Ever read an article in a magazine about someone who is kicking goals in their field, very successful, making a load of money etc.. and not felt motivated, but more frustrated and somewhat jealous. Well I know that has happened to me many a time. So a while ago now I decided to analyse this feeling I was getting and what I came up with has given me a sense of peace about my life and where I am, and thats because I know I have CHOSEN the life I have.
How big do you want to be? This is the question I asked myself then and it is an important one if you have dreams of being a success creatively. Knowing what you really want requires careful thought, especially if you have a family, as you have more than your own needs to consider.
So, here are some other questions you might like to ask yourself. How far reaching do you want your creative business to be? What sacrifices on the family front are desirable/achievable for you? What level of outside care/home care balance do you want for your children? Is the passing of time an important factor in your chosen field? Answering these questions (and digging around for more) will truly help you organise and prioritise your time. It will put you back in the drivers seat and help you deal with feelings of parent guilt or the loss of control over your life/career. If you only work creatively two hours a day, but you value time with your children. Chose to be ok with that! If you have bigger ambitions, treat your art as a full time job, make plans to make things happen and don’t look back.
My youngest child is three and I have another baby due shortly, so I am a few years off having even “school” hours to commit to more work and bigger projects. I generally just work on a couple of small jobs and only paint for one exhibition at a time. This is all achievable with consistent hard work. I have made many sacrifices as I try and balance both the way I want to raise my children and my desire to paint.
I have learnt that the life I have keeps me real and my painting and my parenting for go hand in hand. So, on days when I am feeling like I am not achieving enough or not as successful as I would hope, I remind myself of the above questions and my answers. It is easy then for me to be at ease with my life and my choices.
I hope that thinking deeper about this helps you as it has me, and that you all have a wonderful week..
Its school holidays here, that means wonderful chaos and NO routine, an artists dream!
Jasmine x
See the creative work life balance section of my blog for more thoughts on this stuff..
work in progress, “the give and take of time” (note my hand at 35 weeks pregnant, loads of fluid!)
Finished detail of “the give and take of time”…