With Summer officially approaching at the end of this week, the days are longer and there just seems to be more time, even though most of us still seem to not have enough of it no matter what the season is. Balancing family and professional life as an adult can be hard, but these days even our kids are having to learn how to manage everything at earlier ages than I remember.

Let’s face it. No matter what age you are, life is busy! With so much responsibility on our plates, we have to find the time to allow the creative side of our brains to come through. Otherwise, we don’t get that escape we so desperately need from our routines but more importantly, we aren’t allowing our creativity to emerge.

Over these first few weeks of Summer, I have watched my daughter take her free time and use it to work on several DIY projects. It has been so fun to see her brainstorm on new ideas or try to make things she has seen her friends do. These days, YouTube helps with finding a way to do anything but watching her search the house for the items she needs reminds me of when we were younger and we found things to make or get creative with all over the house or the garage.

From homemade stickers to candles and bracelets, she has already impressed me with how much she can allow her creative side to come through. She has even spent more time in the kitchen baking and trying new recipes. She has even started to look the part of an artist with her bucket hat and sandals.

As much as I wanted to have her in more camps or tutoring classes, I have also been learning a valuable lesson from her that sometimes the best learning doesn’t necessarily come from a classroom. Freed from the rigor of homework and projects, these kids are open to express themselves more which is so healthy for them. They may discover a hidden talent or even find a new passion they want to explore further through an elective at school.

As busy and working adults, it can be even harder to allow the time for the creative side of our brains to function but again, it can also play a key role in our mental health. This blog has been such a great creative outlet for me and my husband has recently committed himself to improving his guitar playing skills by taking lessons. It’s never too late to take a cue from our kids and really commit to fostering the right hemisphere of our brain. I guarantee it will enrich your life and make you feel like life has a bit more balance to it, even on the rough days.

So, if there is a hobby or secret passion that you have been wanting to explore, what are you waiting for? Stop suppressing your creative outlet and let it shine through.