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.

Cathy Yang | pianist

I’m so glad for this question because it is a central theme that’s been in my thoughts in the past year. Having played piano for almost all of my life, even before I made it my vocation, it is often hard for me even now to distinguish between work and life. There is a blurry boundary – or an open space – that has both positive and negative impacts. Read more>>

Hannah Bangs | Owner/ Founder/ Plant Lady/ Artist

I am deeply protective of my free time. As an artist, unstructured time to wander and ramble is essential for letting inspiration find it’s channel. I have always been drawn to jobs that allow me flexibility to exist as a human outside of work. Before Idyll, I worked as a barista, which allowed me to travel the world and to different places with some amount of job security. I would lump my work days together, so that I had two days off (usually Sunday Monday because all customer service jobs need us to work one weekend day) and then would jet off to the mountains after work and go spend time outside where poetry slips out of the streams and flowers. Read more>>

Tansy | Musical Du0 & Band

Our balance has shifted many times since starting our band “Tansy”. In the beginning, we both lived in the same city. But, since 2019 both of us have lived across the country from one another. Will has been in New Orleans, and I, McKenna, have been living in Los Angeles. This has inevitably changed our balance, and truthfully it changes month to month. When we first began, we could meet weekly in person and work on songs together. Read more>>

ELSA MELERO | PHOTOGRAPHER & DIRECTOR

Indispensable question. Work-life balance can be a challenging and ongoing process. It can definitely be difficult to find the right balance between the demands of work and the desire to maintain healthy relationships, engage in hobbies and interests, and take care of oneself. Also balance might change over time as life circumstances and priorities shift. It’s important to set boundaries, communicate, prioritize self-care, and be flexible when circumstances change. It’s also importa

Melanie Samuels and Melissa Coulier | Wellness Entrepreneurs

Balance, to use, has always been about priorities. In fact, we would define balance as how you piece together your priorities into a daily puzzle. We both used to work in industries that demanded work to take up the entire puzzle. If you weren’t the first one there and the last to leave, you weren’t “doing it right.” However, this mentality started to take a toll on our health and we started to question if there was a different puzzle – one that built an enjoyable life. That’s what balance is really supposed to be about, right? Read more>>

Shafagh Hadinezhad | Designer & Educational Researcher

This is a difficult question. I constantly strive to balance my personal, student, and work life, and there are ups and downs along the way. In my undergraduate studies, my focus was initially on achieving success in my degree and finding a suitable job, without fully understanding my deep interests in the design realm. However, during my graduate studies, I came to realize that these aspects of my life are interconnected, and there is no need to separate them completely. Read more>>

Rebecca Bolland | Founder and Creative Director of REDxRB

Balance is something that I’ve still been learning, and it’s something that I consistently need to remember. While I worked on my first collection for New York Fashion Week, there would be days when all I would focus on was the overall project, and I wouldn’t want to take a break. It didn’t take long for me to learn that that method wasn’t healthy, as I was not only extremely anxious, but I was putting other responsibilities and personal relationships on the backburner. I was, and still am, very fortunate to have people around me let me know that it’s okay to take a break and let yourself recharge. Read more>>

nt to recognize that achieving balance is not always be possible! Read more>>

Henry Abdoh | Actor/Songwriter

Personally I do not really believe in work life balance. Sure – off-times are necessary to recharge and relax. But when somebody loves what they are doing and is obsessed about it the work turns out to be more pleasurable than simply relaxing. Furthermore I believe that if somebody is serious about their goals that they have to make an important decision: are they willing to sacrifice friends, time, etc. for said goals or is their “free time” more valuable? Read more>>