When I was a little girl I often started creative projects out of boredom. I do remember those days, especially between Christmas and New Year, when I had so much time on my hands and nothing to do. Suddenly I’d feel inspired to start a painting, a drawing or to make some decorations. All of it, really just to kill time. For a very long time I thought that creativity worked precisely like that: an idea pops in your head, a sudden urge comes over and you are able to spend the whole day creating. Ta daaa!

As an adult and full time creative I know that this could not be further from the truth. I do believe in inspiration, or if you heard the TED talk of Elizabeth Gilbert: a Damon, a genius or a divine entity working through us. But it will not magically “descend” on us, put our daily lives on pause, and give us a whole day to commit to creating. It is entirely up to us to make the best use of the pockets of time that we have available, and to make the best use of them.

It does sound a bit strange, but inspiration often comes to me out of my commitment to my art. When I worked in an office, I had no time during the week for setting up my mosaic workshop and Saturdays were for running errands and seeing friends. Naturally Sundays became my mosaic days. The most annoying part though was that it would take me so long to get into the “flow”. By the time I was absorbed, lost in time, it was already time to clean up, and I knew that I had to wait a whole week to continue with my project. Sometimes I did a lot and sometimes I did very little. Sometimes I had other commitments and had to wait two whole weeks to get back to my project. But when I took the time to show up and sit down and prepare all the materials and tools, the inspiration came every time.

If you're reading this thinking “I would love to make mosaics but I don't have time” or “I don’t feel inspired” think again. Make the best of the time you already have, commit to a small chunk of time that you can spare, and make it a practice. Just start, and I promise that if you commit and continue giving your best, the inspiration will come.