Work-Life Balance

Hope I caught you at a right time today, because I would like to express my experience, or my personal opinion on one thing I hear a lot. Work-Life Balance! Sounds fun! It really isn't...

            First off, I want to strongly point out that I am not an expert at keeping myself together through any sort of known system or having a rigid schedule. Did that in college to get out early but never to have that in my career, especially in a creative one where ideas strike. This post is merely about my personal use and example of a work-life balance and how I manage to keep myself physically and emotionally in check. I hope that this helps anyone struggling to find a certain balance in things and helps assist you in managing your life the way you want it.

            Let's talk about the first part of the work-life balance subject. Work. My typical day is a regular 7:30 AM to 4 PM job over at Aer-Flo Sports as their graphic designer. Back then, I would drive all the way to Lincoln, Alabama (an hour of a drive) and back, so it would really be a 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM type of job. Thanks to the help of friends and work buddies, along with support, I am now able to only drive to work on three days of the work week and stay at home for two. Yay! When I get to it at the office in my cubicle, I have to listen to some sort of ambiance music while I create mockups or I will be having my mind talking to me constantly about things like, "Let's kern these letters to spread out more along the windscreens," or, "Maybe I need to make the text into objects and just arch the letterings myself, " or even, "How about I see how it looks in these three styles and go from there." Listening to music or hearing a story being played while I work keeps my nerves calm and lets my fingers do the work and click away! I have a good balance on things that need to get out of the way and things I know can be put on hold for an hour or two. Sometimes I have projects that would take a span of two hours and I would fiddle with the basics and small edits then go off to another project that would be easy and more fun. Not only that, I make sure that the print files I send out are good and steady. There will be times where I get a call and fix them if something wasn't put in right, but it would be weird file corruptions or something. So where I set at my desk and look outside to see the beautiful sky, I don't have a strict schedule or something I go by, but I know when things are due through trail and error. Back then, I had no idea what CorelDRAW was? When my boss asked me if I was familiar with that, I thought it was a trick question, but after a week or two of seeing my coworkers show me the ropes in making designs and getting the feel for the software, I was from beginner to above average user. I would consider myself an expert, but I always tell myself that there is always another trick to learn, especially through the digital side of art.

            The other side of the coin of work-life balance is my favorite. Life. I try and keep everything from my paying job away from my life because I already have to drive to work and back home for three days of the week, so I try not to bring that home with me. Before work, after work, and on the weekends, I try and make some time for my personal art and writing the most. Some mornings I would get up, rarely make myself a cup of coffee, and either go to the extra bedroom or lay on the couch and review my upcoming novel. Then at some points of the day I would open up my sketchbook and create fun sketches, dynamic poses, or random objects for about thirty minutes to an hour for simple practices. My creative writing is mostly spent on my Mac than pen and paper, but some days when work isn't busy, I try to get into the habit of taking one of my fifteen minute breaks and start writing on my notepad I use to take notes on the Pantone colors, fonts, patterns, styles, or attributes revolving around the certain team or school I am making the design for. I try and find time to do what I love aside from art making and creative writing, like reading a novel, going out with my girlfriend, Grace, spending time with my cat, Anakin, going for walks, and other things.

            Over the years, I have learned things to try out that help keep my work-life balance stable and not tipping over the breaking point have really helped me and shown me an easier and careful path. Without these, I would probably not be as happy as I am.

            One thing I try and prioritize is sleep. Back when I worked for Home Depot, I would work from either 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM (then went to 4:00 AM) and get up in the morning for my still life class over at West Georgia. I think I would be getting about 5-6 hours of sleep at best, and on certain days it would be 6-7. Even though it was because I was focused on two things back then (work and study), that was all I had to do, and it seemed simple. After college, I was assisting others in what they wanted for their work, finding a new job to start my career, and other things that I was not making that a priority when I should've. Now that I get a good 7-8 hours of sleep, I feel more refreshed and happy getting up in the mornings.

