Making Time for Creative Play with the Artists of Making Zen
Sep 01, 2026
We all know that making time for our creativity is important for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is maintaining our mental health. But we also know how hard it can sometimes be to find the time to be creative, especially when our to-do lists feel a mile long.
If there is anyone who would know how to make time to be creative, it's the artists of Making Zen, so I took a look back at the conversations I had with the artists for the upcoming retreat. These artists have offered a valuable insight into carving out opportunities for yourself to create. I hope you enjoy their advice as much as I do!
Mary Ann Gebhardt's Knitting Meditation: The Meditation Shawl project.
1. One Step at a Time
In chatting with Mary Ann Gebhardt, she told me:
"I feel like when somebody is the busiest, it's the hardest to think, 'I'm going to sit and do nothing.' My mind is going to really race. So, it's steps. It's starting to feel the body in that moment... They say 20 minutes to relax the nervous system - so maybe that is too much. Maybe it's just a spinal twist and a nice tuck in the chin and things like that. So it's attainable, one step at a time."
I love this idea. I am a huge believer in starting where you are and taking just five minutes or one baby step every day. Who couldn't benefit from a few minutes of creative exploring over breakfast?
2. Weekly "Studio Time"
Like many of us, Selina Latour can have a bit of trouble finding the time to squeeze in all of her creative pursuits around the other things she needs to get done. She says:
"I do wish to integrate and protect my studio time. I've just really struggled to do it. But you know... I'm freelance, so I have a very irregular schedule and but my Fridays are always free. So I tend to land at my studio on Fridays and sometimes that leads to drawing, sometimes that leads to sewing. But what's important is there's no structure to that day and anything can happen."
If you can't find time each day to make something creative happen, try scheduling out a small block once per week where you give yourself permission to have fun.
Kimberly Ligocki's handmade German Dorset Buttons
3. Find Inspiration Everywhere
Ideally, we'll be able to find a little bit of time most days or weeks to be able to make and play. Sometimes, though, there will be weeks when we just can't get to our studios (or desks or kitchen tables), and during those times, it's important to remember that you can be collecting inspiration everywhere. Kimberly Ligocki discusses this:
"I live in Northern California. If I make a trip to Stinson Beach, the colours on the beach are so vivid to me that I get inspired. Breathe in, and the colour...! And I'm not sitting right there and making a button out of the beach. But when I go home and I look at my array of threads, I might think about what looks like the ocean to me."
Even in the moments that we can't be physically creating, we can still be thinking creatively.
4. Scheduling
When asked if she had any secret tips for eking out creative time around all of the other life obligations, Cass Merrigan's immediate response was all about scheduling.
"I normally, if I know I have a break from my full-time design work, I will go, 'Okay, I've got Thursday, Friday free. What do I want to make?' And then during the week, back of mind while I'm doing mundane tasks, the ideas are kind of filtering through."
It really is all about making that calendar time!
Melissa Galbraith's project, Stitching Dimensional Strawberries
5. Within Sight, Within Mind
Because Melissa Galbraith spends so much of her time being creative, she shared her valuable perspective on how she manages multiple projects when she's got tons on the go.
"There's like small piles around [the studio]. I am also a very visual person... I like to see things so I can see progress being made and knowing this needs to get done. But if it gets put away, it's a very much 'out of sight, out of mind'."
And she's right - I am also an "out of sight, out of mind" person. Keeping things out in my studio not only helps me manage multiple projects, it also helps me cut down on the time I spend in analysis paralysis trying to figure out what to work on.
6. Enjoy Your Supplies
Kristin Peterson works in a similar way, leaving her projects out to be inspired by:
"There was a time for sure where I was like, 'well, I don't even know what inspiration maybe looks like.' And honestly now, I feel like if I go to my studio (or where I'm going to create) and I just start looking at the papers or whatever is out. Sometimes it's nice to just glue. I feel like if I just get started and I'm just doing a little something, then something will kind of spark my eye or I'll see something... And then it's just like one thing leads to something else."
Having some luxurious supplies and your favourite tools within sight can really help spark the "get up and go" you need.
Alison Dawson sporting her Textile Bauble Bead Necklace
7. Close the Door
In chatting with Alison Dawson, I was curious about how she makes the most of her creative time.
"I would say, maybe I'm closing my door so that I can have peace and quiet and enjoy my little space here that is really dedicated to my creativity, and to explore working with my materials. And that would be the onset... Close the door."
I love this idea, of making the most of your time by staying within your creative space. I'd even go so far as to say silence your phone or keep it in the next room - those little dings and buzzes can be more distracting than we think, and before we know it, the precious moments we've carved out are gone.
My (Kate Ward's) Boro-Inspired Peekaboo Pouch
Creativity can play a huge role in our lives, and I hope these words from the artists of Making Zen help you find some time for it. And if you need a little help getting inspired, I hope you'll check out the workshops from these artists and many more at the Making Zen Online Retreat! It happens free from 28 September - 2 October, and you can get the details here.
