Balancing the Artist’s Life with a Full Time Job

Oh… summer!  Where did you go?   

As a teacher, the summer schedule is a welcomed change of pace from the usual very busy daily school schedule.  It gives me a little more time as an artist to work in my studio, to create a business plan, and to follow through on the priorities for my work beyond the classroom.   

Going back to the the fast paced life of a high school teacher, though, requires a transition! Not only is there a 40+ hr a week high intensity job to attend to, but there are the regular duties of life with family, home, my regular studio practice and the business details of my creative work.

Overwhelm is a constant threat!  

Some of us work another job because we must - in order to support our family while our artistic work matures and grows.  Some of us work another job because we love that other job and feel called to it, while still having serious intentions for our creative work.  Either way, it results in a full and overflowing plate!

So, in an effort to find balance and sanity I've come up with a few tips for the artist who also works at another job.  Yes, it can be done, but our set of challenges may be a little different from the creator who is not juggling the artistic life with another job.

First, prioritize.   

While that sound simplistic - it’s actually a vital first step. Your work at the job is a given.  But placing in order of importance the rest of life’s demands helps to develop clarity about the order of the next things that must be done.  What takes 1st, 2nd, 3rd in priority in your current situation?  And could your current situation only be for a season?  It’s important to think about that too… not all current situations last forever!  

Establish 2-3 main goals for the coming defined time period.

Is the time period you are defining for this coming month or quarter?   I try to get a big-picture sense of goals for the coming year and then break these down for the quarter, month, week, and finally, the day.  This requires a little planning and thought at the outset… but it gives a guideline for doing the next things in order to attain the goal. Without this kind of structure, I begin to take a “shot in the dark” approach.  I become super busy, mostly working in circles! There is no real and measurable progress that occurs.

What makes a good goal? It needs to be something that is specific and measurable.  You need to know where you are starting - and where you plan to go, in order to measure progress. Goals can be set with the best of understanding in the moment, but flexibility is also necessary.  Goals need to be revisited and reevaluated from time to time. I usually recheck my goals every 4-6 months, and adjust them as I need to.

I can actually accomplish over 900 small steps toward my goals!  

Limit the daily steps.

At this point, I use a calendar.  For me, it’s way too easy to load that calendar up, day by day with all the things I think I need to do… So, I limit my daily steps to 3 things to do in a day.  Some days (which are stacked up with other responsibilities for work) may have just 2 smaller things listed.  With a shorter daily to-do list, there’s a much higher possibility of accomplishing those things, while at the same time having the balance I need for my family and household responsibilities, for my church and friends, for a healthy lifestyle of exercise and rest and nutrition.  

    It works for me - most of the time - and on a day it doesn’t… it’s OK.  Either it will be done on another day, or perhaps I will realize it wasn’t as important as I thought it was. If I’m consistent with 3 steps a day, 6 days a week (because I think a day to be at rest is important), I can actually accomplish over 900 small steps toward my goals in a year! That’s measurable!

    One more thing that’s important to me…    Because I believe that my artistic qualities were intentionally created by a very creative Creator, I know that I’m not alone in my interests, desires, and goals!  It helps to relax my grip on what drives me. I prayerfully prioritize and set goals and work those goals out daily. And it’s a relief to know that it’s not all up to me.  I’m not suggesting to sit back and wait for all my hopes and dreams to flow to me. But I am suggesting that I have help from another source and when I look back, that help is evident!  

    Take courage!  Finding the balance between an artist’s life and a full time job is possible! I can look back for many years and see how my artistic journey has progressed and matured, all while working a full time job!  Prioritize, set goals, and give yourself the grace of a short daily to-do list. You’ll make more progress than you can imagine!