What does an artist do with their free time?

Do artists ever have free time?  Of course they do, at least in small snippets. Or so mine is.  And often my free time is spent in another form of creation or something that may move me forward in my own art.

It may be visiting galleries or museums, creating jewellery or photography and often that is done with an eye towards composition of another painting or drawing.

Living on a small farm, I restrict my time spent outside doing ‘farm stuff’ simply because its more the domain of my husband.  I prefer to wander off taking photos of what is in the barn or field than deal with the intricacies of growing or dispatching them, whether animal or vegetable.  I am partial to growing edible and medicinal herbs and am a chartered herbalist, so their put to good use in tinctures, creams and salves.

I have cupboards full of yarn and was a prolific knitter in the past.  I still do put a few small things on the needles from time to time and enjoy the rhythm of knitting and the satisfaction of a tangible, object at the end of it.  When I do knit, I prefer real wool when suitable and a unique pattern.  If I invest time into something, I don’t want to see its clone half a dozen times in the course of a day in my travels.