Hi, my name is Ali...

I am very much the same way!

ahhh life. there is an ebb and flow to everything and somedays i'm more ebbing than flowing. i joined shimelle's creative art journal class and my first entry is my mission statement for achieving balance. i'm torn between the graphic/linear style and also erratic collage so i hope to find some balance in my creative pursuits. and in my personal life i am torn between work,family,and time for my art. i think the class may serve as a therapeutic outlet...yup,that is so true: acknowledgement is the first step!

Right there with ya. I just got off a hiatus. Just had to get out of the home studio and be for a bit. Felt good and rejunivated myself.

This is something I have been struggling with as well.
I came across the following this morning during my devotions and it really struck me:
"Nobody was busier than Jesus, yet He was never in a hurry. He had a lot more to do than you, yet He never seemed to do it in a way that severed the life-giving connection between Him and the Father, or interfered with His ability to give love when love was required. He regularly withdrew from activity to the place of solitude and prayer."
Hope you don't mind me sharing this, it just seemed to fit.

i think you sound like you have a good balance- in reading past posts about you! you seem to do really good at all the above and i think we can all see what your priorities are. some weeks things go in different priority order and maybe you are just feeling overly creative this week and not so into the other stuff- still attending to the other stuff but more focused on creating. I dont see anything wrong with that- as long as- like you say- that you are aware of your other stuff and will get to it later. Your focus in the last couple of weeks seems to have been your little family- maybe you need a mental break and your body NEEDS to let out its creative energy! :O)
Oh here i go again- blabbing on and on....

why is it that the very stuff that makes us feel alive becomes the stuff that makes us feel we are doing everything wrong?
i am already feeling guilt about the *idea* of doing studio work full time. and i don't even have the family factor to consider. except i am never sure how much is guilt and how much is inertia.
hurrah for introspective thursdays.

totally. and when you somehow are able to shut off that creative drive, then its hard to get it back. its so much easier to stay in the groove. then to leave it and come back. keep that in mind too...

I think you've been reading into my mind...

ali, you are soooo fantastic!! totally hit the nail on the head for me too! thanks for your awesome posts! :)

My super-wise husband always says "To be available and present most of the time, you have to be unavailable some of the time". I'm still figuring out how to achieve that whole ellusive balance thing, but I do know that I have to take this to heart more than I do. Choosing time for me, away, with a great latte and a book or a bath or watching the sunset with my kitty in my lap on the deck. With no phone, no email, no contact. Just me. Hope this helps, maybe just a tiny bit.

Scrapping is the second 'work-at-home' career I've been involved with - the first was running my own genealogy research company. Those who envy the self-employed or envy those who have home offices often don't understand there is a downside to those things as well. I struggle now with being able to disengage and take a break from my scrapbook work, just as I struggled with the same problem with my genealogy company. The difference now is that I have a toddler who needs mommy to be completely present for her...so I have to try extra hard. It is definately a difficult balance to find...I'm still working on it!

um, Ali, hel-LO? Are you walking around in my head?!?! LOL You took the words RIGHT out of my mouth and thoughts lately. I have been drowning in having my work here at home with me. My office is in my house and I just NEVER GET AWAY from it. I SO agree that my mind is in my office even when my body isn't physically present.
The best and only solution for me is to move out to a real office so that when I come home I am HOME, away from work, and though I'll have the tools here to complete some design stuff I'll have that barrier of separation that I think will keep my head more into where I really am, rather than what I'm constantly thinking about.
Best of luck to you finding the best balance for you. I really feel for you!
Alannah

I understand your plight. I've been working at home for a while now, and have slowly learned what works the best for me. First thing I figured out was to never check email before I went to bed. If there is a change a client needs, I'll start thinking about it while I lie in bed, and all through the night. It is hard to separate the work from home, but one thing that has also worked is to close the door when I finish my work day. It's like leaving the office. I close it and the day is done. If I do need to go back in, I'll say to my boyfriend, if you need me, I'll be at the office!
With all the challenges that working at home brings, nothing is better than making a cup of tea, sitting down to work, in your PJ's. :) Have fun! You deserve it!

I can totally relate to how you feel. There are times I sit my room and just stare at the computer and my wall of paper thinking "what next? Where do I start." Then the night is shot. I feel I need to be here, sit here and be with it all. Yeah...I know the feeling.

Ali, just want to thank you for putting into words what has been my struggle for a long time. Thank you. And thank you for reminding me I am not alone. You rock.

It's funny, because I am easily able to leave my "real job" at the office at the end of the day. But this "second job" ... the scrapbooking, the need to create ... well, I have no control over it, really. It controls me. Once it's going, I can't get that part of my brain to shut off. I feel more and more like a crazy tempermental artist all the time.

Balance is a tricky thing - you never arrive at it, you are always in search of innovative ways, new solutions & tricks to have your cake and eat it too! I love creating and like you, i work at home. I have my little guy home too - so I feel pulled. He needs my creative and passionate side too. So I create at night, and pay in the morning. It never ends. What works for me is eating really well. Excercising often. Yoga & mediation. Sounds crazy to add more activities to your day, to free up time - but it works. I feel more creative. I sleep better & make better decisions - and balance is all about choosing. Being aware IS the first step - you're right. This is the biggest struggle in my life and I understand your quest. Enjoy the journey and pass along your findings! Good luck.

trying to achieve balance in my own life, too. and, working on being "present" for prayer. keep at it, ali. you're not alone! ;)

I work from home, too.. and the balance is hard to find - if you do, would you let me know? ;)

*sigh* SO ditto. just. ditto.