Walking Backwards

In an effort to inspire myself to create, I went out this evening with a group of mamas to a local craft studio. It is actually a regular gathering that I had heretofore been unable to attend and was quite eager to break down the door, so to speak. I'm not regularly a very social person, but I felt an affinity with the spirit of the group and decided to give it a try. Originally, the group was formed as sort of sounding board for women who had felt their creative energies sapped by the demands of life and family, for women who had fallen out of doing what they love. Not that I've completely stopped being creative, but it is always a challenge to balance my evolving life and family with the things I do just for me. I really enjoy painting and sewing, but it has been kind of hard to fit in lately. I also wanted to bounce off some ideas of how to incorporate art into the lives of our children.

The ladies I met were warm and welcoming. The group had only been around for a couple of months, though, and still hadn't settled into its groove yet. We mainly spent time talking about our lives and only briefly touched on art and children. I didn't even manage the question about balance. I'm hoping that as the group develops that it. I also didn't know that I was supposed to bring something to work on! It makes sense, but that requires forethought I suppose. I'm going to the next one, but I'll bring knitting and wine and not have such lofty ideals. I'll be content to do my thing and have people to talk to while I do it.

I do wonder, though, how some people do it. How do mothers write with the small ones wanting to play dress-up pirate? How do you paint when all you can focus on is the overwhelming desire to take a nap yourself? Is there a secret? I'd also like to know how to inspire in my son this overwhelming desire to make and do. Yesterday I spoke about something similar. I suppose that balance, more than anything has been on my mind.