Creativity in the Cracks: Finding Time for Art as a Mom

There’s this quiet grief that comes when your creative life gets swallowed up by everything else. Finding time for art as a mom feels impossible most days, and even when it does happen, it looks nothing like it used to. You’re still you, technically. But you’re also snack maker, laundry folder, ride-giver, schedule holder. And somewhere in the middle of all that, your creative spark just kind of… disappears.

I remember walking past my burner one afternoon and thinking, I used to be so inspired. Where did she go?

She wasn’t gone.
Just quiet.
Harder to hear above everything else.

Motherhood Doesn’t End Creativity — It Just Changes the Conversation

Before kids, creativity felt easy.
I’d get an idea, run with it, tweak it until it felt right. I had time. Space. Energy.

Now? It’s like trying to catch a butterfly in a windstorm.
Ideas hit at the weirdest times—while wiping peanut butter off the counter, or mid–car line scroll.
And just when I think I’ve got one… it’s gone.

I used to think that meant I wasn’t creative anymore.
But I don’t think that’s true.
I just have to listen differently now.

When What Used to Work Stops Working

Dance was my thing for years. I loved the way it helped me feel present, like I could exhale through movement. But after kids, finding that rhythm again felt impossible.
I’d try to go back to it, but honestly? It didn’t always land. I didn’t feel like the same version of myself anymore.

And that was hard.
It felt like mourning something no one could see.

But here’s what I’ve learned:
You don’t have to give up what you used to love.
You just don’t have to force it, either.

There’s room to change. To find new creative rhythms that fit this version of you.
The tired-but-trying, kid-covered, doing-her-best version.

That’s how I found pyrography.
I wasn’t looking for it. I just wanted to make something that felt like mine.

And suddenly there I was—burner in hand, wood on the table, ten minutes to spare.
No pressure. No polished plan.
Just me and a little fire.

Finding Time for Art as a Mom (That Actually Fits Now)

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from your creativity, like the spark is there but buried, you’re not alone.

You don’t have to go back to what you used to do.
But you can try something new.

Something that doesn’t ask for a ton of time.
Something you don’t have to be great at.
Something that makes you feel like you again, even for a moment.

Maybe it’s pyrography.
Maybe it’s sewing, watercolor, sourdough, or scribbling poems in your Notes app.
Maybe it’s taking pictures of weird shadows in your kitchen or rearranging your bookshelves just to make them look pretty.

You don’t need to be productive. You don’t need to be impressive.
You just need to start. Somewhere. Anywhere.

What matters most is finding time for art as a mom that feels easy, not overwhelming.

Ritual Over Routine

For a long time, I thought I needed a daily routine to stay creative.
A schedule. A plan. A perfectly organized art space.

But honestly? What saved me were the small rituals.

Making a cup of coffee or peppermint tea.
Playing the same quiet playlist.
Reaching for the same woodburning tip, even when I didn’t know what I was going to make.

These little things told my brain, we’re here now. We’re allowed to make something.

Even if it’s just for ten minutes.

Permission to Be Unfinished

Sometimes I start a piece and don’t touch it again for weeks.
The old me would’ve called that failure.

But now? I’ve made peace with the pause.
I trust I’ll come back when I can.

This season of life isn’t about finishing everything.
It’s about returning to yourself, over and over, whenever you get the chance.

You’re Still an Artist (Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It)

If no one’s told you lately, let me:
You haven’t lost your creativity.
It’s just hiding under all the layers of life right now.

But it’s still there.
Still yours.

Not because of what you finish—
But because of what you keep coming back to.

What about you?
What does creativity look like in your life these days?
Is there something new you’ve been curious to try?

I’d love to hear.