I used to believe multi-tasking was a good thing. Being able to take care of two jobs at once was a bonus. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and my overall ability to focus is waning so doing two things at once means neither gets done very well. But I also think in our busy world, it’s kind of a necessary evil.
We all face some of these choices in our daily lives. Work requires full time attention. Home demands constant input. Family is another time-worthy investment. And within each of these important categories there are ongoing responsibilities that require attention. How can we do it all and do it well? I don’t necessarily have an answer.
I love getting feedback from my customers. Pat sent me this picture of a bird feeder she recently purchased and told me, "One morning I looked out and saw two goldfinches perched on the bar on either side of the feeder going round and round as the wind spinned it and feeding away! It was so much fun to watch." This made my day!!!
I’ve been thinking about this as I continue to develop the business side of my clay art. Making pottery is the fun and easy part. Photographing, posting on-line, marketing and selling are all crucial elements of the business side of this endeavor. Each could be a full time job. So how do I succeed with a part time effort in each of these areas?
I participated in a weekend-long indie yarn pop-up shop celebrating the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival at The Knot House this past weekend. I met some incredible fiber artists who create their own colorful lines of yarn for knitting enthusiasts like me. Based on our conversations, I realize they face similar time-consuming choices in making and marketing their creative businesses. Finding a balance and focusing on the most important tasks is the trick.
Education, organization and compartmentalization have been the key for me to tackle each full time endeavor. I talk to other artists and creative people I know to share ideas on methods they use. I’ve taken some professional workshops to gain insight on improving my skills in unfamiliar territory. I’m working on streamlining a system to achieve the necessary steps for marketing my creations and carving out specific time to undertake these tasks. And finally, I’m conjuring all my yoga-inspired focus to stay in the moment and be present in the activity I’m working on and letting go of the distractions that so often lure me away from my goal.
Mother's Day gives me an extra chance to reflect on my Mom. Even though it's grainy -- I love this picture of us. She was my original role model for balancing all the full time jobs of life -- job, family and home. As a single mother, she made it all work to the best of her ability. It wasn't always perfect -- but I realize even more now since her death -- the journey toward managing all these full time pursuits is choosing the most important tasks and learning to say no to the distractions.