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.

Kevin Ulrich | Freelance LEGO animator

I actually don’t believe in “work-life balance”. I think it’s a myth that leaves us always feeling inadequate because it can never be achieved or maintained. I believe in priorities and in seasons. For instance, one priority is to work super hard. Another is to spend quality time with my family. If I get a big freelance gig, then in that season I’m prioritizing hard work. There will be no “balance”, I’ll be working 80-90 hours a week for a month or two. But as soon as the project is done, I will be taking a few days or weeks off to spend time with my family. Very little work is going to be done in that time. It’s not “balanced”, it’s a season of family time. Read more>>

Matt Conant | Writer/Director & Author

I don’t look at things in terms of work/life balance, because that implies they are separate items and one can only grow at the expense of the other. I once heard the term “work/life harmony” and liked that a lot better, because to me, when one grows, the other grows. I hope this doesn’t make me sound like a workaholic (I might be that too by some definitions), but that’s not really what I meant. I really enjoy what I do, and I think in the world of film and television, you have to. It’s more of a “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” situation. Read more>>

Ashley Perez | Writer

This is a tough one because I struggle with work/life balance all the time. I am a writer with a day job and that makes finding that balance two fold. First, I have to figure out that balance with my day job, which isn’t easy. I work in a very demanding role at my job and as much as I try to prioritize getting out of there on time, sometimes it just doesn’t work. Second, I finally get home and have to balance writing with the needs of being a functioning human, which means eating, drinking water, cleaning, or running errands. I have to balance this as well with being tired at the end of a demanding workday and not wanting to stare at a screen anymore. Read more>>

John Won | Art Director

I used to not think too much about the work-life balance when I was younger. I was always giving 200% in every job because I thought that is what you needed to do. When I finally hit a wall and felt the burnout, I saw how it affected my health both mentally and physically and my relationship with loved ones. I decided to make a change. Don’t get me wrong! I still believe in giving your all at any job, but I learned that it is just as important to know when to turn it off and set aside a time for yourself. Having a clear line of distinction is key. Read more>>

Jennifer Messina | Singer

Everyone asks, how do you perform music, run a beauty business, finance company, model, act, serve as a unit Commander in the Army Reserves and still make time to sleep and have a healthy routine? It’s very simple. Create a calendar and stick to it. When I was 17 years old, I joined the Army and immediately had a rigid schedule. What time do I have to be where? How long is chow? How long will it take to get to A to Z location and what?? I still have to be 10mins early? Read more>>

LeeAnn Kreischer | Mom, Wife, Podcaster, COO, Producer

“Work life balance is a myth.” My friend Rachel Hollis enlightened me with this statement, and I have adopted it entirely. I have always been an “all-in” person, but it’s hard to be all-in, everywhere, all the time. And this left me feeling a bit of a failure everywhere. Suddenly after Rachel spoke that simple statement, I was free of feeling a failure in either my work or my life. The truth is, work and life ebb and flow. Sometimes work has most of my focus, and other times life has most of my focus. It’s ever-changing, and you just have to flow with it. I do have some key, non-negotiables in place to keep life always a priority in a manageable way. I work out with a trainer 3 days a week, with 2 of my closest friends. This keeps me laughing with some of the people I love most, and keeps my body in shape. Even though my high school aged daughter can take a bus to or from school everyday, I choose to drive her to, or pick her up from school (half hour commute each way) every day. My husband and I have a date night every week, and I never miss my weekly therapy session. I have organized these non-negotiables to be flexible, so they can ebb and flow with my ebb and flow, but I almost never miss them. So when life or work get to be too much, I have these “taking care of me and mine” moments in place. Read more>>

Jeremy Urann | Actor, Dancer, Model & Creative Juggernaut

Three years ago, I made the switch from Theatre in the Pacific Northwest to move to Los Angeles and pursue brawn modeling, dance, and acting for film and television. At first, there was no balance. I was working full-time at a restaurant and then working over-time doing submissions, auditions, and taking classes. I was burning out and my best energy was spent serving tables instead of realizing my creative dreams or passion projects. Falling in love with my partner, who is a freelance photographer and lighting assistant, completely flipped my paradigm. I witnessed him working on his own terms in the industry he loved. Inspired, I saved money, dropped to part time to reprioritize my energies and eventually, I was able to go full-time freelance. Read more>>

