By far the most common conversation we have with the folks we interview is about work-life balance. Starting a business or pursuing a creative career makes finding work life balance really tough because there is no clear start and end to one’s work day. We’ve shared some of our conversations on the topic below.

Ryan Royster | Multi-hyphenate creative & Ethical Entrepreneur

I work a lot. That’s a reality for me. Like most of us, I tried to focusing on work life balance but I never fully connected with the concept and I’ve actually grown to reject it altogether. Instead viewing work and life as 2 opposing forces that I need to balance, I now just look to create a well-balanced life. Read more>>

Christine Partamian | Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner

Work life balance… It’s a constant tug of war and it means something different for everyone. To me, it’s prioritizing what matters the most. I strive most when I have a busy plate, and I am happiest when I can “balance” it all. I love to push my limits and do my best to reach them. As a nurse, I have been tested with balancing my schedule; managing patients and fulfilling tasks on a timely basis and sometimes, finding myself taking the extra mile to personalize my reach through my social media platform in unique ways. Overtime, I learned how to balance and not fall behind… because between us, when you love what you do, that tug of war game becomes a lot easier to win! Read more>>

Augustin Valencia | Logistics generalist & artist.

I try to maintain a balance of work and my art. There’s been a struggle in the past few years in result to a unsuccessful love interest . Along with working a full-time job in logistics I maintain a steady pace with my art. Balance is constantly shifting based on personal ambitions at the time. As of now I am finding my way back into producing more art. Read more>>

Tiffany Miller | Creative, Coach & Collaborator

Since I started my business, FlyBlooms, 10 years ago, I’ve always had a full-time job alongside motherhood, higher education pursuits and a personal life. I did all the things all the time for a long time. I just went until I was exhausted which significantly affected my health and mental well-being. Finding balance always seemed impossible. I used to say yes to everything which meant sacrificing time with myself. Over the years, I learned to incorporate no into my vocabulary. If I don’t have the time, energy or joy capacity for something, it’s really easy to say no. Read more>>

Obi Nwankwo | Creative Artists & Entreprenuer

I think work life balance is more so finding your rhythm in life. If you align work with what you’re passionate about you will find your rhythm and flow. If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life because that passion will fuel and energize you instead of draining you. Work is supposed to be enjoyable and so is life so when you find that rhythm between the two you’ll be in a different state of mind. Read more>>

Saneit | Saneit- Singer & Songrwriter

I started working for myself as a hair braider in 2017. This was the only way I was able to create my own schedule and give attention to my artistic desires. While I was working a 9-5 I felt so drained. It made it extremely hard to book studio time and when I did I was exhausted. As an entrepreneur I feel way more balanced. I can dedicate as much time as I want to my art. Read more>>

Chelsea Brewer | Stained Glass Artist

For the first several years I really pushed myself to be in the studio as much as I possibly could; lots of late nights, a few overnighters where I was awake 30+ hours to meet deadlines to then drive and set-up for markets and work all day. Not only was I sleep deprived, but my work was sub-par, and the stress and overexertion had detrimental effects on my physical and mental health. That’s something I’ll never do again. Read more>>