It may be because I’m the mom of two children 7 and 4, but I have a lot less time for introspection and reflection than I have at other times in my life. The height of my reflective time was probably in college, where responsibilities had largely to do with reading, studying and attending classes. So much learning and growing happened in between, along the edges, on the weekends and even on walks to and from classes.
In any case, time to think, space to breathe, or even to space-out is harder to come by these days. It is also an intrinsic part of painting. So in that respect, incorporating painting in a day is like incorporating space itself; that time to breathe, to relax into something that it so of itself, on its own time and in its own way. It is outside of time and refreshing even if not strictly “productive” where a painting resolves itself or I move forward through a difficult place.
Touching in to that space can itself be enough.