Being Creative

So last weekend we got the new workspace set up.  And then I promptly spent 7 hours working on custom ponies and another 5 hours working on the computer (colouring a couple drawings, updating my collection photobucket, and generally bumming around the internet).  It was awesome.

Then came Monday, and I had to go back to my day job.

I don't hate my job, and it does have some creative aspects to it, but it's not art-related.  Normally this isn't so much of a problem, but this past week, all I could think about was the perfectly set-up workspace that was at home and the fact that I wasn't there, creating.

The fact that I couldn't spend the entire week enjoying my new workspace doesn't mean that I couldn't spend any time creating art.  At work I doodle all the time, when I'm on the phone, waiting for documents to load (our system is notoriously slow), and sometimes on my lunch break.  My office walls have many of my work sketches pinned up, and my colleagues have commented on them several times.  They don't generally amount to much, but it's a way to pass the time and still be creative.

Sometimes I'll also make lists when I'm at work.  Lists of customs I plan to make, lists of baits I need, lists of supplies I want to look for, and lists of ideas to be fleshed out later.

Many of my colleagues also know I collect MLP (the 11 McD ponies, Pinkie Pie plush, and screen saver may have given me away).  They'll ask about my collection, about my customs, and quite often we'll get into some good chats.  Talking about the customs I'm currently working on helps me to flesh out ideas even when I'm unable to be actually working on them.

All this to say that not a day goes by when I'm not doing something creative.  It may not go any further than a quick doodle that eventually ends up in the recycling bin, but like any exercise, you've got to flex your muscles or risk loosing ground with your skills.  And then you're ready to run that artistic marathon when you get the chance on the next weekend.

Elf