Finding Time
It’s spring here in Nebraska! Our average last frost date is around Mother’s Day, so I’m planting flowers and vegetables in my garden. Time seems to fly this time of year. I’ll be busy, look up, and it is way past dinner time- and I haven’t even made dinner yet.
It leads to a happy scatterbrained feeling. There’s so much going on, but it’s such a relief after a long, cold winter. Sometimes, though, it can also feel overwhelming- and it can be tough to squeeze one more thing into a busy day.
I just finished teaching another Drawing Flowers class at Lauritzen Gardens, and this is something that my students tell me they struggle with, too. We’re all trying to make space in our lives for something that brings us joy— gardening, flowers, art. It’s not easy. So many other distractions pull our attention away from what we’d like to do. Sometimes I am sitting at my drawing table and thinking about chores or work still manages to push its way into my brain. I’ve managed to convince myself to leave my phone in another room while I’m drawing, but I still feel guilty about doing this.
But it’s in these quiet spaces that we make for ourselves that we find our joy. In spite of the sometimes-overwhelming pressures of the world outside, it’s just you and a flower and a sketchbook. Let’s make something beautiful today. The world needs more beauty, and more happy people, too. Plant a flower to enjoy through the growing season. Visit a botanic garden. Draw in your sketchbook and don’t worry if it’s “good enough.” Trust me, it is. Allow yourself to take the time for joy. Plants and art can both bring us that!
-Camille
P.S. to my students: I hear you! I’m going to work in more strategies for making beautiful art, even when you don’t have a lot of time, into my classes. Thank you for being my encouragement on this road, too.