Season 5 – epiBLOG 14:

Some of us have a tendency to work way too much. I’m definitely guilty of this. I can easily work 10-15 hours in a day and not even know where my day has gone.

As an entrepreneurial artist you are often acting as a “solopreneur” – running every aspect of your business. Marketing for new clients, nurturing and serving existing clients, handling paperwork – digitally or by hand, creating art, and attempting to balance a personal life.

You sometimes don’t know where you begin and where your professional work ends. It seems to be an endless cycle.

I spoke with Business Strategist Shaun Arron Cassidy a couple of weeks ago about this very topic. It wasn’t the purpose of our phone call, but the conversation evolved into talking about what to do in order to relax. He “reminded” me that we live in an amazing city like San Diego, and that there isn’t any reason for me not to take advantage of all that this sunny city has to offer for free. Walking on the beach, for example.

Free is a good thing, and I love walking along the beach. However, one of my favorite pastimes is watching films in a movie theater, which we all know is definitely not free, but very rejuvenating for me.

And of course, I’m not saying that you can’t relax unless you live in San Diego. Take advantage of all of the wonderful activities that your city or town has to offer.

If you’re a really active and ambitious entrepreneurial artist, chances are you’re on social media daily, attending networking mixers weekly or monthly, constantly on phone calls, returning emails or messages, you’re on Skype, you’re on Zoom meetings, or meeting a potential client for business at a centrally-located coffee shop. You’re always in the process of moving forward. I’ve always felt that moving forward productively equated to ambition, and my ambition has always been something that I’ve been proud to have.

Ambition tends to NOT be a good thing when business takes over your entire life.

What I realized was that I need to take some time to rejuvenate and take care of myself. I also realized that I have been getting frustrated when business doesn’t flow as effectively as I would like it to. Self-care is equally important during these moments as well. It’s hard to focus on helping your clients if you’re not mentally clear to do so.

I’m inviting you hard-working entrepreneurial artists out there to do the same. Simply, take care of yourself. I once read that if you can do something for 30 days consistently, it will become a habit for you.

I challenge myself and all of you to the following actions as an entrepreneurial artist:

  • Commit to exercising 10-30 minutes a day – three to five days a week starting today. Whatever you believe can realistically work for you. The goal is to be consistent. If 10 minutes a day is what you can commit, then great. Be consistent with it. This can include walking, hiking, running, working out in the gym, aerobics, swimming, dancing, or anything that gets you moving and is within your physical/medical capabilities to do so.
  • Take at least one (1) day each week to NOT work. Enjoy time with family. Catch up on activities or hobbies that you usually don’t create time for.
  • Take a moment each day to do one of the following that resonates with you: meditate, pray, chant, or have a silent moment in nature to clear your mind.
  • Take time during the week to organize one thing that you’ve been wanting to organize, but have been putting off actually doing it because it feels too overwhelming to deal with. Having something “over your head” stops you from being completely focused and present. This organizational activity can be organizing your paperwork for your taxes, invoices, organizing your filing system, inputting information on a spreadsheet, etc.

 

Today’s LESSON is to create time for yourself in order to be more productive within your career and within your interactions with others.

FUN ASSIGNMENT: Take the 30-Day Entrepreneurial Artist Challenge (above) between April 3 – May 2, 2018, and write down how many tasks you get done efficiently each week, as well as any goals that you achieve during this time.

Please contact Nitara Osbourne if you’re a full time artist, and would like to be interviewed in The UnCloseted Professor Blog or if you would like help developing your life story into a non-fiction book or movie script. InfiniteWriterAgency@gmail.com.

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