My Own Personal Abyss

The lights have been out at the Abyss since last Monday, in the name of detoxing from our constantly-connected world. I'll be honest -- I haven't been the best patient. In my defense, our detox week coincided with my attempt to buy a house (to all you homeowners out there, I don't know how you did it without going insane, but hot dang I applaud you for it), so the interwebbies became even more present then usual in my life.

That said, even just taking a break from the blog caused a real shift in my schedule and sense of availability. Writing and/or editing two to three posts a week, keeping up with Wreck This Journey, and making sure to get my collaboration sessions on with Kadie all take up significant chunks of time in my life. While its a worthwhile way to spend my time, once I add in work, household maintenance (dogs aren't going to walk themselves), and socialization (friendships aren't going to take care of themselves either), I end up feeling like there's not a lot of time left in my day. This isn't the first time we've talked about the struggle to find time for everything, but today I want to share a sneaking suspicion I've had for a while: that it just can't be done, period.

Cue Scrubs' theme song:



True story, brah.

Here's the thing: I've always thought of my creative work (writing, drawing, sewing, painting, etc.) as the thing that I do after I get everything else done. The thing that will arise out of the void created by having "nothing to do" -- my time abyss, if you will. It's why I identify so well with the definition of "abyss" that we highlight here on the blog -- the primal chaos before creation.

Here's the problem: when exactly do I find myself with nothing to do? There is always something that I could be doing -- whether it's helping out family, or grocery shopping, or joining into that super-interesting conversation on Facebook about whether the latest fan theory on Labyrinth is awesome or SUPER-awesome (and if you just missed that reference, you absolutely desperately must go rent it, or Netflix it, or stream it, or whatever the kids are doing these days. No excuses.) -- and thus my expectation that time to be creative will just show up in the form of empty, unscheduled hours on my calendar has left me with very little art produced in the two years since I stopped having to make art for grades. For that matter, even when I was in school, I still wouldn't make art outside of what was assigned. Back then, I attributed it to inspiration fatigue -- but these days, I'm not so sure.

You've probably guessed where this thought process ends up:

Is an artist still an artist if they aren't creating?

 Good golly Miss Molly, I don't have the faintest idea of how to answer that question. The short version is "Yes?" with a question mark because while I wholeheartedly believe everyone has the creative capability to be an artist, and therefore if you identify as an artist, who am I to say differently; but at the same time, being an artist is arguably choosing to make the creative processing of inputs - aka, what most people think of a "creativity" - your life's work. The long version is "Maybe . . ." followed by a long descent into rambling stress about how labels don't really help anyone anyway and how even DaVinci needed to eat, but then again, if I really was an artist, wouldn't I just feel compelled to make art all day long, everyday, and maybe I'm really just in the wrong field . . . You get the idea.

But here's the crux of the issue: instead of existing in a void where I have time to make nothing but art, at the moment I exist in an abyss devoid of art creation -- and that makes me sincerely question what the heck I think I'm doing with my life.

I'm reminded of the stories of the first trans-oceanic explorers, sailing off towards the horizon without any proof that there was going to be something waiting for them out beyond that infinite line of earth meeting sky. It takes faith to embark on such a voyage: that the water will give way to land, that the void will eventually become repopulated with something, and I'm not interested in turning back now -- but in the meantime, when it comes to art, I feel like I'm piloting a very small skiff into a vast and immeasurable darkness, where my inability (unwillingness?) to make time to create leaves me without oars or sail. That's a frightening thought.

I know, it sounds melodramatic. And in some ways it is -- there are far worse things in the world than being busy with family and friends and work and day-to-day life. But if we're going to truly change the way the creative world, and the world at large, currently does business, we have to stop only talking about the pretty, happy, pulled-together front that so many of us use to disguise how genuinely lost we are, because of some feeling that we don't 'deserve' to feel lost. That kind of pretense helps nobody.

Maintaining A Work / Life Balance With Braid

During my exploration of the inter webs this week I stumbled upon the amazing creative work from Braid Creative, creative branding and visioning consultants for creative entrepreneurs.  If you need any help with your branding these girls are amazing.  But on top of that they just happened to write a really amazing article on how they balance their creative work with their lives. Kismet?  I think so… To read the original article click here.

How Daylight Savings Jacked Up Our Work Life Balance

Tara and I have always been proud of the fact that we’re not total workaholics. Even coming from an advertising agency background we’ve always believed that if you can’t get it done in 40 hours a week then you’re doing something wrong. 

As creative entrepreneurs it can be hard to it shut down. The lines between work and life are blurred when you’re passionate about growing your business. And as of two weeks ago daylight savings has sprung us forward an hour - completely jacking with our internal circadian rhythm that tells us when to wake up, begin work, and more importantly shut down the computer, eat dinner and go to bed. 

Here is how we try to maintain that work / life balance and clues for when we’re overextending ourselves. 

We’ll start with me. 

I know I’m maintaining a pretty good work / life balance when:

1. I can fit in my daily work out - I use this time to decompress and transition from working out of my house to just being at home.


2. When I watch my favorite shows in real time - there’s nothing like watching The Walking Dead or Mad Men when it airs.

3. When I have time to indulge in a Netflix marathon - on the flip side of watching shows as they air there is something special about watching three seasons of Breaking Bad in a span of two weeks.

4. When my schedule is in synch with my 9-to-5 husband - that means we’re going to sleep, waking up and eating meals together. 

5. When I have time to enjoy a happy hour cocktail - sometimes a work out is not enough to decompress from a long week. I like to enjoy a nice glass of wine or local microbrewed beer after a productive day of work.



