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.

Stephen Mirich

I’ve created art all my life, starting when I was very young. It has been a natural part of my life along with many other interests. Although my art career has always been in the forefront, I’ve not let it take away from other experiences and or duties. The income from doing art work hasn’t always been steady either, so I’ve had many other jobs or sidelines over the years as well as years of care giving to a parent. If anything, I feel this all goes to enriching life itself. Now at 71, time itself feels more limited in years left. I am more involved in my art that ever before. Not in any kind of business success but just to live as an artist and always the learning, practice and continual growth. Read More>>

Gavin Velez

The life of an artist is one that is always threatening to go out of balance. Constancy is a luxury in most fields because you are beholden to external forces like a weekly batch of shifts or a schedule. You have driving forces like quotas, a site manager, the next deal, the next sale, or in sports the next win.

In an artistic field like acting, especially in film acting, there are milestones and there are moments of celebration that often come far after the “work” is occurring. Read More>>

Angel Patiño

Before moving to LA, I had no perception of work-life balance. My life was ruled by dance (rehearsals, teaching, choreographing, performing, driving) with little sleep and little time for anything else. Over the years, and specially now, I’ve learned how important it is to be happy in all aspects of life of your life. With that, it’s hard work being able to balance them all but it’s possible if you truly believe in yourself. I even completed a bachelor’s and master’s program while working full time and still dancing a bit. I work in community health as a Program Administrator full-time and currently in a fellowship program under the Office of Health Equity. I need dance, just as much as I need to exercise, work, make time for friends, visit family, and go on dates occasionally. Now, I’m more intentional about placing similar effort in all. Most importantly, I’m learning to say no or set boundaries so that I can rest and spend time with myself. Time with yourself and in a quiet space allows you to center yourself and process all the emotions and experiences you’ve had that day or week. Read More>>