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. 

Kai Lysander

Work-life balance is a strange thing for a freelance artist who works on their own projects alongside contracted work. Where does one draw the line? For me, the path of career that first opened its doors to me was being contracted to work on my own project— an opportunity I am very grateful to have had. Read more>>

Richard McWhorter

This has been one of the hardest parts of my life to ‘balance.’ Work-life balance is very difficult. Not only does it depend on the needs of your family and friends, but also on the needs of your clients and business. Decisions need to be handled with deep thought and care to make sure both sides have their needs being met. Read more>>

Chia-Chi Hsu

Our work often involves constantly searching for new opportunities and building relationships. In a typical day, I might be composing, practicing instruments, communicating with collaborators, and sometimes even taking on roles such as running recording sessions or teaching. Because of this, work and life often feel like the same thing. I think this is a common situation for emerging composers. Read more>>

Hana Song

As a teacher, my understanding of work-life balance has definitely evolved significantly over time, especially as I stepped into new life stages and my personal responsibilities grew. Early in my career, I was very work-focused, especially since I started out in the height of COVID and distance learning.  Read more>>