Yesterday I used up all the white space around my flower face with a textured background. Funny - it was only when I covered up the white space that I actually noticed that there was a lot of white space in most of the other pictures in this series.
I like that they don't have to share the page with anything else. I like the white space. It reminds me that I have made time in my life to make them, and that in turn has given me a little 'white space' around myself. Each flower face sitting in its clear space seems to be saying, "Make a little time for yourself."
It is so easy to have life take over and for there to be an endless stream of tasks to tick off the to do list. How often do you get to the end of a really busy day and find yourself wondering... what did I really do today?
If I am not careful, the day whizzes by in a flash. Before I know it the things I would like to do - the things that are important to me, have been squeezed out. Unless you prioritise them, and set aside a specific time for them, they will be neglected into oblivion.
We multi task whether we realise it or not - even if we have read many an article telling us that this is not the way to do things anymore. Our mobile devices beep and flash and vibrate with every little whimper from cyberspace. It is hard to ignore that flashing envelope icon with every new mail, or the persistence of our social media notifications. In the car at school pick up, we can be planning the evening meal, googling a recipe for it and placing an online order - all while chatting to the mum parked beside us. Whatever happened to staring calmly into space for a few moments?
No, I seem to have to allocate time to be still. I don't want to say this, but it is like scheduled 'me-time'. No you see... I really want to go back and delete that. It sounds so selfish, doesn't it? But really, if we don't reign in the frenetic pace at some point - find a little white space for ourselves, we become less capable of doing everything else that we need to do.
If you are wondering how to go about incorporating a little time for yourself, this article has some helpful suggestions. If you are looking for some more in depth information and guidance than an article, you might want to have a look at Cheryl Richardson's books.
Sitting down with my paintbrushes and pencils is my daily white space. What is yours?
Explore the rest of the Flower Faces Series.