Amy Summers | Composer

I used to feel guilty about any time that I spent away from composing or from doing things that directly contributed to and enhanced my career. Paradoxically, I’d frequently burnout and get writers’ block. Over time, I’ve come to realise that the more interesting and full your personal life is and the more you take proper care of yourself, the better you will perform in your job and the more you will bring to the table. I schedule time every day to do something different with my brain and/or body – read, walk, learn something, socialise, exercise – and stick to it. Being self-employed, you never know when work is going to start up or for how long, and it can be any day, any time. Even when you schedule time off, you are always ‘on call’. You really have to be kind to yourself, breathe and break hard when you can. In the words of Maria von Trapp, ‘strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers. When you wake up, wake up!’ Read more>>

Oscar Gervet | Creative Producer

I think the entertainment industry is quite particular in terms of “work-life balance,” that is, if there is one. First, the line between friends, professional network, and collaborators is blurry. Then, the nature of the film industry is unbalanced, whether answering calls and emails on weekends at an agency or management company or working freelance and being on set for at least 12 hours a day during production. And I think it’s OK if life is unbalanced for some time. I think it’s OK if someone works 70+ hours a week for a year or two if that enables them to get where they want, as long as they still make time for family, friends, and relationships outside of work. I think everyone is different, and as long as people find value and happiness in their journey, life can sometimes be out of balance. Read more>>

Georg Altziebler | Musician

This is an interesting term. It suggests that your work and your life are two different things and that your life only starts when your working day is done. The best thing about being a musician is that you don’t have to worry about your work-life-balance. It just doesn’t exist. There’s no boss to tell you what to do between 9AM and 5PM. You do what your music needs to be done. In a way, you don’t work to make a living but live to make it work .. You may spend weeks and months writing songs for a new album. You may put all your efforts in promoting your songs. You may set up a little tour and work on life-arrangements for your songs. Or you may be trying out different tunings for your guitar to keep things interesting. As an artist you don’t want to repeat yourself and a lot of thought goes into the “what’s next”- question. In our case, luckily, these considerations can wait for a few more weeks. We are just in the process of releasing our new album “Ghost ranch” and at this point our lives are revolving around these new songs and the way we would like to present them to our audience. Life for musicians can be challenging but we feel very lucky to know our lives are filled with the work we love. Read more>>

Will Kaplan | Writing Artist

A big part of my growth has been in adapting my creative time to the rest of my life. When I first got my studio in 2019, that was the only place I wanted to be. Even after a night out with friends, I would wind up back at the studio just pushing a piece a little further, or starting a new project. I burnt out from that fast, and found myself cagey or exhausted when trying to do anything there. Focussing on my relationships and my health made me appreciate the studio in a different way. I now have faith that with a great opportunity, or a project that I’m excited about, that I can still tap into that hunger and love for that personal creative space. But without something like that bringing me back there, I can make more time to see people, travel a bit, and to rest. I always keep some drawing materials on me, because that artistic itch will never subside completely. Artist books and sketchpads accompany me wherever I go, just a bit of kindling to keep the spark. Read more>>

Madeline Abatemarco | Character Designer & Production Coordinator

I think I’m figuring out the perfect balance, still. I really love working in creative industries, and I definitely want my job to be at least creative-adjacent, and not just a “regular” job. I really like that aspect of working in animation production, since I don’t have to do the creative tasks that artists do all day every day for a job, so it leads to less creative burnout, but it’s still a job that requires a lot of patience, focus, and energy, like any other job does. I’m trying to get more into making my own merchandise to sell as an online shop, so that way I have a creative job that I can control my hours I want to dedicate to, so that I’m not burning myself out, and I can do it on the side and it can be designs I make for things that I’m passionate about! Read more>>

Matthew Ciaccio-Stevens | CEO/Founder – Local Deadbeat Agency

I think the problem with balance is discipline. Regardless of whether or not its a work/life balance or just trying to make time to work out and eat better. When I started Local Deadbeat Agency, I was a college student working full time. As the company grew, we started hosting more live music events. In 2019 we were averaging 5-6 shows a month, in addition to going to school full time, and working full time. Somewhere in there we were also releasing new clothing items too. The pandemic put a quick halt to that, and it really restructured what I value in myself as a person, and not so much what I see in the company itself. Seven years into this, I’ve grown into a place where I can see a healthy amount of growth in the company, while still maintaining an amount of shows, clothing releases, etc and still being able to work full time, and come home and have dinner with my girlfriend. I could easily be hosting six shows a month again, but the stress and repeated blows to the head just don’t justify it. Read more>>

Daleet Spector | Yoga Instructor & Interior Designer

I’ve been an interior designer for almost 20 years and I love the creative aspect of the work and seeing how transforming my client’s physical space can uplift their lives. The job does come with it’s share of challenges and, at times, can demand a lot of my attention. Read more>>