Apple Blossoms in Fifteen Minutes a Day

While my studio is a cluttered mess these days, and I hate working in a disaster zone, I do like what that mess indicates; a busy, active creative mind. I'm preparing for classes for March and April, trying out new materials, and starting a commitment to painting every day. It seems that while I love to create in many ways - paper crafting, painting and even sewing - I get the biggest response from my painting. And I do love watercolour, which is why I get so frustrated when weeks or months pass without any painting happening in my studio.

I know that part of the problem is the lack of space. I don't have running water in the room I work in, so clean up and set up take extra time. Because the room sees a lot of classes, kids running in and out, and other projects going on, I can't leave my painting stuff set up. I can't tell you how irresistible a wet palette is to little fingertips - and then how expensive watercolour paper is the choice for surreptitiously cleaning off those little fingers! Even my nine-year-old can't resist a fresh well of cobalt blue.

Anyhow, I've decided to do something about this lack of drive and do what I did when the kids were babies and my time was even more limited than it is now (all three were born within a 3 1/2  year time span); paint for fifteen minutes a day. I was first inspired by the daily painters who committed to an hour a day, only I knew an hour was more than I might be able to manage. But everyone can manage fifteen minutes, I reasoned, even if it means going to bed fifteen minutes later than usual. Or getting up fifteen minutes earlier, for that matter. I didn't stick with the fifteen minute plan for long, but I'm ready to try it again.

I started this apple blossom painting a couple of weeks ago, and I really want to finish it before I lose momentum. I spent forty-five minutes (because 15 minutes always turns into more) on it this morning, defining the buds and some of the darks. Time will tell whether the painting will turn into something, or whether it's an exercise in experience, but at least while teaching watercolour painting classes I can feel a little less like an imposter who only talks about painting.

Have you made any goals you're striving to stick to this week? I'd love to hear about it!