Tuesday 12 August 2008

Art vs Guilt


Tuesdays are supposed to be my art days. The one day of the week where I don't have to feel guilty for doing no housework. Supposedly.

And yet I find myself sweeping the floor, clearing the dishes, baking bread, wallowing in tremendous guilt that my child is reading to himself, eating 2-minute noodles, playing alone in the silence.

Perhaps I undertake these chores so as to not feel like I have achieved nothing. So I won't be greeted with the judgement of my husband; judegment merely perceived or actual? I don't know.

Perhaps I'm too hard on myself. Is it ok to just sit and ponder away an entire day? For the sake of art?
Is an artists life so self indulgent that it should come with it's own serving of guilt on the side? Or is guilt just a woman thing?

5 comments:

Jacinta said...

Firstly... NEVER NEVER NEVER feel guilty about choosing art over housework. The housework will wait!

Secondly... that your child is reading quietly by himself is fabulous... leave him to it, he'll let you know when he wants some distraction or lunch!

and FINALLY - get on with being creative. I love that you have set aside an entire day for this. Have fun. Enjoy it! And begin something... it will be so nice to achieve something beautiful, and it wins over housework every time.

This is the first time I have visited your blog and it is lovely. I hope you don't mind my OTT comments!

petrafanella said...

Guilt is a woman thing and very much a mother thing. I think that sometimes it is important though to spend time not actually creating, just absorbing and pondering and letting things swirl around in your head. I have the struggles with guilt too. It is actually a real enemy of creativity, now that I think about it.
Missing you... P

Clare Day said...

as I said earlier, please dont feel guilty, everyone needs time to themselves, and he isnt neglected at all :)

a certain dress might be though haha

Carly Le Cerf said...

'Creating' keeps your mind healthy and able to tackle lifes problems, just as people meditate in order to think clearly, you 'make things'.
Before I feel guilty about doing art instead of house cleaning I think about the amount of time I spend watching TV or on the computer- creating is much more purposeful than those things so guilt doesn't even come into it.
If I wasn't artistic who would I be?

tiel said...

I see this us an iolder post. But it hit a chord with me. I understand the guilt dilema.