            Another thing I try and keep in mind is keeping a positive attitude on things. Let's be honest. Life sucks. You have to get up to pay your dues. You are either expected out of your career or your family. You have to side with either person because they are arguing over something so small to make it a large debate and think to yourself, "Why did I get myself into this situation?" Lots of people tell me that I can be a little naive. I can state that some of that is true, but then it would bring me down and cause me not to pick up a pencil and do some sketches for fun, and then I would feel like absolute crap a few days down the road. In order to keep myself happy, I needed to keep my expectations at a neutral standpoint and always tell myself that it could be worse. Having that aid in my mindset helps me be more open to seeking other solutions than the one I've been using. I always have someone tell me, "I figured as an artist you would know what stippling is," and that kind of talk immediately makes me feel down about myself. Then a wise person told me that life is a journey and not a race. To be the best version of yourself doesn't come for being the best than anyone, but it comes from your journey alone. Other things I have to remind myself is that an art career will always have its struggles. It is set in stone. I accept that because I have a certain optimism for things that many people find childish. I guess it was because I grew up around an amazing family, had wonderful friends that lasted for a while at high school and during college, and have memories to have forever in my heart. Keeping a positive attitude drives me to help people even though I try and make something else a priority like getting my practice in or researching on a certain concept within my novel, but I end up telling myself, "You'll get to it," and I end up getting to it. I cannot say I am perfect because no one is, but if you look back at your younger self, and he/she asked you, "Are you happy," I can tell myself I am truly happy.

            Thirdly, having a flexible schedule feels amazing!!! I've watched more YouTube videos, TikToks, and read lots of articles relating to keeping a schedule, motivation and discipline, and staying rigid with your career. I will admit that there are certain artist who rely on a rigid schedule and grind towards their financial goals, but there are artist, like myself, whose mindset is more creative when there is a sense of freedom and no boundaries. Let's face the facts... creativity has no boundaries. I currently express my creativity through pencil illustrations, digital art, graphic design, and creative writing! When I wake up, I love to have the feeling of myself saying, "I feel like after a good breakfast and a cup of coffee, I'm going to go on Photoshop and practice digital painting," or maybe, "I'm going to go for a walk and whatever I find very interesting, I'll pull out my sketchbook so I can practice sketching in a certain style." That type of feeling is what I crave for. Freedom!

            Breaks are another thing that I find important. Sometimes artist need more than a thirty-minute breather. Our brains are being driven with different ideas and telling us ways we can go about a piece and it may not seem like much, but it is exhausting. Back in college, I was handling so many projects that my brain would soon feel burnt out that I would be staring at something for so long and time would fly by. Someone came up to me once and asking me if I was okay and I tell them, "Huh, what? Oh, sorry. I guess I blanked out a little there." If I need a break, I will pull out a novel to read, play a little game, go for a walk, or spend some quality time either alone or with friends. I highly value breaks to be an essential part of your day and remember to give yourself some grace.

            Another thing I have learned months ago is to never rush things and I mean anything that involves your personal life, or even your work life if you can. When I get into work, I would focus on a task someone gives me and stay on it for as long as I can, but I don't just go in and go by the guidelines someone sends me in an email. I take an interest in the people I am making the design for. I look up their school websites, their official colors, their uses of various design patterns, and other things that go on. When I am at home, I would look into things I am making a piece for and I would jot them down in my notebook and look at while I create the piece.

            Based on this, I can say I have my own handle on the work-life balance. Now I will say that my own style is not for everyone. Some are fueled by having a rigid schedule or need a structure that is mostly for them sticking with it and I fully respect that and encourage them to keep at it. Other people's careers will not fall through my usual routine, but that doesn't mean it won't work. People have their own sense of peace and structure of how their life is going to be and we all should respect that. After you read this, I do hope this helps you in any way and lets you in on some key things. Remember that you have your whole life ahead of you. Remember that what you do matters. Don't let other people make you feel small or make you think that what you do doesn't change anything. Live the life the way you want to. Be passionate about what you do. Don't take life so seriously and enjoy it at its fullest.