Finding time for art in a Busy Life

This video and article is a feature from a Live Session for members of my Art Soul Living – Creative Academy membership.

Making Time for Art When Life Feels Full

There’s a quiet longing I hear from many artists — and often feel myself. It’s the sense that if only I had more time, I could finally make the art I dream of making.

But life is life. It moves fast, fills up, gets complicated. It doesn’t pause just because we want to draw or paint. Whether we’re working, raising families, helping others, managing health, or simply feeling the exhaustion of modern life — it can feel like creativity is the first thing to slip through the cracks.

This isn’t a productivity guide. I’m not here to tell you to wake up at 5 a.m. or block off your calendar in color-coded segments. What I do want to offer is a gentle invitation: to reflect on how you might make space — even a small one — for your creative practice, right where you are, as you are.

Not because you should. But because it matters to you.

When Is There Actually Time?

Not the idealized version. Not “when I retire” or “when summer slows down.” But today. This week. Where is there actually time?

I’ve found it helpful to stop aiming for “more” time and start noticing what time is already there — even if it’s just ten minutes in the morning before anyone else is awake. Or that little window when dinner is in the oven. Or those in-between moments when my hands are free but my mind is still full.

We often overlook the small, quiet minutes. But they count. Sometimes even more than the long stretches we wait for that never arrive.

Choosing What to Create

Here’s something I believe: your art practice doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful.

It’s easy to feel like we have to work on something significant, something complex, something that could one day be framed. But often, what actually brings us back to art again and again are the simple, joy-based practices — the ones that feel natural to return to.

I often ask myself: What do I enjoy making right now?

Not what I think I should be making. Not what’s trending or impressive. Just: what feels good to do? Sometimes that’s soft graphite sketches. Sometimes it’s experimenting with color. Sometimes it’s playing with materials I haven’t touched in ages.

And then, once I find that joy — I add a gentle stretch. Something just slightly challenging. A way to stay curious and keep growing, without pressure.

How to Make It Easier to Begin

Here’s a very practical truth I’ve discovered: if my materials are packed away, I’m probably not going to use them.

This sounds obvious, but it’s huge. The way we store and access our tools can either support or completely block our creative impulses. So one of my biggest allies is simply visibility. I like to have my sketchbook nearby — even if I don’t use it that day. I carry it with me. Sometimes it’s just there, resting beside me like a quiet friend.

I even tried replacing my phone with my sketchbook. You know that moment when your hand automatically reaches for a screen? I started reaching for my sketchbook instead. Just to flip through it. Or maybe draw something small. That tiny shift changed everything.

Some people prepare trays with portable materials — a few pens, pencils, water brushes. Others keep a sketchbook by the couch or kitchen table. The key is to make it easy to start. So that “I only have ten minutes” doesn’t turn into “so I won’t bother.”

Ten minutes is enough.

The Deep Question: Why Are You Making Art?

This one is personal. And powerful. And sometimes surprisingly hard to answer.

Why do you make art?

Is it for joy? For self-expression? For healing? To share with others? To create beauty in a world that sometimes forgets to pause?

For me, it’s all of those. And depending on the day, one may feel louder than the others. But the point is — your why matters. It helps you say yes to your art when the rest of life is pulling at you.

And maybe even more importantly, it helps you quiet that small, nagging voice — what I sometimes call the “play-small monkey” — that says it’s not important, or that you should be doing something more productive.

Knowing your why helps you answer back: “No. This matters to me.”

A Journal Prompt to Try

If you feel like pausing right now, I invite you to explore this in your own way.

Take five or ten minutes and reflect on these four questions:

When do I actually have time — even just a little?
What kind of art do I enjoy making most right now?
How can I make it easier for myself to start?
Why do I create?

You can write freely, sketch while thinking, or even turn your answers into a visual affirmation.

Here’s one I’ve been sitting with:

My art matters. Even in small moments, it can grow — and I can grow with it.

Maybe you’ll write your own. Maybe it will find its way into your next piece.

In Closing

You don’t need hours of uninterrupted time to be an artist.

You need a corner. A notebook. A moment. A pencil. The willingness to show up — even when the moment is brief. Especially when the moment is brief.

There is beauty in the small windows. There is depth in the in-between.

And when you show up for your art in those fleeting moments, you’re also showing up for yourself.

Begin Your Creative Journey

If you’re interested in diving deeper into the art-making process and exploring more techniques for finding time for art, I cover these topics in depth in my Art Soul Living – Creative Academy membership. There, we take these ideas further, turning each new beginning into a joyful, mindful experience.