Things I Have Learned Since Choosing A Life As An Artist - Part 1
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”
― Brené Brown
Me and my wife already lived a life where we both were self-employed. So living with relative insecurity was familiar territory for us.
But more and more a deep wish to spent time on our creative hobby’s and interests made us decide to try out an experiment.
Let’s start a three year period in which we try to spent our time solely on our creative hobby’s and interests.
Who knows maybe earn some money with the work we create along the way? So about 6 months ago we finished our former work. And yes, we saved money for a three year period so the biggest pressure was taken care of.
And so started a period, we are 6 months underway now, where there was all this time and freedom to do what we wanted to do. No clients that wanted something, no time frames wherein we had to do things. No Zoom meetings, and no working place to go to.
Last but not least, why not start such an experiment amidst a global pandemic?
At first there was this big expectation, this endless freedom. I could do anything anytime! Exhilarating! I felt like a kid that was let loose in a playground.
But after a month or two something started feeling unerving.
I mean seriously, I didn’t know how destabilizing this would feel. Because of all this freedom all the time, I realised that something was missing. Yes, I was doing a lot of nice things all of the time and what is there to complain about.
My wife also experienced these feelings. So we started making some adjustments. What time do we get up? What time do we take a break? What time do we stop? Where do we do our work in our home? Last but not least, how do we turn ourselves off?
All the time doing only things we loved also created this ongoing thinking and talking about the things we do and love in and around our home. We found out that we also longed for some balance between doing what we love and also relax and just hang around!
Lesson number one:
It is pretty scary when known structures and comforts are falling away. Even when you are consciously choosing the circumstances.
We had to come up with some structure or time frame to do our creative work. Luckily we have a nice studio near the house where I do my work. My wife works in our house. So we have our own place.
We started experimenting with going to bed earlier and getting up at 8.00 A.M. After our morning rituals we start our ‘workday’ somewhere between 9.30 and 10.00. Then we take a break from 13.00–14.00. From 14.00–16.30 another work period and a short break from 16.30–16.45. Our last work period from 16.45–18.00.
This really seems to work for us and gives some necessary holding to our self chosen adventure.
Thanks for reading and hope to see you back for part 2! Believe me, there are lots of lessons that will follow!
Life is certainly not boring.
Join our adventure of living our lives as self proclaimed artists!