It’s a little trickier for Tara because she’s got two kiddos in the mix - but here’s how she knows she’s doing a good job of juggling it all with grace: 

1. She manages to pack school lunches at a reasonable hour - without going “mommy dearest” crazy and throwing ziploc sandwich baggies everywhere.

2. She’s not up all night with work-induced insomnia - Tara also has this habit of sleep walking (more of a freak out really) when she’s particularly stressed. Read more of that hilarious story here. 

3. She gets to go to “guilty pleasure” movies at the actual theatre complete with popcorn and syrupy soda - this means psychotic grossout movies that I cannot fathom how she gets so much glee out of, like Hostel or The Hills Have Eyes.

4. She can hole up in her room with a novel for at least a two-hour stretch - when we were kids she’d lock us all out of her room to read Little Women for the twentieth time while we pounded on the door or tried to slip notes under the crack “play with us pleasssseee.”

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Sometimes we don’t recognize when the scales are being tipped. It’s easy to get caught up in the stress that comes with being a creative entrepreneur so here are some warning signs or clues that you’re on the brink of a work / life meltdown:

1. You forget to eat - I always thought this was something celebrities said to mask an eating disorder. So when I realized I had forgotten to eat lunch one day I was shocked that paparazzi wasn’t chasing me around at the same time.

2. You have nothing to blog about - I find that when I’m out of ideas for things to blog about on my personal lifestyle blog that I’ve probably been working (or thinking about work) too much.

3. You have no sense of humor - Our designer Kristin finds that she has zero capacity to process jokes when she’s feeling stressed.

4. Your kids get your attention by talking to you about work - Tara’s kid Charlie will say things like “Now, Super Mario is kind of like Braid because …” or will replicate our logo in colored markers for praise instead of drawing normal kid things like cars and dinosaurs. 

 If you want to learn more about Braid Creative & Consulting check out their Website, Facebook , Vimeo , or Twitter accounts!

Hang Time: Balancing Life As A Creative

This week on the blog we are talking about trying to bring a bit of balance to our creative lives so we don't turn into crazy people who end up murdering their husbands...

With that thought in mind, during my random journey into the magical land of the interwebs this week I stumbled upon this awesome video by the amazing people over at Red on Black Productions.  Take one google hangout, a handful of amazingly creative people and give them the topic of how to balance a creative life and you get some pretty awesome stuff.


So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy hanging out with the good folks at Red on Black!

BALANCING ACT: HOW TO BALANCE WORK & LIFE AS YOU BUILD UP YOUR CREATIVE CAREER

Challenge #11: Help! My Creativity Is Taking Over My Life!

Challenge Badge Swag

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that we normally post five days a week, rain or shine -- except for last week. On a related note, I have a confession to make:

It was my fault.

If you've ever tried to run a blog with a regular posting schedule, you know that it can quickly turn into a looming, anxiety-inducing deadline -- especially if you start to get extra-busy in your non-blog-related life. Once this happens, you have a choice: you can either sacrifice your blog and take care of the rest of your life, or you can shake your head at life and insist on sticking to your publishing schedule, or you can run yourself ragged trying to accomplish everything.

Generally, I swing between the first and the third options -- and thus, when last week I celebrated my anniversary by attempting to create a sublime, eat-your-heart-out-Martha-Stewart -worthy feast, then received news of a family emergency that just piled on the pressure (don't worry, everyone's okay now), then realized that there was no way I was going to be able to meet all my obligations in time for the weekend -- I decided that I would have to forget about the blog for the moment.

And thus I was once again foiled in my pursuit of "work-life balance." Usually I see that phrase used to reference the challenges that come with trying to be there for kids and pursue a fulfilling career -- but I think it's applicable in any situation where social/familial desires come into conflict with work desires. Even obligations fall under the heading of desires, since you only "have" to do it because you desire to avoid the fallout from not doing it. In fact, let's lose the term "work-life balance" -- instead, let's go with desire balance.

Suck it, wordsmiths.

Anyway, attempting to balance out desires as a creative person can be extra challenging -- it certainly is for me -- because there is SO MUCH STUFF you want to do. Let's start with public creativity goals - such as writing a book or a blog (hi), completing a photo series, learning a new dance routine, etc. And then let's add the creative stuff you want to do for yourself -- in my case, this means making a new retro dress, decorating my house, trying new recipes. Then add the stuff that fuels your spirit outside of your creative pursuits -- spending time with friends and family, going to check out a new movie or cool art show, and of course getting enough rest, getting enough food, and doing whatever it is that connects you with your creative inspiration.

Notice anything missing from that list? Oh yeah -- all the stuff you have to do. Whether it's working the job that pays the bills, helping out a friend in need, applying for a grant, attending classes, getting in a run, or just keeping up with day-to-day chores around the house, it's easy to find most of your time filled up with the day-to-day tasks of living, or end up neglecting the more basic stuff in favor of meeting your creative goals (aka, why my sink is full of dishes and I swear I'll get around to vacuuming . . . sometime in the next month).

That brings us to this week's challenge. Although it may be impossible to get everything done, perhaps it's possible to find a balance. This week, keep track of how you spend your time. Write it down. Make to-do lists. Make sure to schedule downtime -- and don't feel guilty about it! Personally, I'm going to try applying productivity tactics like the Pomodoro Technique to my entire week's schedule (and I'll be using this little timer to help me out with that). Starting tomorrow, I'll be keeping a log on our Facebook of what I do, versus how long I thought it would take me, versus what I want to get done.

Want to see how you stack up? Email your daily logs to theartabyss@gmail.com, and we'll post them alongside mine on our Facebook page. We might even feature a couple here on the blog! Now go off and find that desire balance -- and don't forget to take our trusty challenge badge with you.