Work / Art Balance

I don't talk much about my 'day job' here on the blog because I assume most of my readers would rather look at pretty jewelry and pictures of Paris, but the truth is that I work four days a week at a busy cosmetology school in the heart of San Francisco, while maintaining my (growing) jewelry businesses the other three days!


I'm thankful for the steady employment in this poor economy, as well as the success of The French Circus and my brand new The Paris Carousel, don't get me wrong. But sometimes it can really feel overwhelming.


There is a constant sense of flipping the switch on and off between my two worlds. And rarely do the two intertwine. When I'm at the school, I wear my Job Placement Leader hat, offering students career advice and helping them fill out forms and paperwork.


And when I go home at night, I try to leave all their questions and concerns and the hectic pace of the day behind as I retreat to my studio to create a new necklace or pair of earrings. There never seems to be a moment when my head isn't spinning with the details of one or the other.


It takes me a bit of time to unwind after a long day, but once I'm fully emersed in the creative process, I feel at peace and as though I'm in my element. And nothing makes me feel more accomplished than completing a new piece of jewerly I absolutely love, or when a customer tells me she absolutely loves it!


I know many other artists share the same challenges and it's a constant balancing act between work and art.


Something inside us screams to be heard, validated, allowed to colour outside the lines, put on a silly hat, seek beauty, make beauty, escape from reality, connect with other like-minded souls, daydream, travel, write, sing, paint, dance, and just be happy.


So if you're like me, always struggling bewteen 'work' and 'art', how do you manage? When do you find the best time to create? And how does your art serve you against the harsh realities of the nine to five? I'd love to hear your ideas!


Unitl next time, mes amis, make art! :)