There’s this moment—right after the baby drifts off during a contact nap, when the house is (almost kinda) quiet except for the big kids playing or watching Wild Krats—and I pull out my phone or notebook and write another sentence of my novel.
Not a whole chapter. Not even a full paragraph sometimes.
Just a few quiet words.
Just enough to feel like me.
That’s what I’ve started calling creativity in the cracks.
It’s not the dreamy, uninterrupted creativity I imagined when I was younger. There are no artist retreats or long afternoons with nothing to do but make something beautiful. This is the motherhood version: a watercolor session beside my kids, a quick new recipe tried in the middle of meal prep chaos, rearranging furniture in the living room to feel a little more like home.
And I’m learning that it’s enough.
Why Creativity Matters (Especially Now)
Motherhood and homemaking are full of creative acts—meals made from scratch, lessons planned for the week, a table set with love, a garden planted with hope. But it’s easy to fall into the habit of only creating for others. Of producing instead of playing.
The kind of creativity I’m talking about here—the kind that stirs your soul—isn’t selfish. It’s soul stewardship.
When I write, paint, or even spend a few minutes rearranging the dining room to be more fun for homeschool lessons, something in me softens. I’m more grounded. More patient. More able to show up for my family, because I remembered to show up for myself first.
And honestly? That’s a gift to all of us.
But Let’s Be Honest—It’s Hard to Find Time
I know the reality: the days are full.
We’re homeschooling, homesteading, homemaking, doing all the things—and doing them on very little sleep and very full hearts.
There are always dishes. There’s always laundry. There’s always someone needing something.
And in the middle of it all, it feels almost silly to want time to write, or paint, or decorate, or create.
But I’ve come to realize that not making space for creativity doesn’t make the overwhelm go away—it makes it worse.
When I ignore that part of me for too long, I feel dull. Resentful, even. Like something beautiful inside me is slowly drying out.
What Creativity Looks Like in This Season
It’s not a gallery wall or a bestselling book. It’s not a perfect sourdough loaf or a magazine-worthy living room.
It’s these little, almost invisible things:
- Writing a story—one slow scene at a time—while the baby naps on my chest
- Practicing watercolor next to the kids while they paint characters from our read alouds or their favorite shows
- Trying a new recipe that turns out either amazing or becomes a good story
- Gardening, not just for food, but because tending beauty feeds me, too
- Styling one corner of my home just because it brings me peace
None of it is perfect. Most of it is unfinished. All of it is real.
How I Make Time (Even in the Chaos)
The trick isn’t carving out hours—it’s grabbing moments.Here’s what helps me:
Keep something creative close – A journal in the kitchen drawer, a sketchpad on the homeschool table
Let it be imperfect – Stop waiting for silence, a clean space, or uninterrupted time. Start in the mess.
Do it with your kids – Creativity can be shared. Watercolor side-by-side. Garden together. Dance while sweeping.
Give yourself permission – You don’t have to “earn” the time to create. It’s part of your care.
Start small – One sentence. One color. One little rearranged shelf.
Fighting the Urge to Put Myself Last
This is the hard part, isn’t it?The voice that says, “You can get to that later. After the house is clean. After the kids are older. After everything else is done.”
But here’s the truth: there will always be something else to do.
And we are allowed to exist as whole, creative people right now.
Not when the weight is lost.
Not when the laundry is caught up.
Not when the house is perfect.
Now.
Even if the watercolor runs because someone bumped your elbow.
Even if your writing is choppy and tired.
Even if your creative spark feels dim.
Your Kids Need to See You Creating, Too
Not just consuming. Not just working.
They need to see you light up.
To see you take joy in making something for the sake of it.
To watch you be a whole person, not just a caretaker (although that role is so so important!).
That’s not selfish. That’s sacred.
And I promise—it’ll inspire them more than any homeschool lesson you could ever plan.
Final Thoughts: Make the Thing, Even in the Cracks
So if you’re in a season of contact naps and clutter and chaos, and you’re wondering if there’s still room for your creativity in it all…Yes. Yes, there is.
It might not look like it used to.It might be slower, messier, interrupted.
But it’s still yours.
And it’s still worth it.
So write the scene.
Paint the picture.
Stir the soup and hum a song.
Create beauty—not in spite of your season, but right in the middle of it.
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