Finding Balance in Life

In October of last year, I went to Texas to be with my daughter and son-in-law for the birth of their first son. It was an incredible adventure. When I returned home I started a part-time job at Dollar Tree. My intention was to earn enough money to invest in a small crafting business. I thought balancing the job, this blog, and building inventory for craft shows would be easy. The reality was a bit of a shock. Finding a balance among all my goals has proved to be a challenge.

Goals

My goals:

My goals seemed simple enough. Work at the store two to three days a week. Work on craft inventory daily. Write one blog article a week. Clean the house each day before, or after, work. Seems simple enough, right? I thought so too. Until I realized that I don’t have a set work schedule at the store. Also, on some days I come home so exhausted that creating art is out of the question.

I soon learned that trying to create art when I am tired just leads to frustration. Also, working on art in the living room makes it hard to keep the house clean. More frustration. It was like trying to balance bricks and feathers. Impossible.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

There had to be a way to accomplish all the goals that I have thrown into my “basket”. The thing is, I haven’t found the exact formula for success yet. I tried using goal planning sheets. That helped for a while but trying to balance everything became overwhelming. I have room for improvement in achieving the desired peaceful balance.

In fact, I had all but abandoned this blog. I would think of blog topics, but getting them created and published just wasn’t happening. By the time I got home from work, or finished with my list of daily chores, I just didn’t have the mental energy needed to write. life has been getting in the way of me staying the course toward making dreams a reality! Something had to give in order for me to get back on track.

Here is what I have found to help so far. First, I can’t have one set day that the blog post goes out. I am going to have to be flexible on both when I create content and when it is posted. Second, I am going to have to limit painting and crafting to my days off. And last, the household chores have to be divided into manageable daily chores.

Is it Working?

You may be asking at this point if my new system is working. It is, though there is still room for improvement. There are times when I get things organized and neat. I even promise myself that I am not going to make a mess again. It lasts until I start to work on projects again. Thank goodness my husband is patient with me. He helps out with the cooking on the nights that I work. He even puts up with my creative mess.

Short Cuts to the Same Path

I am picky about what I put in my booth for sale. If it doesn’t look high-end and professionally crafted, it doesn’t make the cut. In the past, everything was free hand-drawn, and then painted. I have started using stencils for some of my wordage. It cuts down on mistakes and work time. Once the background is in place, I then can go on to create original works of art. It may sound a bit like cheating, but I have found a way to save time without sacrificing the quality of the finished piece.

Home Studio=Messy House

As for the house, I am going, to be honest here, it’s still a mess. I have started getting better at cleaning the living room at the end of each day of crafting or painting a canvas. I have also found that keeping a pump bottle of cheap dish soap by the bathtub allows me to clean the tube each time it is used. Alexa is very useful for setting reminders for chores such as cleaning the cat box, removing the trash, etc.

Show Time

Now the big question is, “Will I be ready for the show in May”? The answer: I think so! I have been able to create three to four pieces of art per week. I just have to keep reminding myself of the big picture. Then I have to keep working towards that goal. And that means to stop and breathe instead of panicking about not having enough made for the booth. In fact, I did a trial set-up of the booth and was amazed at how full it looked. But that’s okay because I have found another show in July.

First Things First

I will be set up at the Spring Craft show at Glendale Kentucky on May 20th. If it goes well, then I will try to add a second spring show next year and build from there. No that’s not growing as fast as I wanted, but it is moving in the right direction. I overspent, and will not even break even on this show. That my friends will be a topic for another day, I promise we will get back to that one.

If you get a chance, drop by and visit during the show. You can find directions to Glendale online. I will be set up near Greetop Antiques.

Is it All Worth the Trouble?

It’s not easy. Especially considering that soon it will be time to plant the garden, travel to Texas, and start adding DIY posts on here. But I am determined to get this blog back into motion. I am determined to build my craft hobby into a business. And I am determined to do a better job of keeping this house neater.

Goals, Dreams, and Reality, Oh MY!

Finding a balance among all my goals has proved to be a challenge. So what can you take away from my failures, mistakes, and challenges? First, we are all human. We all make mistakes. We all get a bit overwhelmed and lost at times. And, that is okay so long as we remind ourselves that we can achieve. We all just have to find the right balance within ourselves.

Hopefully, my friends you have a dream! Set goals, and work toward them. You can do this, and so can I! We just have to stay in motion. Stop back by soon.

Hope to see you all at Glendale.

Vikki