Balancing a Creative Life
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WHEN the average person pictures a creative’s day-to-day life, they probably imagine someone in an idyllic art studio with a steaming cup of tea.
For writer and artist, Sarah Hope, it has been a skilful balance between motherhood, being a farmer’s wife, journalist, then later small business owner and published author. On Episode 2 of Courageous Creatives Podcast, Sarah shared her journey as a creative, and how her work has ebbed and flowed throughout her life.
Living a creative life can often be a pendulum of joy, inspiration, excitement – but also overwhelm, and uncertainty. In the wake of the pandemic, as we navigate the bustle of momentum again, it’s more important than ever to maintain a balance.
In this special expanded edition of show notes for Episode 2, we round up Sarah’s five most valuable tips for maintaining your creative zest and keeping some peace in between.
TIPS FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE AS A CREATIVE + SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
MAKE TIME
As a small business owner, we’re often working multiple different ‘jobs’ on any given day – and the hours can run away with us. Sarah noted that one of the main reasons she became burnt-out in the past, was neglecting self-care.
“Make time for the rest of your life,” Sarah encouraged. “Start later in the day if you can. Don’t miss that walk in the morning, and make time for you – whether that’s a form of self-care, yoga, exercise or whatever you need to do. It’s so important to set up your day.
“If you’re managing kids, this will be more challenging. But if that’s the case, take that walk straight after you have dropped them off at school in the morning. Quite often we end up saying ‘I’ll do it later’, but then we don’t. So try and be as proactive with yourself and your needs, as possible.”
OUTSOURCE
Sarah said there are misconceptions around outsourcing – despite the fact it’s one of the most valuable things you can invest in.
“Honestly, outsource where you can,” she said. “Obviously new businesses don’t always have the financial capacity to take on new staff, so that isn’t what this is about.
“You need to outsource the things that cost you the most time outside of your business. For example; what do you least like doing? This might be ironing, cleaning, or mowing, and so on. Enlist the help of other businesses, where you don’t have to worry about Work Cover, tax, or thinking about the responsibility of an employee.”
Many small business owners and creatives forget to value their own time, and how much particular tasks might eat into their day.
“Consider how much you value your time at per hour, versus how much it might cost you to pay for an hour or two of a service a week, or once a fortnight,” Sarah said. “Don’t feel guilty! Just do it.”
PREPARATION IS KEY
There’s such a level of autonomy in running a small business, that things can often become disorganised – and quickly stressful.
“Organise and delegate your day-to-day life as you would any job,” Sarah advised. “Just because you have a small business, doesn’t give you permission to not be organised! There’s a fantastic saying a dear friend said to me, and he had a staff of over 200 people: ‘The 5 P’s – Prior Planning Prevents Piss-poor Performance’ – and it honestly rings true, whether you’re a sole trader or larger-scale employer.”
Sarah recommended allocating a small block of time before each week, to set yourself up for success.
“It’s a great idea to sit down on a Sunday night, when the kids have gone to bed or when you’ve done everything you need to do. Get out your diary (electronic, paper or whiteboard, whatever you prefer) and set up your week. At the very least, make a checklist of your goals or important ‘to-dos’ and colour-code based on urgency if you need to.”
At the beginning of each work day, Sarah said you should outline your tasks and prioritise.
“My advice is to knock out the easy jobs first, that way you feel like you have achieved something early on – then you’re on a roll for the rest of the day,” she said.
BE REALISTIC
Quite often, creatives can become overwhelmed by putting too much pressure on themselves.
“You have to be realistic about what you can achieve, and don’t overwhelm yourself by looking at everything as one huge task at once,” Sarah said.
“When you have reached a point of overwhelm – break the cycle of anxiety and get some fresh air, take some deep breaths. Then, prioritise what is absolutely essential for that day, and timetable the other tasks for the following days after.
“You cannot physically do everything in a single day – so accept that, plan for it, and don’t be hard on yourself when you don’t ‘achieve’ every day.”
COMMUNICATE YOUR BOUNDARIES + AVAILABILITY
As small business owners and creatives, there’s often the assumption that ‘working for yourself’ equals free time whenever you so choose. This can often result in two ways; those of us who are people-pleasers saying yes all the time; or, loved ones feeling annoyed when the business hours aren’t clear.
“It’s important to keep communication lines open with family – whether it be your significant other, close family members, or friends,” Sarah said.
“A common obstacle that new small business owners and creatives can face, is the lack of understanding around the demands of having your own business versus working a 9-5 job.
“A lot of people think it’s a hobby (especially creative businesses) and they confuse your autonomy with leisure. ‘Working for yourself’ doesn’t mean you can just drop everything and go out for lunch on a whim – in fact, probably less likely!
“So you must be clear with the significant people in your life about what time you will have available, without apology. Those closest to you need to be able to understand and respect the workload of your business, just as they would any other job.”
ABOUT THE GUEST
Sarah Hope is a multi-creative artist, author and ceramicist based in country Victoria, Australia. You can follow Sarah on Instagram at home on Australian Country House ; in her studio Hope & Co.; and her adventures as an author here. Shop her artworks and ceramic range over at: www.hopeandco.com.au
ABOUT COURAGEOUS CREATIVES
It’s scary launching your business or services into the world!
A creative career is also a constantly evolving enigma – so it doesn’t matter how long you have been ‘in the game’, there’s always something to learn.
Courageous Creatives Podcast was launched as a place for creatives to feel inspired, supported and empowered. I truly hope, whichever phase you are at in your creative career, that you find something here. This beautiful community is growing day-by-day, and I’m so excited about the emerging opportunities to network with other creative trailblazers and grow as small business owners. I am the biggest believer that when we help each other along the way, the whole creative community succeeds.
Let’s kick the ‘starving artist’ stigma back into the 20th century where it belongs, and build some amazing modern careers.
