Our community is filled with hard-working, high achieving entrepreneurs and creatives and so work-life balance is a complicated, but highly relevant topic. We’ve shared some responses from the community about work life balance and how their views have evolved over time below.
Jennifer Niswonger-Morris | Painter & Tattoo Artist
Work life balance in art has always been a struggle for me. Even so, I have been finding a better balance recently. Many of my past projects had ambiguous timelines and, given the exploratory nature of making anything new or challenging, required an unpredictable number of hours to complete. On top of the physical labor involved, it can be difficult as an artist to plan out your schedule to encourage a good work life balance when your schedule is extremely unpredictable to begin with. From one day to the next, my schedule would vary dramatically, and no week was the same. As a fine artist, I would find myself constantly applying for exhibitions I would never get invited to, seeking jobs that weren’t secure for the long term, or sinking long hours into large projects that did not have a clear deadline or outcome. Sometimes though, I might find I actually received the grant I wanted or that big solo exhibition I have been working for and maybe even offered a great short-term project with a much needed paycheck – but they all had deadlines within the same weekend. Read more>>
Diamond and Micah | YouTube Influencers / Day Traders
Our relationship has always been priority, so it was complicated when we didn’t vibe smoothly as business partners in the beginning of our journey. Which resulted in a few failed business ventures. In regards to our work life balance, because we are both very head strong, it was a little bit of a challenge to communicate and be successful. We did not want work to come in between our romantic connection so to help us keep everything balanced out we created a schedule. We also created a list of roles geared towards our individual strengths that we both had to fulfill in order for us to be successful and to mesh well as a team. Read more>>
Kentrate | Model
Over the course of time, it has become painstakingly clear to me, the necessity for work life balance. We hear this term thrown around a lot, but I don’t think employers truly know what it means; it also looks different for everyone. My mother is getting older, my nephews are growing up. Heck, I am aging, LOL, I don’t want to “start enjoying life” when I retire. I want to be able to enjoy certain aspects of life while I can actually enjoy them; while I can still walk, and climb, and push, and pull, and run. I want to enjoy my free time while I can actually enjoy it. It’s hard to go on hikes when you are 70. Hard to travel in your 80’s. Trying new foods aren’t as fun in your 60’s. So while I am not yet there, I truly want to create a life for myself that is equal parts work and play. We work so hard for what? Over time I have begun to take more time for me. To plan vacations. To visit friends and family in other cities. To explore my horizons. I have moved the things I placed on the back burner to the front. Read more>>
Robert Peterson | Photographer
I view finding balance as running a bit of a checklist. I understand this can cause it to sound cold and methodical, but for me there are things I need to touch on each day to feel joy and feel fulfilled. I need time with my wife and kids, I need to be physically active, I need to interact with others, I need to read or listen to a podcast, I need to feel I am performing a task that is moving my career forward. I may not be able to hit on all of these each day, but if I am actively hitting on most of them I will usually feel in balance. The time allotted to each category changes both week to week and day to day. When I am traveling for photoshoots I am getting one maybe two Facetime calls a day with my family. I am likely missing most workouts, but my creativity and fulfillment with my work is fantastic. Often I come home and find myself ready for a few solid days of stepping away from work and focusing on the family.. Realizing what I needed to feel balanced led me a few years ago to begin working with an editor. This was a large expense, but what it gave me back in time was in a very cliche way priceless. Our girls are 4 and 7. Read more>>
Makayla Miller | Photographer
Over time, my balance has changed tremendously. When I originally started by business I was a college student, so my schedule was always the same and pretty flexible. Now that I have graduated and I now have a full time job, balancing my photography business with my job is a bit more difficult but I manage. I think having to balance my full time job with my own business as well as a social life is actually beneficial in the long run. It forces me to be very organized in all aspects of my life and that results in always being on my A-game. Read more>>
Christina Gilstrap | Freelance Illustrator and Concept Artist.
I always had problems with balancing things in my life. In highschool, I wanted to do everything: Fastpitch Softball, Drawing, Being apart of the Yearbook Journaling Class, Having a Boyfriend, Hanging out with Family and Friends. It has gotten me into a lot of trouble, because I always thought I could juggle it all. My relationships would suffer, including the relationship with myself. I didn’t know that self-care was a thing, until going into my late 20’s. I developed severe anxiety and depression from not being able to balance my life. In college I worked a lot to support myself and my boyfriend at the time while doing my art classes. I had to make a choice, to somehow fit my art career into my life. My professor told me if I don’t go all in, I would never know if art was what I wanted in my life. So I had to dedicate most of my hours to my school and fit my work life in. Thankfully I worked for my aunt, uncle, cousin; they allowed me to have flexible hours for my long classes. Even now, 3 years after school it’s still difficult to balance my life. Self-care has become one of my priorities. I went to therapy to help my mental state. Read more>>
Sha’ Cannon | Fractional Chief Operating Officer
Work-life balance is always subjective. Work is work, but life can look different for different people. Life can also look different for the same person at different times. There were times when my priority for my life was centered around progressing financially by advancing in my career. At that time, my life was built around leadership in my association and my firm, as well as, being published in my field. Now I am a full-time entrepreneur and my life is focused on the freedom to have experiences like being in nature and live in other cultures. Even when I work, I can work remotely from the beach or a rooftop pool. Read more>>
Angel Turner | Realtor
In my early twenties, I remember thinking I was invincible. I truly thought I could do it all-go to bed late, party with friends, wake up early, work, and do it all over again. I was the person who rarely said no to functions that I was invited to, as I believed everyone should have the opportunity to be celebrated. To me, that was my work-life balance. In my early career, I was a teacher. I lived by a schedule. Within that schedule, I tried to pack as many things as I could, in essence, “chase success.” I had numerous roles, and within those roles, I also had numerous obligations. I started noticing my schedule becoming more packed by the day. After seven years in education, although I am fortunate to have been given multiple accolades and awards, helped numerous students, and impacted many families, I felt overworked and unfulfilled. My mindset changed. I honestly was tired. My mindset ultimately shifted when I became a mother. Being a wife is one thing, but being a mother is a whole different ball game. I had to prioritize my life for my daughter. She came and will always come first. I then decided to take a leap and embark upon a career in real estate. Read more>>
Calvin & Lovelene Price | Music Producer & Entrepreneurs
Our work life balance has changed drastically! Since business has started, we learned to appreciate our down time, especially with our family. Prior to opening, we were able to just get up and do whatever we wanted, when we wanted. Calvin was already used to going to the studio and producing music for major artist as well as teaching production courses to students, so the balance was so easy then. However, we’ve had to learn to put everything that wasn’t a priority on the back burner to make sure the family and businesses were put first. Read more>>
Rachel Dorneanu (Butler) | Individual and Couples Psychotherapist
My work life balance has changed so much over the past few years. I had started graduate school and was so focused on completing papers and projects with less time spent on my family, friends and self care. After trial and error in private practice as a therapist, I can now say I have a good balance! I’m practicing what I preach. I have solid boundaries of when I start and end my work day. I practice self care and find ways to unwind from my day. I spend time with my loved ones and try to not stress about perfectionistic expectations. Read more>>