What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Jordan Qin | Writer-Director

My work-life balance has definitely been a rollercoaster. I’m a workhorse by nature, and it feels a little unsettling to have downtime, especially when it feels like I have a million things to work on. Being pulled in a thousand directions is stressful, but I find myself motivated by it. I feel like the biggest thing I’ve learned over the last year or so is that balance is okay. Read more>>

Abby Wathen | Actor, writer, wife and mother

This is a very interesting question for me. Four and a half years ago I became a mom. For many many years my career was my life, it was how I valued my self worth, it determined if I left town or not, it was whether I said yes to an adventure or not. When I became a mom everything changed and it took a few years to feel like I wasn’t upside down all the time. I’ve had to learn how to let go of things, especially expectations, and be more in the flow of life and in the now Read more>>

Maddie Alexandria | Wardrobe stylist

My work life is very hectic these days, my clientele is progressing every single day which I am more then grateful for. But it always means I have 5 times the work in my plate which can get stressful, which is why I try to stay as organized as possible! But I can’t take the credit in my own I have any amazing team behind me to help me stay organized. Read more>>

 Patricia Polgar | Audio Engineer

Balance is very important to me. I work hard, but I need time for myself as well. I rather be alone than around a bunch of people, so I need some alone time every day even if it’s for an hour. Meditation, pilates, reading are also helping me to stay focused. Read more>>

Stella Musi | Art Director

Throughout my career, I have witnessed a significant evolution in my work-life balance. Initially, I was fully immersed in my work, devoting myself to it at all hours of the day. However, as I progressed professionally, I began to appreciate the value of time spent away from my laptop more and more. I discovered that without adequate rest and opportunities to indulge in life’s pleasures, my creativity suffered, and the spark necessary for my best work started to fade. Read more>>

Jianan Liu | Art Director & Illustrator

Handling a full-time job and freelancing work on the side is not easy. When I first graduated from school, I poured all my time and energy into work, without weekends and holidays. I had this constant fear that turning down any jobs would mean losing clients and facing a dry spell. However, after about a year, the burnout hit me very hard. I realized that I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing anymore and felt exhausted. Read more>>

Bobbo Byrnes | Time Traveling Singer/Songwriting Troubadour

I struggle with this. I’ve designed my life that if I’m not touring and playing shows then I’m home in the studio recording myself and others and if I’m not doing that I’m tuning pianos and it’s worked it’s way into thinking that if I’m not doing one of these jobs then I’m wasting time. My wife Tracy has been very influential in getting me to think of time off and setting hours because I will just keep going morning to night. She will say, ok, you need a break now. Read more>>

Li Cree | 2D Animator, Storyboard Artist & Character Designer

Compared to my first year in LA, it’s definitely gotten a lot better. I remember overworking myself and never allowing myself to rest on weekends or holidays. It wasn’t good haha. Any moment I would get to rest I would just feel super tired and never want to do anything (whether it was creative, active, recreational). Read more>>