I’ve Always Known Creativity Gives Me Energy
For as long as I can remember, creating has always made me feel more alive. And ever since I have started this blog and quilt, I have always been inspired and super excited when I think about what I get to do. About the time I get to quilt.
Even during busy seasons, creativity brought me back to myself. What changed recently wasn’t the realization that quilting gives me energy. I’ve always known that. What changed is that somewhere along the way, I stopped prioritizing it.
Let’s chat about this…continue to read below.
When Quilting Slowly Became “Optional”
Without noticing it, quilting slowly became the thing I squeezed into whatever little space remained after everything else. Work came first. Responsibilities came first. Emails, errands, and household tasks came first.
Then quilting… if there was still enough time or energy left. Most days, there really isn’t much left. Balancing full-time work, family life, motherhood, and the constant mental load of keeping life moving means the day already feels crowded before it properly begins.
The mornings especially feel short. Getting everyone ready.
Preparing for work.
Mentally moving into “responsibility mode.”
On some days, I barely have a short time to myself before leaving the house. Yet during those tiny quiet moments, I still find myself drawn toward my sewing machine.
A few seams.
A fabric pull.
Trimming fabric with my rotary cutter.
Looking at unfinished quilt projects.
Thinking about the next steps for a quilt top made with half square triangles.
Sometimes I simply sit quietly in my sewing room for a few minutes before rushing back into the day. And every single time, I notice the same thing – I feel lighter afterwards. But sadly lately, I have not been like so. I really didn’t prioritise the time to quilt. And it has been different.
The Kind of Exhaustion Rest Doesn’t Fix
For this past few month, I assumed I was simply overwhelmed. And maybe sometimes I am. But recently I’ve started wondering whether part of the exhaustion came from something deeper.
Creative depletion.
There’s a difference between being physically tired and feeling disconnected from the parts of yourself that make you feel alive. Life can continue normally on the outside.
I still go to work.
Teach classes.
Handle meetings.
Reply to emails.
Take care of responsibilities.
But when too much time passes without creating something, a different kind of heaviness slowly appears. Not a dramatic burnout. Just a quiet feeling of disconnection. Like I’ve been postponing myself for too long.
Why Quilting Feels So Different
Quilting has never only been about making quilts for me.
It’s reflection.
Comfort.
Expression.
Problem solving.
Beauty.
There’s something deeply grounding about taking scattered pieces and slowly turning them into something meaningful.
Even a simple quilting design can calm my mind after a long day.
The familiar sound of the sewing machine.
The rhythm of stitching.
The quiet focus of piecing fabric together.
All of it feels restorative somehow. I think that’s why even ten quiet minutes at the sewing machine can completely shift my mood. Not because I made huge progress. Not because I finished something impressive. But because creating reconnects me with myself again.
Creative Time Doesn’t Have to Look Big
Honestly, most of my real creative life happens in tiny pockets of time.
A few stitches before work.
A fabric pull late at night.
Planning quilt projects while folding laundry.
Cleaning a small corner of my sewing area so it feels welcoming again for next week.
All those time to quilt that I made happen do matter.
Other times it’s simply sitting quietly while a family member walks through the room and life continues around me. Those moments matter too.
Not every quilt top has to be finished immediately. Not every creative session needs major progress. Sometimes one small step is enough to stay connected. But lately I feel like it wasn’t enough to talk about those little progress here on the blog. But that itself has fed to the creative depletion. So it was like a cycle.
Maybe Creativity Was Never “Extra”
Many of us were taught to treat creativity like a reward.
Finish your work first.
Be productive first.
Handle responsibilities first.
Then maybe you can quilt. But life is rarely ever fully finished.
There is always another task waiting.
Another responsibility asking for attention.
And when creativity only happens after everything else is completed, it slowly fades into the background. Not because we stopped loving it. But because we stopped believing it deserved space too.
Creating isn’t always about productivity. Sometimes it’s about returning to yourself.
Maybe You’re Not Just Overwhelmed
This probably isn’t only about quilting.
Some people recharge through silence.
Some through movement.
Some through conversation.
And some of us recharge through creating.
Not because we are escaping life…
but because creativity helps us feel fully present within it again.
So if you’ve been feeling exhausted lately, maybe pause for a moment and ask yourself:
Are you truly overwhelmed?
Or are you creatively depleted? Maybe the answer isn’t becoming more productive. Maybe what you really need is more space for the parts of yourself that have been quietly waiting in the background for far too long.
Even if it’s only ten quiet minutes at the sewing machine, it is a time to quilt. And for me, to really appreciate that progress in those 10 minutes that I got myself a time to quilt. Because that will feed my creativity and inspiration to continue finding time to do the things I truly love and simply just for me.
Well, in saying that, I am hoping to be sharing more of that small progress. It will not always be a finish or a big project, but I think posting regularly here on the blog or vlogging over on my YouTube will keep me fresh and motivated to continue finding time for my quilting love.
Shopping for fabrics helps too 😛
Another thing that usually gives me a boost is shopping for fabrics too. And sometimes, I just grab those fabric on SALE here and usually I get yardages that fits my current collections so that I can use them for borders or backing. Fabrics here are on sale as there are clearance fabrics. But I haven’t yet used the fabric collections in my stash, so sometime I find the exact collections already on sale.
