Discovering Your Creative Outlet!

Life can sometimes be so overwhelming and jammed packed with errands, responsibilities, meetings, events, family, friends, kids, and we can't forget the never-ending household duties. Finding time for yourself is nearly next to impossible with all the hustle and bustle of every day life. This year my life went from busy to mega-busy in warp time.Gardening used to be my creative outlet, a place where I could go and be alone, get my hands dirty, (which I love to do!) a quiet place where I could think and that's usually where my creative juices would start flowing. I always carried a pen and a notebook to write down my thoughts. Most times I got more writing done out there than actually gardening. But now that I have two small children, there's really no such thing as quiet time anymore and hardly anytime for myself. It's hard to be creative when you're on a time crunch and the next thing on your schedule has got you headed for the door every 5 minutes.I've always been a sucker for things old, antique, and vintage. I've snatched up anything and everything from my great-grandmothers chairs, my grandmothers cedar hope chest, slate roofing tiles, old dressers, tables, even china. I've discovered this year that my new creative outlet is taking beat up old things, fixing them up with a fresh coat of paint or a new idea and "Viola" I got some thing brand new and super cheap to redecorate my home. It's great now because I even have family friends call me when they find something at a yard sale, flea market, or donation shop! (This mantle given to be my friends-it was flourescent lime green and the mirror was my great-grandmother's frame from the late 1800's. I just turned it into a mirror.)I've probably got something in every room of my house that has been redone, refurbished, and refurnished from someone else's old junk. Lately, the more old and banged up I find it, the more I seem to fall in love with it. So, instead of gardening I've found that sanding, repainting, hammering and nailing, or glueing seems to be my newest creative outlet!What makes it even better is that I don't have to be in complete silence while I am doing it. Just the strokes of the paint brush seem to send me into creative overload. And I can take the kids outside with me!  My daughter will ride her tricycle in the driveway till she's dizzy, my son will bounce in his chair till he almost throws up, and I get to de-stress a bit while getting some "me" time. If I'm ever feeling overwhelmed or just completely brain-dead and need a release, I just grab one of my projects and start pounding and spraying away. (This was jet black before I got my hands on it, now it's a little distressed and perfect for all my pictures.)We all need some creative release and it can be everything from sewing and sky diving to cooking and crafting. To stay healthy in every aspect of your life, you need time to do some soul-searching, to de-stress yourself, to let go of whatever is holding you back, and find what brings you happiness and satisfaction. Comment or message me and tell us your creative outlet, share your fun ideas, and tell us if you tried something different. This is my next project! Here's to finding a release and nurturing your soul!