We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrianne Kimbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrianne, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
At first, I worked all the time except when my son was awake at home. I worked late at night, early in the morning, I’d answer emails throughout the day. I was scared of being rejected, losing my clients, or being considered not good enough. That fear-based mindselt exhausted me.

As I grew in confidence in my own capabilities and worth, I made rules for myself. No working on the weekend. Do not work at night. I unapologetically limited my workday to when my son is at school, because taking care of him and the family is my top priority. My business exists to support my family, not the other way around.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a wife, mom, and artist, managing my work-life balance has been an ongoing challenge. School hours change, child needs evolve, my business is inherently inconsistent, etc.

At first, I worked all the time except when my son was awake and at home. I worked late at night, early in the morning, and of course while he was in childcare. I wanted to be as available to clients as I could because I was scared of being rejected, losing my clients, or being considered not good enough. That fear-based mindset left me exhausted.

As I grew in confidence in my own capabilities and worth, and as I recognized what I valued (like my family and my health), I set rules for myself. No client work on the weekend. Do not work at night. Limit the work day to my child’s school hours so I can be present without distraction. And most significantly, raise my hourly rate.

The result? Setting these limits forced me to be more efficient during my work hours. It ensured that I’d maximize the hours I’m typically most creative (for me that’s the morning). And I started looking for more ways to diversify my income stream so I was less dependent on the per-hour model, like licensing and print-on-demand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
What I really love about Atlanta is how green it is. The tree canopy is amazing! So I would take them hiking — Arabia Mountain and Sweetwater Creek are two of my favorite destinations.

As for food, nothing beats Buford HIghway. Kura Rotating Sushi Bar, LanZhou Ramen, and White Windmill Bakery are just a few places we’d go.

Hopefully my friends visited in the the spring so we could go to an art festival (especially Inman Park Art Fest to see the parade). We’d also bike along the Beltline. In Decatur, my homebase, we’d get coffee at Banjo, ice cream at Butter And Cream, Chinese Breakfast at Steinbeck’s, and walk around Decatur Square.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My amazing husband, of course. My parents for supporting my art interests when I was growing up. And pretty much everyone I’ve worked with over the years.

Website: www.adriannekimbelldesign.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adrianne.kimbell.design/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.