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Most of us will have days or weeks when we can’t make as much stuff as we’d like. Things get busy, we have jobs, families and lives which means occasionally you’ll be out of time to sit down and make art. There are some simple tips you can try to maximize the thinking, mulling, and considering time that can help fuel your creative work. I think time allotted for musing and pondering is highly underrated, and the tips below go some of the way in allowing for more time these moments. 1. Read before you fall asleep This is a classic subconscious-employing trick, used a lot for when you really need to study and remember material. If you want to think more about your artwork (or anything), read about it just before you fall asleep. Studies show that your brain remembers more and thinks subconsciously about the information you process just before going into REM sleep. You might even dream about what you read, were thinking about or were doing just before sleep. If you’re reading a book on creativity you really want to digest, this is a great strategy to help recall and your own creative process. 2. Take notes whenever ideas come Take notes. Lots of notes. No matter what time of day (or night). Give keeping a notepad and pen beside your bed, and always carry one in your handbag or pocket. Don’t be afraid to take notes in public, in elevators, or anywhere the inspiration strikes. Some strategies you could try are making lists of future or potential artwork or doing lose free-form sketches of half-baked ideas for new works. Taking notes can be valuable in their offhanded, indiscriminate format — sometimes they’re not important or playful, and sometimes they can be tiny seeds of gold. | 
