Staying ready even in the in-between.
Art camp prep has taken over — drip bottles, prepped palettes, book board, and watercolor paper all stacked like little waiting hopes and dreams.
My days are full. My hands are busy. And still… I miss my art. The personal kind. The kind that doesn’t ask who it’s for, or when it’s due, or how it might be used.
I miss the part of me that paints slowly, just because she can.
But I’m purposely giving myself small signals with stolen moments between filling bottles, testing pens, and collecting found objects. Quiet ways I’m telling myself, you’re still an artist:
- I pulled out paper and covered it in black gesso, just to feel the brush move
- I placed a piece of sanded paper on the easel, even though I’m not sure when I’ll dust it with soft pastels
- I chose to make a chalk sign for camp instead of buying a pre-printed one, because something in me needed to create
It’s not a lot. But it’s something. It’s a reminder that I’m still here. That the artist in me hasn’t gone anywhere, she’s just leaning more fully into the joy of teaching and sharing than active creation in this stage.
And maybe that’s what reclaiming my art looks like right now:
Not rushing. Not pushing. Just staying in motion. Quietly, faithfully, relentlessly, even in the meantime.
And when I step back, I see it: this too is part of the process.
Not a pause, but a pivot.
Not lost — just rerouted through love, through teaching, through presence.
I’d love to know, how are you making space for your art right now? Are you in a season of uninterrupted creation? Quiet preparation? Or somewhere in-between?
