I am easily inspired yet struggle to find time to harness it.  Why?  Because I am tired people!  I hear mommy approximately 1,598 times a day.  I wipe noses, bottoms, chins and various other body parts frequently {not all my own}.  I am usually covered by at least two different bodily fluids at any given moment.  Oh, how I love the smell of dirty diaper in the morning ~  it is all just part of being in the trenches of motherhood.

In real life, being mommy has to come first.  Keeping the kids alive at the end of the day was all I strove for during the early years.  I was the mom whose babies took their naps in the car between destinations.  I was the spontaneous mom who would invite a friend over for an afternoon play date and end up feeding them dinner.  I didn’t enjoy being alone, I craved company and found other mommies, who like me, would rather meet up at the park than keep to a schedule.

Then I graduated from ‘survival’ mode to keeping the house from being completely destroyed.

Lets face it, laundry doesn’t clean, fold and put itself away.  Food does not magically fly from the store shelves into our kitchen.  Little green toilets elves don’t disinfect bathrooms as I slumber {please God, I want a toilet elf!}.  And no matter how much I wished for a time space continuum, I could not be in two places at the same time.  I could not be mommy and creative.

How in the world does this relate to inspiration?  Imagine. . . being an artist, a creative being trapped in a box and unable to find a way out.  For years, motherhood was my box.  I only found time to be creative IF I was planning a birthday party or redecorating a room ~ and then WATCH OUT.  To this day, if my husband leaves town on business, he asks me not to do anything too drastic while he is away.

Some of my best memories over the years are the times that I allowed myself out of the box to create.  I was so stingy with my creative self because I believed that part of my life was reserved for later.  Later, once the kids grew up.  Later, when they would need me less.  Later, when I had taken more classes.  Later, when I was finally worthy of the title ‘artist.’  I let my responsibilities  kill my inspiration.  And really ~ how sad is that?

That was the old me.  A woman who died to herself in order to be more for her family;  before Amelia came into my life and showed me that life is too short and precious to wait for that illusive ‘later’.

There is a balance to be found.  A balance that I didn’t realize could exist between the two roles.

How did I find balance?  In a word ~ Organization.

Honestly, I am a mess.  Once I start something I can put blinders on and things in my work area can quickly get out of control.  Yet, I am the kind of person who loves order and clean . . . isn’t that ironic?

So, here is my secret.  I have a giant foam board where my goals are visible.  I keep it behind my computer, so that in any given moment, I can glance at what needs to be worked on. (not the best photo I have ever taken)

I also have two notebooks where I quickly thrown down my ideas.  One is only for art, where I jot down ideas for paintings.  The other is what I call my ‘Where Dreams Begin’ journal.  Here, I record the ideas and good things that have happened during this journey.

What do you do to keep your inspiration organized?