{"id":54362,"date":"2021-09-10T08:17:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T15:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/?p=54362"},"modified":"2021-09-10T08:17:14","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T15:17:14","slug":"balancing-work-passion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creativecircle.com\/blog\/balancing-work-passion\/","title":{"rendered":"A Creative\u2019s Guide to Balancing Work and Passion Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Work-life balance has long been difficult to achieve. But what about work-work balance? Plenty of us creatives have personal projects that we\u2019re passionate and excited about, but which ultimately take a back seat to the gigs that pay the bills.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time we\u00a0get around to\u00a0these side projects, we can find ourselves completely drained or simply not in the mood. This is particularly\u00a0true\u00a0if your day job is also in a creative field,\u00a0like\u00a0design, illustration,\u00a0production, or anything that requires a lot of artistic energy and attention. It can be heartbreaking to devote all of\u00a0your\u00a0energy to your job only to find yourself unable to bring\u00a0that same energy\u00a0to\u00a0the work that you are truly passionate about.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you feel your personal projects are withering from neglect because you\u2019re too busy putting your creative forces into other jobs, here are some tips to help redistribute your energy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boundaries,\u00a0boundaries,\u00a0boundaries!\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Just as\u00a0with any other\u00a0kind of\u00a0work-life balance,\u00a0juggling\u00a0creative work projects with creative personal projects requires strict boundaries. Remember, this is all about protecting your\u00a0time and energy. If you work a full-time job, this means being extremely conscious of not taking your work home,\u00a0or even deciding to turn off email and Slack notifications after a certain hour.\u00a0Obviously,\u00a0this is often easier said than done.\u00a0But not only will setting these boundaries make your free time truly free, but it can\u00a0also\u00a0help you be\u00a0more\u00a0productive when you are on the clock.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you work freelance, make a list of projects or clients you\u00a0have to\u00a0accomplish, and set aside strict time for each one. Get out of the habit of trying to switch back and forth between multiple projects in a single work session\u00a0\u2014\u00a0try setting aside certain days of the week for certain projects. This is all about cleaning up your schedule so that you can honor the agreements you\u2019ve made with clients.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While you\u2019re\u00a0setting\u00a0your work calendar, go ahead and schedule time for your personal creative work. No, seriously, send yourself a calendar invite, RSVP, and attend\u00a0\u2014\u00a0do not let other work spill into that time. No matter what you\u00a0actually do\u00a0in that creative session, it\u2019s about holding your\u00a0personal work\u00a0in\u00a0the same esteem as you hold those other projects.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So\u00a0you\u2019ve finally set aside the time to work on your project.\u00a0But\u00a0when you sit down in front of your computer,\u00a0or in your studio, or in front of your instrument,\u00a0nothing happens. You\u2019re still drained of your creative energy. Now, what?\u00a0There are\u00a0several\u00a0ways to spur\u00a0some creative energy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider your space<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Do you work from home, in the same space where you eat or where you do your personal projects? Change it up. There\u00a0are,\u00a0of course, tiers to this. Some folks can afford\u00a0renting\u00a0out studio space, where they can dedicate\u00a0a completely separate\u00a0space from their home to work on their personal projects. For others, clearing out a room or a corner of your living space dedicated solely to your personal work is the best option.\u00a0Of course,\u00a0if your studio is just wherever you and your computer are, doing something as small as making a separate profile on your computer for that personal work can help separate out the labor you\u2019re doing\u00a0and\u00a0put you in a different headspace.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a break<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Sometimes we are so excited to get moving along on our personal projects after work that we just jump right into it. But part of protecting your time and your energy means taking a break to decompress. You don\u2019t want to bring the work headspace into your\u00a0personal\u00a0work\u00a0\u2014\u00a0you want to create your own headspace. Whether you take a nap, go for a walk, play with your pet, or listen to music, find a small activity that will help you ease out of your work mode and\u00a0into your creative one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consume and\u00a0connect<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

No, I don\u2019t mean just scrolling\u00a0TikTok\u00a0or binging Netflix. In the same way reading makes you a better writer, checking out the work of your peers, mentors, or other folks whose work you admire (or detest!) can help you find some inspiration\u00a0in content\u00a0or\u00a0process. And on that note, reach out to other folks in your field and pick their brain about their work.\u00a0Chances are they\u2019ll understand the stress of working a job while trying to get a passion project off the ground too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be kind to yourself<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

For creatives, the last year and a half has been intensely frustrating as we respond to all the trauma that has played out. While some have thrown themselves into\u00a0their\u00a0work, others have found themselves paralyzed, unable to do so.\u00a0Maybe that fabric pattern you\u2019re designing is taking far longer than you expected. Maybe you\u2019ve sat down in front of a blank Google doc for a week straight. Maybe you just don\u2019t know where to take the video game you\u2019re working on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cut yourself some slack,\u00a0and\u00a0maybe take time away from your personal project.\u00a0Our creativity is our power, but our work isn\u2019t our worth.\u00a0Be kind to yourself, because\u00a0in due time,\u00a0you will figure it out and complete your project!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

About the author.<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Sam Mani writes about work, creativity, wellness, and equity \u2014 when she\u2019s not cooking, binging television, or annoying her cat<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Work-life balance has long been difficult to achieve. But what about work-work balance? Plenty of us creatives have personal projects that we\u2019re passionate and excited about, but which ultimately take a back seat to the gigs that pay the bills.\u00a0\u00a0 By the time we\u00a0get around to\u00a0these side projects, we can find ourselves completely drained or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":54367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creative-insights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Creative\u2019s Guide to Balancing Work and Passion Projects | Creative Circle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For creatives, balancing work projects with creative projects can be draining and frustrating. 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