Guest Post- Rosey from Sushi Candy

Today's Guest Post comes from my friend Rosey. I met Rosey through the Ball Jointed Doll hobby, where she made beautifully intricate clothing for the dolls. I've come to adore every single one of her endeavors, and wondered how she'd get it all done, and today's post gives us a bit of insight into how. -Carla

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Time and Creativity


Free time is precious for everyone. A myriad of commitments can suck it up: school, work, children, etc. When you do have a good chunk of free time, what do you do? Do you get overwhelmed because there are too many things you want to do and end up doing nothing? Do you get discouraged about starting that project knowing it may take weeks or months to even finish? Do you spend the entire time planning on what to do and end up accomplishing nothing?

I struggled with this issue once my baby girl was born. Free time used to be regular and normal and then it vanished. I had two choices: continue with the never ending funeral dirge for what I had lost, or deal with it. After indulging in an ostentatious funeral march and bouts of hysterical weeping and pining, I chose to deal with it. Being able to express myself creatively is tied to my personal happiness. I was miserable without it.

The solution revolves around changing your mentality.

Be realistic. It is rare for anyone to get more than a few hours of free time. With this in mind, choose a project and start it.

Having problems choosing what to do? Rank your options using two scales:

* excitement (how much does this project excite and motivate me?)
* happiness (how happy will I be doing it?)

Nothing else matters. Trust me.

I started embroidery because I can put it down and take it up whenever my baby slept. It was a perfect start and go project.

The best part for me is how relaxing I find embroidery. I have a background in hand sewing so the transition to this new hobby was seamless. My first piece took a month and a half to finish. I grew confident and began smaller pieces as gifts for friends and family. Tiny snippets of free time were used productively. Each piece took a month or so to finish. Patience is key.

Do you have a project now? Start it. No excuses. Time is ticking.

The worst excuse is "Why start when I know I'm not going to finish?" The answer is simple: if you never start anything, you're guaranteed to never finish. It's not a race to the finish line. Arts and crafting is all about the enjoyment of the process. The result is just icing on the cake.

Watch the clock. Is your free time up yet? It should go by quickly since you're enjoying what you're doing. Put the project away and remind yourself that you have something wonderful to work on the next time you have a free moment. In time, your project will be done.

Currently, I have two embroidery projects and a novel waiting for my free time. Who is waiting for you?


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