A Balancing Act

Whew! I've been quite busy here, though it may not seem like it due to the lack of posts.

For those of you who don't know, in addition to our recent move, I'm making the transition from a full-time teaching job (which I enjoyed, but constantly bemoaned my lack of time to create) to a part-time job at an educational nonprofit. This means that my new, official pursuit is Paper Menagerie. This is something I've been really scared to do for a long time, but also something I've felt the drive to try. Billy has been incredibly supportive, and I'm not sure I would have made this jump without his encouragement.

There are quite a few things in the works. I just completed some more custom work for a wedding. In September, I'll be in Etsy's cooperative ad in a favorite publication of mine, BUST magazine. In October, we'll be traveling to Austin, Texas for Bazaar Bizarre/Maker Faire. While I did quite a few shows during my time in Boston, this will be my first large-scale show, and I am very excited.

Here's where the "balancing" piece comes in: How does one balance creativity and business? I certainly go through spurts where all I want to do is create, and spurts where, as a one-woman operation, I have to commit the majority of my time to promoting, processing orders, bookkeeping and the like.

How do others handle it? Do you have a schedule you stick to? Have you made the conscious decision to keep creativity and business separate? Do you continue to commit time for personal projects? Do you have an everyday routine, like a sketchbook, that keeps the juices flowing? I'd love to hear from others about this!

{I thought the picture above was fitting. I see between two and three hot air balloons on any given morning here.}