Feeding the Soul By Creating.

There is an Aesop Rock song, called “Rings“, that starts out with the lyrics:

“Used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw, portraiture and the human form, doodle of a two headed unicorn, it was soothing, moving his arm in a fusion of man-made tools and a muse from beyond…”

(Hear the whole song here.)

And even though I never used to draw, I do connect deeply with these lyrics. When we do things that feed the SOUL rather than just our pocketbooks, it is deeply satisfying and almost tribal….and very therapeutic. Whether it is art, journaling, scrapbook pages, poetry, collages, colouring, meditation, forest bathing or drawing, we all need to find our thing that helps us find our “fusion of man-made tools and a muse from beyond”.

Aesop Rock, courtesy of Rhymesayers.

Aesop Rock, courtesy of Rhymesayers.

I’ve lost that! I used to do so many creative things. Without an end point. Without wondering if it was productive or going to make me money or improve me in some way. Creating for its own sake was a huge part of my twenties. Since I have had kids, I never make the time. Between packing lunches, laundry, my blog, appointments, socializing, school meetings, and meals I never make the time. If I do have free time in the evening, it is for talking with the husband about our day and having tea in front of the TV, before falling (exhausted!) in to bed. Working from home means that work never stops. There is always something I am trying to improve or research for work…. or there’s always more housework.

I don’t take time out to do anything creative. If I DO have free time, I am immediately panicking about what I have forgotten to do. WHAT HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO DO FOR THE KIDS!? Have I gotten the materials for the kid’s class projects? Have I forgotten to make an appointment or some ingredient prep for supper time? And on and on….

“Used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw, portraiture and the human form, doodle of a two headed unicorn, it was soothing, moving his arm in a fusion of man-made tools and a muse from beyond…”

If I go through the whole panic and the mental list, and I do find I have actual free time, I feel guilty about it and create some busy work.

"We must find some 'busy work' to do!"

“We must find some ‘busy work’ to do!”

I feed my family, myself and the cats. I feed the machine with laundry and the cupboards with clean dishes. I feed the vacuum with dust and the pantry with clean towels. But….I never feed my soul. This needs to change. Even just twenty minutes a week. Maybe I will revisit my high school love of poetry. Perhaps I will do collages again, a fave from high school and well into my twenties. I feel the itch to be creative (for no reason) and know that I will find inspiration once I get started.

Is there anything you used to create that you haven’t made time for lately?

What hobbies do you enjoy best? 

What’s your fave way to unwind that feeds your soul?

You may also enjoy…..

Making Time for Myself

Restless

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