By Donald Landry

As artist it is not always easy to find time for your creative endeavors. Keep in mind you don’t need big blocks of time to create your next masterpiece. Take advantage of stolen moments, 10, 20 and 30 minutes blocks of time to indulge your creative spirit but most of all have fun. Here are some creative ideas to get your self jump-started

Do ten 30-second gesture drawings. Decorate your kids or husbands lunch bag. Play with clay and observe what it does while stretching and squeezing it. Watch people to see what they do when they don’t think they’re being watched.

Grab your camera and take pictures around your house of things you have never noticed. Make up a story about someone you have met over the course of the day. Surf the internet for creative ideas. Draw a complete object without lifting your pencil/pen from the paper. Brainstorm titles for your pieces of artwork. Pick-up an interesting kit at a craft store and have fun. Plan a homemade centerpiece for your next event.

Spatter paint on a watercolor sheet and later develop it into a painting. Draw your self-portrait. Write what inspires you. Start a brainstorm journal about future projects you are interested in. Draw your pet.

Draw a picture of your dream garden. Pull three objects from a desk drawer or china cabinet and draw them. Pick a color that describes your mood right now and paint your mood. Cut pictures out of a magazine and create a collage. Sculpt an object out of polymer clay. Write a letter to a friend and draw pictures in the margins. Get pieces of colored ceramic tiles and develop a future mosaic.

Some of the best creative thoughts come while were waiting to do other things. Break out your sketch book next time your in an airport, doctors office, restaurant, lunch or coffee break. By doing some of the above ideas when it does come time to paint your next inspiration you will be prepared.