You Can't Do Everything (and Why That's Not a Bad Thing)

Piles of fabric line a shelf in my studio closet. Sewing patterns fill a drawer. I love wearing handmade clothing. I love to sew. Most of my fabric has been matched up with sewing patterns — some bought especially for specific projects — but it’s been a year or more since I’ve done any sewing.

There are other crafts I haven’t picked up in a long time, too. Unfinished projects. Untouched supplies. Ideas I haven’t even started yet.

Sometimes I let go of project ideas. Last year I cleared out my studio closet, getting rid of supplies untouched for years. Clearing out the clutter felt good. Freeing.

It’s hard to give up on ideas that once excited me, but I also feel better when I don’t have the pressure of unfinished projects hanging over me.

On the flip side, being creative feels good. If I haven’t spent time on creative projects, not just for my business, but for me, I end up feeling cranky and irritable. The easiest fix for me is to pick up my sketchbook. No pressure. No expectations. Just the joy of being creative.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with Dana Barbieri when we were filming video for our upcoming Sketchbook Playground online class (look for a fun, free preview coming later in August). In our conversation we say, “you can’t do everything.” We’re talking about the fluidity of daily practices but it also holds true for all aspects of our lives.

We can’t do everything.

I think you’ll be inspired by this snippet from our chat:

Back in June I blogged about what it’s really like to be a working artist and shared the projects I’d been working on that week. Some weeks my days are filled with painting. Others I’m catching up on admin work. As the sole person responsible for all aspects of my business it can often be a juggling act to get everything done. I have so many ideas and plans, but the necessary work of running a business takes precedence. Some ideas and projects are set aside. Some I chip away at over many months. Some remain forever in my head.

It’s good to have a reminder every now and then that I can’t do it all at once.

With summer in full swing and my garden’s abundance overflowing the confines of its beds, inspiration for my art is everywhere. But I also have only so many hours in each day and only so much energy — both physical and mental — to devote to creative projects. Projects as part of my business and projects just for me.

Last month I wrote a Summer Joys List, my version of a “bucket list”, to remind myself of all the joyful, summery things I don’t want to forget to savor this year. Summer is my favorite season. My garden beckons me, not only to tend it but also just to be in it. Time to soak in the beauty and wonder of nature before the chill of Wisconsin winter brings the season to an end.

Most of the joys on my list aren’t projects. They’re more about slowing down and enjoying and less about DOing. I can’t produce and produce and produce without also taking time to “fill the well.”

So although I might not be sewing in my free time right now, it’s more important to me to be lying in the grass with the dogs and a good book, or filling a page with watercolor swatches inspired by what I see. Come winter I’ll relish the memories.

I hope when you look at your to-do lists, when you look at your daily practices, when you look at your art and craft supplies, you’ll remember you can’t do everything. Do one thing. Find joy in it. And let go of the pressure to do it all. As Dana says, “go with what works.”