Life happens and other things take priority. It's easier to rationalize budgeting your financials than it is taking off an afternoon from work to sketch without a goal in mind. It's a helluva lot easier to sketch when you get home from work though when you have a designated area to do so.

Joel mounted a 5-ft. desk to the guest room wall last night on a whim (Sundays are relaxing in different ways for everyone, ha!) and I fell in love with him all over again. He made room for ideas to get jotted down, for creating to happen. Even though I wasn't making it a priority, he did, and I took it as a sign to honor this new space. Grateful for it, and grateful for him to remind me when I couldn't remind myself.

Always make space for your art.