Stealing Time for Hobbies

Posted by Charlene Prince Birkeland

There's something about my life being chaotic that pulls me towards being crafty. Over the past month, with our new puppy, my boys and their summer schedules and my husband's new travel routine, I feel like I've been pulled in about twenty different directions and my head won't stop spinning. I find myself pulling out my scrapbooking materials, looking at design books and creating a wish list of projects I want to complete. I get inspired by women like Donna Downey and Cathy Zielske and Ali Edwards. Amazingly talented women and working moms who spend their days creating art. 

I've realized my need to craft comes from a need to pull away from my laptop -- my 24-hour access to all-things-work. Because my work day is like a patchwork quilt, I could spend every free moment writing.

With crafts, it's just me and time with absolute focus on creating pretty things.

Between work and being a mom, it's really easy for hobbies to get left by the wayside -- especially new ones. (It's not all that cool to whip out an electric guitar after the kids are asleep.) And let's face it, work is always there. I could easily work every single night until the wee hours of the next morning. Somehow, we always force ourselves to make time for work. To catch up. To get ahead. (Sound familiar?) 

But you have to steal time for yourself.

Stealing Time: Grand Gestures

Sometimes it takes a big, bold move to find time for your hobbies. What I call the "Grand Gesture." A few months ago I went on a weekend scrapbooking retreat with one of my best friends. She'd been asking me to go with her to a "crop" for years. When I realized how behind I'd gotten on my albums -- and I spied an event in the Wine Country -- I finally agreed to go. Who could pass up a weekend away from the kids while scrapbooking at a renowned Napa Valley restaurant? It was almost too good to be true. After that weekend, I made her promise to go with me to another crop -- this time near the beach -- because I was in bliss from endless hours of uninterrupted time to focus. And not only have I signed up, I've convinced some other working moms to join me.

Can you take a weekend or after-work gardening class? Participate in a one-day crop with friends? Or an intense cooking course? All ways to go big when it comes to enjoying your hobbies.

Stealing Time: Wee Hours and Late Nights

Okay, reality check. The Grand Gestures to steal time for hobbies don't come all that often, and you have to savor every moment when you can get away to enjoy yourself. But if you don't make a Grand Gesture, will you still make time for your hobby?

You should, especially if it's one that makes you decompress and feel good about yourself.

I find that when I'm excited about my crafts, I wake up early so I can spend some quiet time working on my projects while everyone else is still asleep. And somehow, no matter how tired I am before the kids go to bed, I find myself staying up really really late because I just have to finish one more page for an album.

I've also found it easier to work on my craft-related projects now that my older son is five. He's very interested in what I'm doing, all the gadgets, tools and fabrics. Nol could easily sit and watch me cut fabric swatches for a quilt for an hour, asking me about every single step as we go. He's quiet about it, using his "inside voice," which makes me know he understands that this activity is a peaceful one. So sometimes when my toddler is napping, Nol and I will start a project. It's become a wonderful way of spending quiet time together.

I know, I'm talking alot about crafty things, and not all moms want to be crafty. Truth be told, I was never really all that crafty until I had kids. Once my Nol was born, I had a new muse. I found an artistic side I never knew existed. I have other hobbies -- gardening, cooking, photography -- but those sort of blend into the everyday.

The point is that whatever hobby you enjoy, make time to do it. When you're feeling overwhelmed with work and motherhood,  that's the time you need to focus on your other "loves in life" the most.

You just might find yourself completely recharged. Or at least energized enough to make it through to your next hobby session.

Comments

[Nataly]

Thanks for a great reminder - I've also let go of my hobbies and crafts since becoming a working mom and I need to get back to painting some silly-looking canvases soon. There is something really awesome about creating something with your hands - vs say writing - and I always find it energizing.

Nataly
www.workitmom.com