The Creative Hour

Sheila and I have been waking up with the sun; starting our days before the rest of the world begins. Editing novels, writing scripts, brainstorming, web designing and coffee drinking. Our home is our studio and our lives are our canvas.

There’s just something about 5:30am that awakens an extraordinary kind of creative magic that is unique to the early morning hours. Being an artist full-time is no easy task, but we’re (quite literally) up for it. And honestly, there’s no other way I’d rather start my morning than with a cup of coffee and a good book in my hands.

The day begins with that signature glurgging of the coffee-maker, and the light and warmth of our new electric fireplace that we keep adjacent to the kitchen table. The perfect ambiance is the first thing we create each morning. Sheila and I are constantly bringing things into our home that inspire us, from a new tablecloth to throw pillows, everything in our little home influences our art, and in turn, our lives.

Sheila and I have recently taken to living a minimalist lifestyle. As such, we have been spending a great deal of these morning hours sorting, tossing, redecorating and purging these three rooms we have to share. You never realize how much stuff you can acquire until it’s time to get rid of it, and more importantly, what you truly need and what you can really do without. (For instance, why is there a croquet set under the bed?)

And it is these that are possibly my favorite moments alive; the creative hour. Just like any “real job”, you can’t make it as an artist if you don’t show up for work; if you aren’t constantly creating. Even if you believe what you’re making isn’t good enough, special enough, or worth it—I promise you that it is all of those things. Art cannot be measured by money, fame, or Instagram likes. It is art simply because you created it, and it is beautiful because there is no way it could ever be anything but just that.

So don’t sell yourself short. Don’t muffle your inner artist out of fear that you will never succeed. The only sure fire way of failing is if you never begin. So start. Right now—today. Flourish in your creative hour, whatever time of day that may be. Take pride in your art, because it’s a part of you, and it’s important. Tap into that potential that you know deep down you have. As for me, I’ll be here, at my kitchen table, with a cup of coffee, writing as the sun begins to rise.