The importance of rest, reset and balance

"If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit." - Bansky 

A happy place on a beautiful day - solitude, peace and quiet

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I have been self employed for many years of my working life and had thought that I understood the need for a work, life balance. How wrong I was! As an artist building my business from nothing, there are highs and lows and although the need for time out is crucial in all professions, it is particularly so here.

Never underestimate the importance of a group of creative friends to boost and support you. I was lucky enough to find the United Art Space, a group of creatives who boost and support each other sharing experiences both good and bad. Within the group we also have smaller Accountability groups. Mine meets every week and are allways there for support and advice. I also made it a goal last year to meet and find friends in my local creative community, and am stunned at how many I have met through instagram and local art clubs. Without this group of new artist friends I would not have the confidence to exhibit my work, and would have no one with the knowledge of my experiences to understand the daily challenges.

A common struggle for anyone who is building a business in today's society, is the overwhelm of being 'on' every day of the week. I spend so much time on social media and online in general, that I end up with what can only be described as brain drain. I now know to make myself take time out, even if it means that I am out of the loop for a while. The world doesn't stop and the followers don't dissapear.

I also need to make certain that I don't take my work on holiday with me. Set up reels on Insta to run when I'm away and only take a limited art kit for sketchbook work with me. Sometimes not even that. If my I'm an artist by profession, I should not be continuing with that every day that I'm on holiday, not matter how much I enjoy it!

Well, that was a dump of my thoughts on overwhelm, but I'd love to hear what you think. Post your comments below :-)

My next post will cover embracing the concept of visualisation and manifesting since becoming a professional artist.