Secret 5: Committing to Self-Focus

(A post for The Next Chapter’s current book blogging of The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin)

Wow, ok, this one isn’t that hard for me when it comes to art, because so far I’ve lived life alone and making time for myself has always been paramount. Maybe it’s because, while growing up, I saw how much my mother sacrificed of herself, how much she gave up for a bad relationship and other things, and I swore I’d never do that.

But I’ve reached a point in life where I want to start building/nurturing a “community” around me (family, like-minded friends), and I realize that with that means less time for creative pursuits. But I think that’s ok, since it just means I will have to find the balance that works for me. McMeekin talks about this in this chapter, and while I understand that finding creative time has often been difficult for women, I think that the fact that women can be pulled in the two directions (family, art) is testament to our depth and breadth as human beings. It isn’t/won’t be easy, but I would rather be so deeply soul-full about such things such as family & art that I feel that pull between them…it means I’m fully invested, that I’m living. Not sure if that makes sense; I’m just writing off the top of my head.