Money & creativity
I read this blog piece quoted at Willa. From the wonderfully named Dogs Steal Yarn.
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My mom, who's actually got quite a gift for making me feel guilty, said something to me a couple of years back that's stuck with me. I was still getting used to the ups and downs of freelance income, and so was being very careful with money. Thing was, I also really wanted to buy oil paint, which ain't cheap. (I wasn't knitting yet. You think knitting is an expensive pursuit? Try painting, baby.) I called my mom (she's a fantastic artist, by the way) and asked her if I was crazy to be spending money on paints at a time when I really shouldn't have been allowing myself too many extras.

She said, "Oh no! Buy the paint. That's like food!"

And she was right. My mother's very frugal. So am I. She and my dad raised me that way. I don't spend recklessly, not at all. I don't take on debt I don't need either. But it's a matter of priorities. Creative expression is important. It's not the same thing as blowing money on yet another pair of shoes, or an expensive meal, or whatever. Are your bills paid? Is there food on the table? Are all the mandatory expenses taken care of? Well, then, make sure you also allow for the tools that feed you--the paint, the books, the yarn. That matters too.

And if you want to feel guilty about it? Well...that's on you.