Don't push to create if you do it for fun and relaxation, it will keep.

I called one of my students the other day.  She is a friend and we have been so busy that I haven't seen her for a while.  I just wanted to call and let her know how much I missed spending time with her.  She told me about her holidays (very busy) and how her family had been around a lot lately.  She said, "I keep going into my cabin and looking at my pastels just sitting there."  I was told how guilty she felt that they were sitting there being unused.    

One of the best things about art supplies is; if you put them away properly in a safe place, they never go bad.  When my students express remorse, I always tell them the same thing.  "Don't worry, they will still be there.  If you are not a professional artist, sometimes life gets in the way.  Hell, life gets in the way if you are a pro.  More often with people who just enjoy art, you can rob yourself of the joy by pushing too hard.  Art can get in the way of your life.  You have to choose your priorities and most people want to put their family and making a living first.  Making art serves as an escape or a way to find calm in the middle of the chaos in your life.

If you have a therapist, they might ask you when you last created something but I'm not going to do that.  Art will keep.  It doesn't judge, feel neglected or jilted, it just waits there as it was when you had to put it down.  Maybe right now isn't the best time, it is the holidays.  LIfe is crazy during this season and you have commitments that you can't or don't want to miss.  Great Aunt Ida is here this year but at 89, will she be here next year?

Art supplies don't really go bad if they are in a safe place, I just opened 30 year old tubes of oil paint.  Still good, very vibrant and happy to be touched now I am getting to them.  Tell yourself, "These are inanimate objects and the only guilt I have is from me.  This is my joy, not my obligation."  I'll still be around for a while longer too, teaching at my 3 locations; Spokane Art School in Spokane, Joyce Dillon Studio, Sandpoint ID, and The JACC Post Falls.  You can also always reach me at supert-rex@hotmail.com.  

Have a wonderful Holiday!