I’m an artist working from home. Glamorous, right? Don’t get me wrong. I am #blessed. I love what I do but sometimes that’s the problem. I can rarely turn it off. Creating new art is barely half of what I do. Administrative and marketing tasks take up quite a bit of my time, too. And when I do leave the studio, I’m often thinking about being in the studio….

The journey of commercial art takes so much. Organization, constant creativity, but also a thick skin and monster focus. There is so much rejection in the consumer art world that it can wear on you at times. It is SO important to take care of yourself, to make real time for yourself. To give yourself permission to really shut down. Even though we think we are taking time off, we are often still checking social media, which is not shutting down!

Last week, my body forced a shut down. I think it was a combo of the winter blues and overworking myself, combined with the stresses of parenting, marriage, and just life. My energy was so low that I knew I needed some rest. I took a beginner yoga class and enjoyed just breathing and emptying my brain. I also spent a lot of time in the barn, grooming the horses and shoveling @#$!. It was just what I needed.

This week, I am back in the studio, feeling refreshed and ready to rock it out again. I am still going to go full force in my creative biz, but I know how important it is to take the time for myself. Real time. Outside. Breathing.