Balancing Work and Play

I think many of us, as creative beings, have overdone it at some point or another. We lost our way in making hobbies become profitable, or we studied creative subjects for years and it gradually took the joy from them. Well I’m now reclaiming both of those things, or trying to.

I studied some (or multiple) forms of art for the last 11 years. Throughout secondary school it was textiles and fine art, then fine art and photography at A-level, then a UAL Foundation Diploma in Fine Art before a three year degree in Documentary photography that I completed last spring. Don’t get me wrong, I would choose those subjects over maths or physics in a heartbeat and I achieved highly throughout that educational career, but the pressure to create to meet a criteria gradually took it’s toll.

Last summer after graduating I was in a strange limbo state I think all graduates experience in some degree. I got the dream part time job for a company I loved straight out of uni, after working freelance for them for a year, which was all I needed to cover costs of living in a van (plus workshop rent). So it was a pretty ideal situation, besides the fact I had very little creative energy left in me. The days blurred into a morning dog walk, lunch, a few hours of work, YouTube then the evening rolled around. I think it was a break I needed but the relief of having creative energy return more recently has been very welcome.

If you read one of my previous posts, you’ll know that job came to an end in February and after applying and getting the full time role within the company, I declined the offer, realising the non negotiable salary was not worth how much creative energy a full time role would take from me.

It was a necessary shift, fortunately aligned with the beginning of spring, to get the creative cogs turning again. I’m working fully freelance and delving back into all sorts of endeavours I had let drift away whilst studying. Selling my artwork is one that I’m most excited by. This time maintaining the awareness that not every hobby needs to be part of that business. I keep things like knitting and sketchbook drawing for my own enjoyment and prefer to create prints of paintings.

Somehow it took me that long to understand the idea of balancing work and play, especially when your job is doing the things you love.